Amazon India launches Weavesmart For Handloom Promotion

Amazon India has launched online handlooms store Weavesmart in India and an e-marketing partner for the Ministry of Textiles for promoting India Handloom Brand and Handloom Mark products, on its marketplace.

Through this alliance, handloom & handcrafted products by weavers from various parts of the country associated with Weavesmart will now be available to millions of Amazon customers across India.

Amazon India intends to help these associated weavers reach millions of customers across India and in turn help in empowering them and helping the weavers to display their creativity on a large scale. Currently, Weavesmart has more than 3000 weavers in its network and more than 20,000 products.

“Indian weavers produce some of the finest handloom and handcrafted products which have always found resonance with shoppers across the country. Weavesmart was launched with the objective to bring together the weaving community and buyers and provide a platform to showcase authentic and beautifully handcrafted products created with a lot of passion and hard work by the weavers and artisans. We are delighted to partner with Amazon India as this launch helps to achieve this objective. It will provide the weavers with the opportunity to reach out to millions of Amazon.in customers and expand their sales” said Nishita Manne, CEO, Weavesmart.

“In line with our vision to transform the way India buys and sells, Amazon India has been continuously working towards enabling more and more sellers, weavers and artisans to embrace online selling and scale greater heights. Our partnership with Weavesmart is another key step towards our constant endeavor” said Gopal Pillai, Director & GM, Seller Services, Amazon India. According to his, this launch will help provide a wider reach for these products which in-turn will have a positive impact in the lives of the weavers associated with Weavesmart.

There are several pockets in the country with SMEs that offer a rich variety of offerings from apparels to handicrafts to organic products. With the aim to enable more and more of these SMEs as well as micro-entrepreneurs like weavers, artisans, and craftsmen to benefit from e-commerce and grow their businesses, Amazon.in launched the ‘Kala Haat’ program in 2016 and through its efforts, Amazon India wants to give these craftspersons’ the opportunity to showcase their products.

Amazon.in has partnered with various government bodies such as DC Handlooms and Gujarat Tribal Development Dept. to onboard 1100 plus weavers/cooperatives/artisans in 11 states through 35 plus workshops impacting upwards of 1.5 lac weaver & artisan households.

In past, Amazon.in had also signed a MoU with the Telangana government to promote their handloom and handicrafts online. In Telangana, APCO (handloom) and Lepakshi (handicraft) have been launched, while in West Bengal & Orissa Amazon.in is working with Tantuja (handloom), Jute Corporation of India and Boyanika (handloom). In Karnataka & Tamil Nadu, Amazon.in has enabled Cauvery Handlooms and Loomworld (handloom) to sell their products online. Amazon.in has also worked with central government agencies like TRIFED & Craft Cottage Industries Corporation to enable ‘Tribes India’ & ‘CCIE’ on the Amazon.in the marketplace and has collaborated with UP Khadi & Handlooms to enable the Khadi societies in the state of Uttar Pradesh.