In Bangladesh, a large share of online shopping happens in chat. A shop posts on its Facebook Page, runs a boost, and the orders come in as messages: "price?", "inbox plz", "Outside Dhaka delivery koto?". Someone has to answer each one, collect the address and type the order into a sheet. That is f-commerce: selling through Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp with orders taken in chat. SaleMag is built for it.
What are the biggest problems for an f-commerce shop?
The biggest f-commerce problems in Bangladesh are scattered chats, repeated price questions and orders typed by hand. The table shows what each one costs.
| Problem | What it costs you |
|---|---|
| Chats spread over Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp | Missed messages and slow replies |
| The same "price?" question a hundred times a day | Hours of copy-paste |
| Orders taken by hand in chat | Wrong addresses, missing phone numbers, wrong totals |
| Eid and 11.11 rushes | Customers leave when nobody answers |
| One phone, many staff | No one knows who replied to whom |
How does a shared inbox help an f-commerce team?
SaleMag's shared inbox puts every chat in one place, so several people can answer one Page and one WhatsApp number without missing messages. It pulls in Facebook Messenger, Instagram DMs, WhatsApp through the official API, and Telegram. Your team can assign chats, add labels such as "paid ad" or "Eid order", leave internal notes and use saved replies. SaleMag does not reply to post comments.
Can an AI chatbot answer price questions correctly?
Yes, from your own data. SaleMag's AI chatbot answers price, stock and option questions only from your product catalog and knowledge base. Before it states a price, stock level or option, the order-taking assistant searches your catalog and uses only what comes back. If a product is not in your list, it says so or passes the chat to your team. It never guesses a price.
It replies in the customer's language, so "eta koto?" in Banglish, "দাম কত?" in Bangla and "how much?" in English all get a matching answer.
How does SaleMag turn a Facebook chat into a COD order?
SaleMag turns a chat into a cash-on-delivery order with AI order taking: the AI builds the cart, the customer fills a short form, and SaleMag creates a numbered order.
- The customer asks about a product. The AI checks the catalog and answers.
- The AI asks for size, colour or other options and builds the cart.
- The customer gets an order form: inside WhatsApp, or as a secure link on Messenger, Instagram and Telegram.
- On the form they pick a delivery zone, enter name, phone and address, and place the order.
- The system adds the zone's delivery fee, checks live prices and stock, and creates the order.
- The customer gets a confirmation in the chat. Your team gets a numbered order, such as CH-000123, and a notification.
Bangladeshi phone numbers are checked as they are entered, including +880, 880 and 01 formats and Bangla digits.
How do Inside Dhaka and Outside Dhaka delivery charges work?
In SaleMag you set up to 20 delivery areas, each with a flat fee and an optional Bangla label, and the system adds the chosen area's fee to the total. Most shops start with two, as the table shows.
| Zone | Example fee | Bangla label |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Dhaka | Your fee | ঢাকার ভেতরে |
| Outside Dhaka | Your fee | ঢাকার বাইরে |
The customer chooses the zone on the order form and sees the total before placing the order. The AI may tell customers the fees, but it never states a fee you have not listed.
What does an f-commerce team still do by hand?
With SaleMag, your team still confirms, packs and ships orders and handles chats that need judgment:
- booking the courier
- moving orders from pending to processing, completed or cancelled
- complaints, bulk or wholesale requests, custom orders and changes to placed orders, which the bot passes on as a human handover
- any chat they choose to take over
When someone on the team replies in a chat with an order-taking bot, the bot stays quiet there for 15 minutes.
Can I test the AI before customers see it?
Yes. SaleMag's chatbot editor has a test chat where you can type questions the way your customers do, in Bangla, Banglish or English, and see the answers before you link the bot to a live Page or number. Try your ten most common questions, plus a few tricky ones such as a product you do not sell, and fix the knowledge base or instructions where the answer is weak.
How do I prepare for an Eid or 11.11 sale?
Prepare SaleMag for an Eid or 11.11 sale by loading the sale products and prices before the campaign starts, writing the delivery cut-off dates into the bot's instructions, and assigning one person to watch handovers. After the sale, use the inbox and contact lists to follow up with buyers.
Get started
Connect your Page and WhatsApp, add your top 20 products and two delivery zones, and run it for a week. Read the conversations, then widen it. See pricing for plans.
Step by step
- 1
Connect your channels
Connect your Facebook Page, Instagram account and WhatsApp number from Channel Setup.
- 2
Add products
Sync your online store or add products with prices, options and photos.
- 3
Set delivery zones
Add Inside Dhaka, Outside Dhaka or your own areas, each with its fee.
- 4
Switch on the AI
Create an AI chatbot, attach your product knowledge, turn on order taking and link it to your channels.
Frequently asked questions
What is f-commerce?
F-commerce is selling through Facebook, mainly a Facebook Page and Messenger, often together with Instagram and WhatsApp, with orders taken in chat. It is the most common way small online shops sell in Bangladesh.
Do I need a website to use SaleMag for f-commerce?
No. You can add products to SaleMag by hand. If you have a Shopify, WooCommerce or BigCommerce store, you can sync it instead.
Can SaleMag's AI understand Banglish?
Yes. SaleMag's AI replies in the language the customer writes in, including Bangla written in English letters.
How are delivery charges handled in SaleMag?
You add each delivery area with its fee in SaleMag, for example Inside Dhaka and Outside Dhaka, with an optional Bangla label. The customer picks one on the order form and SaleMag adds the fee to the total.
Does SaleMag book the courier for me?
No. SaleMag takes and tracks the order, and has no Pathao, Steadfast or RedX integration; your team books the courier and updates the order status.
Will the AI promise a discount I did not approve?
No. SaleMag's AI is instructed to state facts only from your instructions, knowledge base and product list, and never to invent prices or policies.
Do I still need staff if the AI takes orders?
Yes. SaleMag's AI answers repeated questions and collects orders, but your team confirms, packs and ships every order, books the courier, and handles complaints, bulk requests and any chat the AI hands over.
How much does SaleMag cost for an f-commerce shop?
SaleMag plans are on the pricing page. The AI runs on your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Google Gemini key, so the provider bills AI usage, and Meta charges per WhatsApp message at rates it changes over time.
About the author
WhatsApp & F-commerce automation, Dhaka
The Dhaka team that builds SaleMag, the AI sales inbox for WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram used by online sellers in Bangladesh.