List of illustrations

The study does not contain any distinct illustration. The research is based on interaction with a
fifty random mobile vendors across Dhaka.

Synopsis

This report analyses the communication patterns for mobile vendor in Dhaka. The main focus
is on the how the mobile venders communicate in market to make the sale. We have tried to
capture the common terms and different modes of communication used.

To collect the data we have interviewed fifty mobile venders from different parts of the city.
The report also focuses on the problems faced by people in this niche sector.

Hawking is generally considered as a “menace” or an “eyesore” that prevents the development

of Dhaka as a world-class city. But this article explores the essential presence of mobile
vendors in a city, which requires a critical understanding of the functioning of public space.
The experiences of mobile vendors in Dhaka, as elsewhere in Bangladesh, have taught them
not to fear a regulatory state, but a predatory one, a state that constantly demands bribe sand
threatens demolition, against which a license provides security.

01
Introduction
The report has been prepared to understand the communication patterns and styles of the most
interesting group in Dhaka, the Mobile vendors. The study helped remove a number of
preconceived notions about them and will certainly help understanding them and
communicating with them better.

Purpose, Scope and limitations:

The Purpose of this report is to list out the communication pattern of Mobile vendors in Dhaka
Although the sampling has been carried out only in few places in Dhaka, the general
communication pattern is more or less the same all over Dhaka.

Sources and Methods:

Data collected is predominantly Primary data. In preparing this report, we have interviewed
conductors at several places which include Panthapoth, Shahabag, TSC, New Market,
Firmgate, Dhanmondi, Gabtoli, Mirpur, Aagargoan and Mohammadpur. We interacted
with Mobile vendors at places like Zia Uddan, Dhanmondi Lake, Novo Theater, Shangshod
Bhaban & Chadnichok.

Report Organization:
The report reviews the different kinds of mobile vendors in Dhaka, analyses the different
trends in their communication pattern, and summarizes them at the end.

Limitations:
 There was time constraint as the research had to be done in a short time and Dhaka is a
big and diverse city.
 Cost constraints were faced.
 Scarcity of resources was a problem.
 Only a limited number of mobile vendors could be interacted with.
Determining Issues:
1. Duration of Business:
It’s a common human psychology that every human being wants a stable life. Because of this,
most of the mobile vendor wants to establish their business in a more stable way as like a
permanent shop. Some of them able to make the ground and some of them don’t able to make
it. The certain study about the mobile vendors shows us that 48% of them running the same
business for 0-4 years and about 30% of them running their business for a longer period of time
like 10-more.

60%
50%
40%
30%
48%
20%
30%
10%
8% 12%
0% 2%
0 - 4 year 5 - 6 year 7 - 8 year 9 - 10 year 11 - 20 year

2. Chalking Out the Business:

The practice of business in this Indian subcontinent is quite mature. The peoples of here have a
very good sense of business. 32% of mobile vendors run their business traditionally. And to
keep pace with the time many vendors invent their own products to get more profit to change
their life. 30% of mobile vendors are self inspired and 24% of mobile vendors get their idea
from friends.
02
 35%
30%
25%
20%
15% 32% 30%
10% 24%
5% 12%
0% 2%

ds

r
ta
n

he
al

tio
en

pi
on

Ot
ira

Ca
fri
iti

sp
ad

om

w
Lo
In
Tr

Fr

lf
Se

3. Business Strategy:
52% of the mobile vendors run their business permanently. In this segment most of them are
adult. The teenage mobile vendors run their business in a part time manner, 26% of mobile
vendors are in this segment. And rest of the 22% run their business seasonally.

60%
50%
40%
30% 52%
20%
10% 22% 26%
0% 0% 0%
e
t

ly
aly

se
en

tim
ar

wi
on

an

Ye

rt-
rm
as

l
ta
Pa
Se

pi
Pe

Ca

4. Source of Product:
According to our survey the maximum rate of mobile vendors 36% collect their products from
the wholesalers and also 34% of them sell their self made products. 12% collect the products
from the retailers.
03
 Series 4
40%
30%
20% 36% 34%
10% 18% 12%
0%
Suppliers Retailers Wholesalers Others

5. Business Location:
Mobile vendors select their business location on basis of their product. In the scenery of Dhaka
city they prefer some place like school area, traffic signal, Public Park, Corporate area,
residential area and so on. According to our survey 60% of mobile vendor prefer busy streets
as the prime spot of doing business. And 24% of them prefer parks as a suitable place to do
business. Rests of the mobile vendors do their business in residential area and school area.

