Finding the right opportunity and observing the right things can lead you to milestones you might have never thought of achieving.
This is what happened when Rahul Jain from Rajasthan saw the exorbitant prices of his favourite Rajasthani handicrafts, bangles, footwear at a Mumbai mall. Not just exorbitant, it was four times costlier than what he knew existed in Rajasthan.
What was the result of this experience?
Rahul Jain smartly understood how middlemen increased the costs of goods and led to a situation where the right prices never reached the right users, he decided to change things. Hence in 2014, Rahul tied hands with Ankit Agarwal and Pawan Goyal to start his own e-commerce platform to solve this problem.
He launched eCraftIndia.com to sell authentic Rajasthani works with just a starting capital of Rs 20,000. They started selling wooden elephant showpieces at Rs 250 as their first product online and then went on to keep more than 8000 different products online.
The goal?
eCraftIndia was launched to bridge the gap between the authentic craftsmen and the customers via one single platform. Ranging from decor, furniture, kitchenware and gifts, the platform does not leave any stone unturned. This way, the dream is also to make the handicrafts industry more organized and under one hood.
Rahul’s initiative now works with around 150 craftsmen to source its products, not just from Jaipur but also from Gujarat, Punjab, etc, all the cultural and talent hubs of India. They also sell on platforms like Flipkart and Myntra, work to boost the Make in India initiative and increase the livelihood of local artisans.
The challenges?
Firstly, having tough competition in the form of Archies and other stores that imported products from China and had a strong branding strategy with enough capital to back their marketing.
Secondly, managing and boosting so many SKUs in one place while also focusing on further expansion and diversification.
Thirdly, understanding changing times, new trends and making improvements as per the same.
Learnings like these and initiatives taken by our very own Indians are what the country needs to boost our economy and bring out our culture and heritage to the world. Why rely on others when we can rely on ourselves?
