"The
COVID-19 lockdown has changed Sri Lankan customer habits as has the rest of the
world," said Dr Rohantha Athukorala, Clootrack Sri Lanka, Maldives and
Pakistan Country Leader, addressing the Metropolitan Rotary Club at The Hilton.
Citing Kantar Sri Lanka's post-lockdown research study, the insight is that the
e-consumer basket in Sri Lanka has increased from an $11 to $38. This lead was
driven by e-payment, e-banking, online medical consultation and e-sports, which
we see in Sri Lanka as the new lifestyle.
The underlying
reason means the e-commerce eco-systems will have a significant post-COVID-19
change, and according to him, the private sector will have to change its
business model.
"We also
hear of a second wave of the deadly COVID-19 virus in China and Chennai, and
clusters are also appearing in Sri Lanka, which means we have to prepare for a
second wave," said Dr Athukorala.
Dr Athukorala also
directs the COVID-19 Spread Rotary Stop for Sri Lanka.
"The decent
news is that over two hundred firms are in the procedure of being approved by
the Sri Lankan Standards Institute for a 'COVID-19 Control Environment'
qualification, which means that the companies are putting up protections for a
possible second wave that is cautious decision-making.
"Businesses
like Akbar Brothers have gone on to place the company as the primary tea
company globally certified as a 'COVID-19 Control Environment, which means that
we in Sri Lanka are taking the high ground internationally, in a wise manner,"
opined Athukorala.
As the previous
Chairman of Sri Lanka Export's Development Board and Sri Lanka Tourism, Dr
Athukorala possesses the domain knowledge to back up that statement.
Recently,
Anantaya Resorts and Spa announced to the world, that it is the first global
hotel property to receive the 'COVID-19 Control Environment' certification that
puts Sri Lanka on the global media.
The speaker went
on to disclose the findings of the analysis of LMRB/Kantar. The results revealed
that 13 per cent tried online education in Sri Lanka, 12 per cent tried live
broadcasting via mobile media, 9 per cent tried online shopping, 8 per cent
tried online shopping, 7 per cent paid their bills using smartphones. It also
revealed a dramatic shift where 7 per cent conducted online religious
activities.
"This is
the current reality, and we in Sri Lanka need to improve based on this hard
data so that we remain engaged with the Sri Lankan household," he said. Under
the leadership of eminent business personality, Ruwan Jinasena, Metropolitan's
Rotary Club is driving a critical project under the COVID-19 plan ‘Stop the
Spread’, to certify the 'Tuk-tuk' community in Sri Lanka's urban markets, which
is another first for Sri Lanka.
OSL Take: Sri
Lanka showcases tremendous growth potential in the e-commerce arena, adding to
an already diverse eco-system. There is growing interest in investment coming
from many sources to Sri Lanka, and with a sustained support system, the Sri
Lankan e-commerce will be able to compete internationally. Sri Lanka is
currently engaged in a programme to transform the country into an e-economy.
The government of Sri Lanka has introduced many programmes and provided many
incentives to businesses involved in ICT to help develop the country's ICT and
digital infrastructure sectors. All this has resulted in the expansion of
business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka's ICT and digital infrastructure
sectors.
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