70%
60%
50%
40%
30% 60%
20%
10% 24%
8% 0% 8%
0%
e

rk
et
ol
l
tia

at

ho

Pa
re
or
en

st
Sc
rp
sid

sy
Co

Bu
Re

6. Class of Customers:
Usually mobile vendors sell daily necessaries and they sell their products for all kind of people.
The customers they face is actually depends on their products. The mobile vendors we interact
04
with among them 64% said that serves to all economic classes, 15% said that they target the
middle class and rest of them serve to only low class people.

0% 6%
High class
30% low class
Middle class
64%
All of them

7. Ways to Drawing Attention:

The mobile vendors in Dhaka have some common ways to catch the attention of the people.
46% of mobile vendors draw the attention of people by displaying their product. 24% of them
do the job by using their loud vocal and other 16% draw the attention of people in some other
unique ways like rimes, colorful dresses, singing/playing song and so on.

Using loud vocal

16%
24% Using mike

6% Display the product

8% Tell themthe
products price
Others
46%

8. Behavior of Customers:
05
According to 44% of mobile vendors, customers behaved politely with them. Another 44% of
them said their customers frankly behaved with them while interacting. Beside these 8% of
them said customers are quite rude with them.

50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
44% 8% 44% 4%

kly
ly

lly
y
el

de

tfu
an
lit

Ru
Po

ec
Fr

sp
Re

9. Obstacles:
In the scenario of Bangladesh mobile vendors are seems illegal. Therefore mobile vendor face
many obstacles while running their business. According to 62% of them giving donation to the
local mobsters is the main obstacle. 16% of them face other obstacle like physical harassment
hijack and so on. And another 10% said giving bribe to some dishonest members of law
enforcement agencies is the most painful obstacle.

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%
4% 10% 62% 8% 16%
n

rs
e
l

l
ea

oi
ib

tio

he
Sp
St

Br

na

Ot
Do

10. Salvation From The Obstacles:

06
46% of mobile vendors solve their problem by their own self. Another 8% take helps from
police to solve the problems. 4% of them go to their union to solve the problem. And rests 42%
simply do nothing to solve the problems.

50%

40%

30%
46% 42%
20%

10%
8% 4%
0%
Police Howkers Own self Do nothing
committee

11. Social Communication:

Humans are social being. Because of this we need to be socialized. In the age of information
technology we all use the electronic ways of communication. Mobile vendors are not apart
from this fact. 60% of mobile vendors use cell phone to communicate with their fellow mates.
Yet 30% of them use face to face method to communicate with their fellow mates.

70% 60%
60%
50%
40% 30%
30%
20% 8%
10% 2% 0%
0%
By phone Throw Face to face By notes Others
people

12. Patronize sought from Government:

07
34% of mobile vendors expect protection to their business from the government. 18% of them
want a suitable place to do business. And the 16% of mobile vendors have a hope for a govt.
mobile vendors market. 10% have a hope to get a license of their business from the govt. And
the rests 22% of them want other facilities from the government.

Give thema suitable

18% place for business
22%
Government protection
for business
10% Make a govt. howker's
34% market
16%
Give thema business
license
Others

Communication Pattern of Mobile Vendor:

According to the survey conducted by the team in some major marketplaces in Dhaka
(Panthapoth, Shahabag, TSC, New Market, Firmgate, Dhanmondi, Gabtoli, Mirpur,
Aagargoan and Mohammadpur) the mobile vendors can be classified into many small
segments depending on the parameters like- activeness & behavior.

