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Nepalis are unused to online shopping as card or online payment is still a cumbersome process for many of us. But shopping online seems to be the only safe option as the country finds itself under the grip of Covid-19 pandemic.

Supply of daily essentials has been a major national concern after the country went into a lockdown on March 24. The Ministry of Supplies called an emergency meeting of the business community on March 25 to discuss ways to ensure supplies.

“We felt in the meeting that the government is serious about ensuring supplies,” says Amun Thapa, CEO of Sastodeal.com, a prominent e-commerce business in Nepal. “The situation is going to be more difficult in the days ahead. At least two million people live in the capital, and we have to make sure they get their rations.” Thapa says he is more worried about places outside Kathmandu that are beyond the reach of online platforms.

Just before the lockdown, Sastodeal and Daraz Nepal, another e-commerce platform, had seen an increased traffic to their sites and got more orders. “We saw a strong increase in demand and search queries for groceries, as well as for products related to the prevention and possible treatment of the Covid-19 virus,” says Lino Ahlering, managing director of Daraz Nepal.

“Page visits and orders had almost doubled in the week prior to the lockdown on March 24,” says Sastodeal’s Thapa. “But after the lockdown, we are trying to figure how to resume our business.” On its landing page, Sastodeal says deliveries will be made only after the lockdown is over. Likewise, Daraz has asked customers to expect delay in delivery if they have already placed an order.

At the moment, Daraz has been limited to selling digital goods such as mobile, Netflix, and Google Play top-ups, which do not require physical delivery. “Two weeks prior to the lockdown, Daraz also saw a sudden increase in orders,” says Natasha Baidya, Daraz’s marketing manager. “Some sellers wanted to increase prices and unduly profit, but we quickly delisted them.”

For Sastodeal, the system automatically detects and prevents price hikes of over 10-20 percent. “We have a content monitoring team to check both the prices and the quality of products,” says Thapa.

Is the delivery safe?

Former Foreign Secretary Madhu Raman Acharya recently tweeted about purchasing rice from an online store. And there were concerns about viral contamination.

“That delivery guy might have touched thousands of viruses on the way,” commented ‘Bibek Writes’ on Acharya’s tweet. Acharya was also concerned about the safety protocol during physical delivery of the items purchased online.

“When we buy online, we don’t have to go to the market. That way, we can help stop the virus spread,” says Acharya. “But the delivery people of online sellers take cash on delivery, which is risky. And we don’t know if they have followed required safety measures.”

Daraz says there is no need to worry. “We have taken a number of precautions,” says Ahlering. “Before the lockdown, we had an increased hygienic standards for our employees, sellers, and customers. For instance, we offered hand sanitizers to our customers at the time of delivery.”

Need for online payment

Cash on delivery is the biggest safety loophole. There are a few digital wallets and online payment portals that people have started using, but they are far from the reach of the majority. eSewa is the biggest and most popular option right now. Khalti, IME Pay, and other platforms are also coming up.

“Our customers can pay through eSewa, which they find most convenient,” says Sastodeal’s Thapa. “After the Covid-19 pandemic, we have stopped requiring customers to sign or touch any device when they get their orders.” But the cash on delivery option is still there, nevertheless.

“The way to reduce cash transaction is to promote online payments,” says Madhu Raman Acharya. “We can do that by, say, giving 10 percent discount on the use of online apps or wallets. That will reduce cash transactions, and help track legal transactions.”

Daraz’s Baidya says the platform is encouraging online instead of cash payment. “Although we don’t collaborate with online wallets such as eSewa or khalti, customers can pay through their mobile and online banks”

Markets, by their nature, like certainty, guided as they are by the projections and probabilities based on historical data and events. Future results are estimated based on past ones and changing socio-economic realities. Their performance and the socio-economic environmental factors are monitored and adjusted in their projected year-end results on regular basis. This helps smoothen the effects of uncertainty to a large extent. Projected positive or negative results are reflected in stock charts through the scrip’s price movement.

But whenever there is a man-made or natural calamity, it creates greater uncertainty, which is not factored in future estimates. Markets are suddenly coerced into uncharted territories and experience a rude awakening. The surprise quickly turns into fear. The fear of the unknown. Immediate reaction is “fight or flight”—some will hold their ground and try to weather out the storm while others will give up and escape.

In the markets, the flight response is seen when people start to push the sell button. As more people go into flight response, panic sets in. Panic leads to further panic and the result is a bloodbath on the trading floor.

