Site for crafts sake

Launched on June 5, 2010 - The World Environment Day, Aporv.com has come across to be a sorted destination for Indian handicrafts and creative designs. Setting it apart is the partnership that Aporv.com has launched with thousands of artisans across India, bringing their creativity to the global audience. The shopping destination boasts of visitors from over 100 countries and buyers from India, USA, UK, Singapore, among others. Aporv also partners with artisans, NGOs, SHGs and designers. In a candid conversation with Sudip Dutta, founder of Aporv.com, we learnt about his plans and vision for his venture.

Vrinda Oberai (VO): What inspired you to come back to India and start this venture of yours?

Sudip Dutta (SD): The hiatus in the system, a green field opportunity and an opportunity to make a positive impact inspired me to return back to India to start Aporv.com.

VO: What have been the hindrances on the way?

SD: Quite a few, challenges. Firstly, since I had limited background in this space, it took me some time to understand how the system works, post that meeting the artisans and convincing them to partner with us was a challenge, and lastly, convincing the customers to buy handicrafts online.

VO: What have been the achievements till date?

SD: The best achievements till date have been the customer testimonials. We believe in providing best customer service and when customers are happy and for us this is the greatest achievement. Other than that we won the Manthan Award South Asia 2010 just into the sixth month of our existence and visitors visiting us from over 100 countries are also good achievements for us.

VO: What’s the USP of the company?

SD: Our unique proposition is that we sell products as stories rather than on the face value of the products, thus educating the customer and making sure that they make an educated buy. 

Secondly, we also design some of the products and quite a handful of our products are exclusive that you will find only one of its kinds in the world.

Thirdly, we sell only handcrafted and eco-friendly products.

Fourthly, we partner directly with the artisans or the organisation associated with them and cut out on the middlemen, thus ensuring that the artisans get the fair value and at the same time ensuring that the products are authentic. Through this model we are trying to make sure that we are able to help the Indian art, culture and heritage and help preserve the same by giving more opportunities to the artisans and designers to sell their products to global audience and increase their livelihood.

VO: What is the highest selling item on your website?

SD: We sell unique products and most of them are one of a kind or so exclusive that there is only one product available. If we look at the categories then the best selling category is home décor followed by apparels.

VO: How do you source the merchandise? Do you source merchandise from brands/manufacturers/ others?

SD: We source our products directly from 2000+ artisans and designers from India. Handicrafts as of now don’t have brands, but we at Aporv are trying to create that brand within India.

VO: What criteria do you follow to select a brand?

SD: We have a very stringent selection and quality process. We make sure that the products are handcrafted and/or eco-friendly and also make sure that there is no child labour involved. On an average we get three to five mails from artisans and designers who wish to partner with us. But to make sure that we are getting the most unique, handcrafted and creative products, we are able to select only one in five who write to us. This ensures that the end customer gets highly exclusive products that have been specially selected for them.

VO: What’s your warehouse management policy?

SD: Our logistics management ensures JIT (just in time) product delivery and thus has a very limited inventory of 20 per cent of products in Bangalore. We have been able to create a partnership with the artisans in a way to get timely delivery of products so that the end customer gets the same on time.

VO: How is Aporv witnessinggrowth?

SD: It is quite impressive. We grew by more than 400 per cent y-o-y last year.

VO: Please share with us the future plan of the organisation?

SD: We just launched our international site in Feb, 2012. Currently, the plan is to grow the domestic market and steadily expand in international geographies. Also looking to expand our team in the coming few quarters.