Classification of the mobile vendors on the basis of their activeness:

On the basis of the activeness mobile vendors of Dhaka are of 3 types-

1. Over-active mobile vendors:

This type of mobile vendors makes unnecessary noises in the marketplace. They generally do
excessive effort to attract people to them or their product. They shout unnecessarily
(sometimes with a microphone), make funny comments or gestures to make their selling
superfluous.
08
 2. Active mobile vendors:
This type of mobile vendors doesn’t overdo anything to sell their products. It doesn’t mean that
they don’t shout at all, they start calling the customers only when they perceive that the customers
are coming towards their stall or about to buy something from them. They behave very politely &
frankly with the customers. This type of mobile vendors often succeeds in retaining their customers

3. Inactive mobile vendors:

This type of mobile vendors prefers to remain silent; they don’t do any considerable effort to attract
the customers. Even when the customers come to them to buy something then also they hardly do
any kind of interaction with them.

Composition of different mobile vendor markets of Dhaka :

Classification of the mobile vendors on the basis of their Behavior:

On the basis of the observed behavior the mobile vendors are classified into two classes-

1. Well behaved mobile vendors:

09
This type of mobile vendors generally wants to maintain a decent relationship with their
customers. They behave politely, softly to their customers & want to avoid unnecessary
arguments with the same.

2. Rude mobile vendors:

This type of mobile vendors deals their customers very badly. If, for any particular reason, a
customer leaves their stall without buying anything they get very angry & start arguing with
their customers with abusive languages.

Moving & static mobile vendors:

According to the ‘stability’ (i.e., whether the mobile vendors move from one place to other
place or whether they remain stick to one place to sell their products) the mobile vendors can
be divided into two classes, namely ‘moving mobile vendors’ & ‘static mobile vendors’.

 Moving mobile vendors frequently change their positions or go door to door to sell
their products. This kind of mobile vendors has very good communication skills
through which they can easily make good relationship with the local customers.
 But Static mobile vendors prefer to run their business in one space only.

List of Mobile vendors & their Pick-up lines:

Mobile vendors Items Types Pick-Up Lines

Name ( In Bengali)
Md. Chan Mia Ice-Cream Moving “Iceeecreaaaam…… Oi
Iceeeeeecreaaaaaaaaam..Lon Goromer
Araam Icecreeeeaaam.”

Md. Mannan Vegetables Moving “ Tarkarieeeeeee Lagbe

Mollah Tarkariieeeeee..
Neen Torkaariiieee….Khubi
Dorkarieeeeee….”
Abdur Rahim Chanachur Moving “ Gorrrooom Gorromm
Chanachuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrr….Oi
Chanachuuurrrr…..”
10
 Md Shahid Newspaper Moving “Gorom Khobor…Taja Khobor… Oi
Khobor Lon Khoborrrrrr……”

11
Md. Kamal Pop-Corn Moving “Ooooiiii Popkon Popkooooooonn”
Hossain

Mohammad Ripon Books & Moving “Boi Lagbe Boi…. Mojar Mojar
Magazine Chhorar Boi …. Hoga Mansher Ka-
Khar Boi”

Md. Robin T-Shirt Static “Loia Lon Ponchash…Bachha Lon

Ponchashhh..Jeida Lon Ponchaashhh”

Kader Jilhani Peanut Moving “Eeeiii Baaaaadeeeeiiimmm ….. Vaja

Badeeeeeiiiimmmm”

Kolpona Bishwash Imitation Static “Ei J Didi, Boudi Ra, Notun Notun
Jewelry Design Ache…”
(Churi)

Mozid Mia Insect Killer Moving/ “Idur Maren… Telapoka

Static Mareen...Saar Poka Mareeennn…
Idurer Bongshoo Kore Debe
Dhongsho….”

Some special Characteristics:

 The time when a mobile vendor is dealing with his first customer of the day is known
as “Bounir shomoy”. Usually in this time he/she doesn’t bargain too much with the customer.
At this particular situation, the mobile vendor behaves very politely to the customer & doesn’t
argue too much as he/she may lose his/her 1st customer of the day.

 Though the maximum numbers of mobile vendors of Dhaka are not literate enough &
they are not comfortable in speaking English, it has been observed that they can easily bargain
with the foreign customers. Usually they communicate with the foreigners with broken
English. For e.g.

Foreigner: How much is this?

Mobile vendor: 100 taka sir.
Foreigner: no. no. it’s too much!!!!
Mobile vendor: it good… Sir. Take Na sir!!! Take….

