Improving Livelihood of Indian Artisans in the 'Post- Covid 19' World
A Project supported by Emergency Design Council in collaboration with Kush Zaveri, Rozanne Kurian, and Zaid Khuram
Problem Statement: Artisans are struggling to connect with customers because in-person channels of sales have been disrupted due to Covid-19.
Our Concept to approach this problem is to create a larger customer base using connections from existing clients, as shown:
RESEARCH AND INTERVIEWS
We created a three stage plan to solve for the problems discovered in our research.
Creating categorised groups on Whatsapp (most common networking platform in India) for customers based on the type of products made by artisans. These groups would have mediators who would moderate group operations, promote content, encourage activity, and take care of day to day logistics.
Create online catalogues using the Whatsapp Business application since it a familiar interface for the artisans. This will help artisans to interact with customers professionally and market their products.
Help artisans take product images and videos to share on social media platforms to better market their products. Showing behind the scenes and process videos will help share their stories.
THE IMPLEMENTATION
Provide guides to artisans and mediators to allow for smooth running of the operations. This would include Artisan Onboarding Guide, Photography Guide, Whatsapp Business Set-Up and Etiquette Guide.
Accessing our NGO partners' existing networks of artisans and customers and sharing whatsapp links for members to join. Customers would be assigned to their desired groups based on their preferences chosen in the survey.
Introduce artisans, their crafts, and the catalogues to the community. Showcase artisans to increase awareness and create unique identities for each of them.
Mediators will encourage activity and storytelling of crafts and practices. They will act as a connection to guide sales and maintain relationships while encouraging new customers to join from customers' social circles.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
