First PNG E-Commerce Website Introduced

By The National, 30th October 2006

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea – For the first time, Papua New Guineans can now shop on the internet through the website www.esishop.com.pg using the local currency. Data Nets Ltd and Westpac Bank Ltd have launched its internet shopping site that enables credit card holders in Papua New Guinea to buy goods and services in the domestic and overseas markets. Data Nets and Westpac Bank unveiled their latest joint effort in producing PNG’s first ever e-commerce site, which allows Master Card and Visa Card users who have access to the internet to buy PNG goods online using the kina.

The launch last Thursday was witnessed by senior members of the public and private sector in which the first ever local internet transaction was made involving a purchase of a PGK100 [US$35.57] B-Mobile pre-paid card. The transaction was done in seconds. Data Nets general manager Sundar Ramamurthy said: “It is our effort to assist Government and the private sector in creating growth and the move into the next century, “We understand that people need a credit card, however, many people prefer to use this when paying for goods purchased over the internet,” he said “Our aim is to make this possible in PNG so that people will come to trust the transactions,” Mr Ramamurthy said.

The shopping website www.esishop.com.pg is the launching pad for e-commerce in PNG and will allow customers to buy products and services from the safety and comfort of their home 24 hours a day.

It also allows people and companies to sell their products and services on the global market anywhere and at any time and will benefit tourists and tourism agencies where holiday bookings can be made at the convenience of the tourist in their own time-zone.

One of Data Nets goal for the future is to link up with Air Niugini and PNG Power Ltd to provide online booking of airline tickets and online purchase of Esipay load credit to its clients

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Interesting that they have decided to launch this e-commerce service with only 1 product (B-Mobile credits) to sell, but again I guess it’s a start of some sort. There are 3 areas which I would like to see developed with e-commerce in PNG.

Firstly, Data Nets could have launched the e-commerce inititive with a leading hotel in PNG or Air Niugini so that some actual money could be made right from the word ‘GO’. The market and usage of credit card payments on the internet for PNG websites is overseas right now. This is something we mentioned in our article on tourism websites. Right now hotels and the tourism sector, especially Air Niugini, need the use of this service. The other reason also being that starting with an active market like tourism will give e-commerce service providers like Data Nets a more relevant working experience platform. This learning curve can then slowly lead them into what would be appropriate for the PNG market. In any case they have noted that they will be looking at Air Niugini, so that is a good sign for the future.

Secondly, the overwhelming usage of EFTPOS/ATM cards in PNG would to me have suggested that an e-commerce initiative in PNG would focus on a more accesible form of electronic payment rather than Credit Cards. Most PNG’eans already have a bank card of some sort so I would think that for the PNG market you would start with what the market is already used to and what the majority has access to. Even pre-paid facilities for e-commerce functions would be great, like our article on pre-paid e-commerce for music.

Thirdly, Westpac is the local bank where your money will be deposited in Kina, the payments are still however being processed by an overseas based company. From an economic point of view the fact that it is an overseas gateway for the e-commerce service means that money made on e-commerce payment clearance is leaving the country.

In any case it’s about time someone started this, it is a move forward and is better than doing nothing at all. We at Masalai are quite excited about the possibiliities it opens for our website clients. A big congratulations for the great initiative by Data Nets and Westpac.