Eid shopping has just started gaining momentum as people are visiting different city markets and fashion outlets to buy their desired items, traders have said.
Most of the city shopping centres saw an increase in the number of buyers on Friday, although sales started since the very beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.
However, the traders have not yet satisfied with the volume of their sales.
According to them, many of the shoppers who are visiting the markets seem to be 'window shoppers'.
Some market operators also expressed the hope that sales will get momentum in the days ahead.
People will go on a shopping spree after service-holders get their salaries and festival bonuses, they added.
During visit to several shopping malls including New Market, Gausia, Chadni Chawk, Shezan Point and Bashundhara City, the FE correspondent found that customers from all walks of life gathered there to buy their desired Eid dresses.
The sales at a children's fashion outlet grew twofold on Friday comparing to that of earlier days in Ramadan, said a sales executive.
Marketing Manager of Shahishab Fashion Bashundhara City outlet Mehedi Hasan Raju said kids' attires are on high demand during Eid.
The highest-selling items at the outlet are party frocks, skirt, T-shirt, pant and Punjabi, he said.
In reply to a query on pricing, he said colourful party frocks are sold between Tk 1,600 and Tk 3,000 and Punjabi between Tk 450 and Tk 1,300, he said.
"We are offering 5.0 per cent discount on all products to attract customers. Even one can get up to 100 per cent discount through scratch card," said Mr Hasan.
A buyer named Sharmin Jahan was seen choosing dresses for herself and her relatives at an outlet of the same shopping mall.
When asked about her shopping experience, she said she always tries to complete Eid shopping as early as possible.
"As the Eid day is coming closer, the number of shoppers is also increasing at shopping malls. That's why I try to complete Eid shopping earlier," she said, adding that even she had plans to do so within the first week.
Regarding the types of attires, she said considering the weather condition during this Eid, she preferred three-piece made with cotton fabrics.
Salesperson of Chaiti Fashion Md Liton Mia said colourful but light designed three-pieces are selling most from the outlet
"We sell cotton-fabric unstitched three-pieces at TK 1,000 to Tk 2,500," he said.
A shop owner at Shezan Point market Md Selim Qazi said the volume of sales remained lower in the first week of Ramadan comparing to that of last year.
"I am not happy with the number of customers I have been receiving so far. Even those who come here, very few of them finally purchase," said the businessman, who sells three-pieces for women.
Most of the customers prefer Indian three-pieces for their colourful attractive design over traditional local dress, he said.
Many women, who are influenced by the Hindi serial and cinemas, usually show special attention to such attires worn by the actresses, said the businessman.
"Ironically, many shopkeepers sell Bangladeshi three-pieces claiming those as imported from Indian," he said, adding that: "Many customers are not convinced enough to buy a Bangladeshi dress despite having better quality."
The prices of Indian three-piece ranges between Tk 3,000 and Tk 14,000, depending on their quality, design and fabrics, said the businessman.
Duplicate of Indian-three piece is sold at Tk 1,500 to 2,000, he added.
Indian three-pieces are famous for their colour variety, attractive design, trendy with showbiz, said Zabbar Sheikh, another businessman in New Market.
Besides, a good number of Pakistani three-pieces are sold in city markets, said Mr Zabbar, the proprietor of Fariha Fashion.
For the young girls, he continued, party frock is the main attraction as Eid dress.
"Party frocks are popular among the customers which are mostly imported from China nowadays," he said.
When asked about the sales so far, he said the majority of customers are making window shopping to make an assessment of market and fashion trend this year.
"Eid sales usually peak after mid-Ramadan when service-holders get their festival bonuses," he said.
