Amazon Karigar: A Boon or Bust for Indian Artisans?
In 2018, the launch of Amazon Karigar promised a lifeline to artisans struggling to connect with a wider market. Shakil Khatri, a sixth-generation batik craftsman from Gujarat’s Kutch district, initially saw the program as a solution to declining sales. His family’s hand-dyed sarees and dupattas weren’t attracting the same foot traffic, forcing him to seek opportunities on e-commerce platforms like Itokri and GoCoop. The Amazon initiative, with its promise of training, professional product photography, and marketing, seemed ideal for reaching a larger, non-local customer base.
The Promise vs. The Reality
Amazon Karigar aimed to onboard Indian artisans, offering support to sell their handcrafted items on the e-commerce giant’s platform. The program included nine weeks of training to help sellers navigate the digital marketplace. It was launched a year prior with an initial inventory of 55,000 handcrafted items, including hand-loomed sarees, blue pottery, and other “Made in India” products. Khatri participated, providing product samples for photography and listing. While the program held the potential to increase sales for Khatri and artisans like him, its effectiveness, according to local artisans, has been a point of contention. Specific details about the program’s shortcomings are not included in the original content, it is, however, strongly implied that the program has not met expectations.
The original content doesn’t explicitly discuss the experience, but the title reveals artisans expressing that the program isn’t living up to its initial promise.
Keywords
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