Conclusion
On the basis of above discussion it can be concluded that the mobile vendors of Dhaka have a
very interesting communication-skills. Communication pattern of mobile vendors have variety
than that of other profession. Different mobile vendors have different levels of activeness. The
level of activeness of the mobile vendors varies from one market to other market & it also
depends on the personality of the mobile vendors. There are some mobile vendors who behave
rudely with their customers, as well as, there are some mobile vendors who behave very
politely with their customers. This type of mobile vendors generally uses many interesting
pick-up lines to attract their customers. So, in the city of joy, Dhaka it is an absolute pleasure to
watch the activities & behaviors of the mobile vendors. Their language, their behavior have
become an integral part of the culture of Dhaka.

Country Study

Street Vendors in Sri Lanka appear to be in

a slightly better position than their
counterparts in Bangladesh and India. Street
vending in most urban areas is not totally
illegal and vendors can
carry on their trade on the pavements by
paying a daily tax to the municipal council.
Despite gaining some legal recognition,
vendors are evicted if the municipal council feels that they cause problems to the general
public.
12
The most observable fact about Bangkok is its street
vendors. Almost every street in this city has street
vendors selling an array of items-clothes, curios,
electronic items and a wide variety of cooked and
raw food. In fact, food vendors of Bangkok are
known for their cheap but nutritious fare. The
municipal authorities in Bangkok have demarcated
sites where street vendors can operate. There are
such 287 sites in the city. There are also 14 sites on
private land. The sites officially allotted for street
vending are not sufficient for accommodating all
street vendors. Moreover, these areas do not cover
all sections of the city and hence customers are not
catered to.
13
The significant feature about Malaysia is
that it is one of the few countries in Asia
that has given some form of recognition to
street vendors . In 1990, Malaysia
formulated the National Policy on
Hawkers. The regulation and control of
street vendors is under the department of
hawkers and petty traders (DHPT)
established in 1986. According to DHPT
the number of licensed street vendors rose
by 30% between 1990 and 2000.

Street Vendors play an important role in urban Vietnam's commerce. They provide low priced
goods and generate employment for a large number of people, especially women. In 1989 the
Vietnamese government adopted a law on protection of people's health. A survey on food
samples in the Hanoi showed that 47% were microbiologically unsafe. Within a few years the
scene changed and 23.4% of the food vendors had changed their unhygienic practices. The
government has adopted two practices for ensuring safer street food, namely, monitoring street
food vendors through a licensed system and educating and training them on hygiene.

Recommendations:
14
It has been concluded from our research that there is a lot of pre-conceived notions against
mobile vendors. We have the following suggestions for the parties involved

Mobile vendors :
1. They should always have a smile on their face as it affects the customer’s
response.

2. They should negotiate politely.

3. They should not force or pounce on passersby.

4. They should not block the road.

5. Should not sell unethically.

Customers

1. They should not behave in a snobbish manner.

2. They should talk politely to the mobile vendors.

3. If not interested in buying, then at least not misbehave.

4. One should understand that the mobile vendors are trying to earn their
living, so please treat them like just another human being.

Government

Unfortunately, the governments in these countries have more or less refused to recognize street
vending as a legal activity and they in fact view these vendors as irritants to the city's
development. Even in the countries like Vietnam and Cambodia, which do not have a large
formal sector, the governments did not give legal recognition to street vending. Bangladesh
should frame a national policy for street vendors, which if implement, will provide security to
them. At present, the street vendors face constant harassment from the authorities.

Attachments:
15
  Questionnaires for the survey
 Result Sheet of the Survey
 Pictures

References:
 http://www.nndccomputercentre.com/street-hawkers1.html
 http://www.boddunan.com/miscellaneous/51-general-reference/12497-the-street-
hawkers.html
 http://www.asiaticsociety.org.bd/journals/Dec_2008/contents/MurshidaKhanam.htm
 http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/times-of-india-
the/mi_8012/is_20080330/secrets-hawkers-review/ai_n39481926/
 http://narijibon.blogspot.com/2007/12/street-hawker-in-bangladesh.html
 http://www.banglapedia.org/httpdocs/HT/H_0090.HTM
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/gangchill/5040338874/
 http://www.termpaperwarehouse.com/essay-on/Hawkers/21688
 http://africancentreforcities.net/papers/39/