Ecom firms put Indian art and crafts in the limelight

With most of the leading online firms collaborating with NGOs and designers or organisations working with artisans from different states to promote the traditional art and crafts of India, the segment has received a renewed boost. Even families who had moved to urban areas in search of work when demand for handcrafted products diminished are returning to their home-towns to get back to their family business of handloom weaving.

For instance, four years ago, around 500 Banka silk handlooms of the total 600 operational in Katoria village of Bihar had to pull shutters on their units as demand dropped and fake and cheap powerloom products barged into the market. However, now the region is seeing several residents migrating back to village amid a revival in the traditional industry, which has got a new lease of life through online firms. Online companies like Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, Jaypore and Craftsvilla have tied up with as many as 7,000 weavers to directly sell on their platforms.

While Amazon India launched its craft store before Diwali and has enlisted about 90 weavers, in June, Snapdeal partnered with Himachal Pradesh government to launch a 'special e-commerce zone' which will facilitate sale of local handicraft and other products. Flipkart too has launched a similar segment called the India Art House. And Mumbai-based Craftsvilla has around 150 weavers supplying art and craft items to them for online retail.