Flipkart has launched a new Flipkart Samarth initiative in India aimed at encouraging Indian artisans, weavers and handicrafts producers into e-commerce. The move is expected to open up national market access for the underserved communities by offering them constant access to a customer base of more than 150 million.
Samarth will be designed to help artisans get onto the e-commerce platform and support them until they become familiar with the process of selling products online. The list of benefits available under Flipkart Samarth includes dedicated support for onboarding, cataloguing account management, business Insights, dedicated seller support, reduced commission where eligible and warehousing.
Flipkart has announced that it will work closely with government bodies, NGOs and livelihood for the initiative to reach a large number of rural entrepreneurs. The focus will also be given to women-led entrepreneurs, artisans and weavers who face obstacles such as lack of access to working capital-poor infrastructure and inadequate training.
Soaking about the launch, Flipkart Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy said “As a homegrown company, we are constantly innovating to find new ways to use e-commerce to uplift and empower all sections of society especially MSMEs. These small businesses are the backbone of Indian economy, going back centuries. Through Flipkart Samarth, we are helping traditionally underserved communities access a pan-India market and engage with over 150 million customers. The initiative will help us partner with the government and add impetus to various social empowerment schemes. Flipkart Samarth will leverage increasing internet penetration in rural India to boost entrepreneurship and we are excited about the shared value we’re adding in the ecosystem with this initiative”.
Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Anurag Singh Thakur also commented saying “Our government has taken a host of measures in the recent budget and during the past few years to nurture the startup ecosystem, support the MSME sector and encourage e-commerce platforms. I am happy to see a slew of private players including Flipkart have come forward and bridged the gap between local artisans, technology and the marketplace I firmly believe that India has much more to offer the world than what the world has offered to India”.