Flipkart Samarth’s Artisans And Weavers Bring ‘Artforms of India’ to 350 million Indian Consumers
Bengaluru: Flipkart, India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace, is gearing up for the 8th edition of its flagship festive event, The Big Billion Days (TBBD) and is working actively with its Flipkart Samarth artisans, weavers and handicraft makers to enable their livelihoods and business growth. This TBBD, the artisans and weavers who are part of the program, have curated a special line of products under the theme ‘Artforms of India’ as they tap into the pan-India consumer base who shop online during the festive season.
Flipkart Samarth, designed to democratize e-commerce through technology and build a sustainable and inclusive platform for the under-served, domestic communities, has been working with Government entities, livelihood missions and NGO partners. The program has grown 7x in sales since last year and now impacts 9,50,000 livelihoods by providing them with greater market opportunities and hand-holding them to make them comfortable with digital commerce. Last year, the artisans who were a part of Flipkart’s annual festive event saw a 2.5x increase in their revenue compared to the non-festive period.
This year, ‘Artforms of India’ will bring to consumers products from across the country that have a rich cultural heritage and high regional significance.
Jagjeet Harode, Senior Director and Head - Marketplace, Flipkart, said, “With a larger number of beneficiaries associated with us this festive season, we are looking forward to giving them an inclusive platform where they can showcase their diverse products, through a dedicated storefront and collection. Our aim is to ensure that Indian consumers while making a purchase, are able to envision their contribution in impacting the livelihoods of these communities.”
‘Artforms of India’ will see a limited edition of 28 products, curated by partners such as Garvi Gurjari, one of the largest emporiums from the western region, impacting close to 2,000+ artisans across the state; Tribes India (TRIFED) from the Tribal Welfare Ministry that is responsible for promoting and market products made by tribal craftsmen across the country and impact close to 3,50,000 tribals in India, and NULM, the country-wide livelihood generation program that works with close to 500+ self-help groups and supports the promotion of their handmade and traditional products. With each product, Flipkart is taking the consumers on a historical journey of where the product comes from and giving them a peek into the lives of the people who create and manufacture them. All of these products will be limited edition, as part of BBD Specials, and will directly contribute towards impacting the livelihood of the makers.
Shri Pravir Krishna, IAS, Managing Director, TRIFED, Government of India, said, “TRIFED aims to open up the tribal market economy to the world as tribals have immense untapped potential. They have their own economic ethos and are a set of very skillful people with remarkable life skills. However, they lack the skill of marketing. Flipkart’s Big Billion Days will not only provide a great platform to showcase these unique handicrafts by tribal communities but will also help elevate the TRIFED’s mission and vision and will make these products reach the masses.”
“In my childhood, I used to play with the Water Hyacinth flowers because there is lots of waterlogged land in my locality. So, Water Hyacinth is very fond of me. After joining Self Help Groups, I got training from DAY-NULM on the Water Hyacinth products. My products are sold and exhibited through City Livelihoods Centre (CLC), Nagaon, Assam. Now, I am feeling very happy that my product will get a platform in Flipkart through our Guwahati Seller Point and it gets a market in the whole country,” shared Sunmoni Kalita, an artisan associated with Lakhyajyoti Self-Help Group under the DAY-NULM program.
In addition to this, Flipkart is also introducing its 3D and AR capabilities through Flipkart Camera to offer an immersive experience to consumers shopping products from ‘Artforms of India’. Consumers will be able to interact with select handcrafted items across handbags and home decor products or view them in their space. Through this experience, Flipkart is truly bringing technology to democratize and empower the under-served sections of society.
According to Redseer’s e-commerce festive season report, e-commerce is potentially going to witness 23% higher sales this year, as compared to last year - driven by strong consumer funnel expansion and higher adoption of online shopping post-COVID across categories. This gives a massive opportunity for local artisans and weavers to benefit from e-commerce consumer demand, and help them further generate greater livelihood impact.