In December 2019, Chinese authorities identified a new Sars-like virus emerging and affecting people in the city of Wuhan in Hubei province. As this new virus, now named COVID-19, started to rapidly spread in the city, the authorities enforced complete lockdown of the affected area to slow the spread of the virus. The global market ignored the situation as a one-off that would soon be contained. The last trading day of 2019 ended on a positive note for major global markets including the stock exchanges of Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Year 2020 brought in more news of virus spread, deaths and quarantines. By mid-February, the virus had spread to South Korea, Japan and Iran. Now, the effect was seen in the South Korean and Japanese equity markets as they started to plunge. On February 27, all major US indices—the Dow Jones, S&P and the NASDAQ—went into a deep correction mode. The virus continued to move across the borders.

On March 11, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 outbreak to be a pandemic. The announcement shocked all the major equity markets. Markets from South Korea to Indonesia to India to United States hit multiple circuit breakers as the fear took over. Even the multiple circuits were unable to stop the plunge in stock values, leading to the possibility of a global recession.

In Nepal, the secondary market had just had a bullish run when COVID-19 happened. The month of February saw a big bull run. It was further fuelled as the projected returns from the secondary market looked more attractive than the returns from other alternative investment avenues. Steep rise in the index from 1,100-ish to 1,600+ (a gain of 500 points) within a span of three months was begging for a correction. This correction was set in motion on the very first trading day of March.

From a technical perspective, the correction was expected to end around 1,400ish, which would have been 50 percent retracement from 1,100-ish. The market even respected the support level of 1,400-ish on March 5. But the growing panic in global markets also spread into the hearts and minds of Nepali investors and traders. This was immediately reflected in the multiple circuit breakers on March 10 and continued decline in the index. The confidence level of investors and traders has hit a low and this is reflected in the declining volume of trading.          

NIBL extension counter at Duwakot

Nepal Investment Bank Limited has expanded its operations in Bagmati Province with the establishment of an additional extension counter at Duwakot, Changunarayan Municipality. The new extension counter in Ward No. 3 Duwakot is surrounded by Bhaktapur Municipality to south and Madhyapur Thimi Municipality to the west. Located around 20 km from the center of Kathmandu, Duwakot will run as a full-fledged extension counter to cater to the local demand.

It is NIBL’s 17^th extension counter, started with the intent of aiding financial accessibility of its customers and widening financial literacy. NIBL has been catering to its customers from 82 branches, 124 ATMs, 17 extension counters, 10 revenue collection counters and 56 branchless banking counters.

OPPO launches F15 in Nepal

OPPO has come out with its latest handset OPPO F15 through its first ever online launch event in Nepal. Featuring a 48MP Ultra-Wide Angle Macro Quadcam and super sleek design, OPPO F15 offers a refreshing professional photography experience in the palm of your hands.

F Series is designed to help the young generation chase better visual expression and strive for quality, trendiness and a better life, and has won great customer love. The launch of OPPO F15 marks a new era for the series, following its continuous technological advancements based on market needs.

Priced at Rs 39,990, OPPO F15 will go on sale from Marc 23 in two stunning colors: Lightning Black and Unicorn White.

Bottlers Nepal Limited—the authorized bottlers of the Coca-Cola Company—has started Shopkeeper Training and Resources “STAR” Program that aims to economically empower five million women across the value chain by 2020. The program aims to provide Nepali women retailers with the skills, techniques and tools required to succeed in the dynamic retail setup of Nepal, focusing on four key areas: shop management, stock management, customer management, and finance management. A joint Bottlers Nepal’s Public Affairs Communication and Sustainability (PACS) team and the sales team has reached 15 cities and several smaller towns in Nepal to train over 5,000 
women retailers.

THE MENU
Chef’s Special:
-    Pork Thenthuk 
-    Jhol momo 
-    Chicken Fan Baifan
Opening hours:
10:00 am-10:00 pm
Location:
Baluwatar
Cards:
Accepted
Meal for 2:
Rs 1,200
Reservations:
9851228014

One of the largest selections of beer available in Nepal,” the Ventures Café boasts on its Facebook page. A tall claim, you’d probably want to test. Located at Baluwatar (near the main gate of the Prime Minister’s official residence), the Ventures Café is a restaurant that serves a fusion of Oriental and Nepali cuisines and also provides a comfortable ambience for entrepreneurs to co-work and chill. 
With snacks starting at Rs 100 and main courses not exceeding Rs 500, Ventures has to be one of the most affordable restaurants around for food and ambience. Even the drink (alcoholic, non-alcoholic, and coffee) prices give fierce competition to other restaurants in the area. Perhaps why it has thrived all these years without much fanfare. A steady customer base, we suspect, is its secret sauce.