Category: E-Commerce

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E-Commerce MSME Startup Strategy

Amazon India Helps Women Entrepreneurs, Artisans and Weavers to Double Their Sales in 10 Weeks Under ‘Stand for Handmade’ Initiative

Amazon India. (Photo Credit: Image grab)
Amazon India. (Photo Credit: Image grab)

Bengaluru, September 23: Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon India came up with ‘Stand for Handmade’ initiative, to help over 10 lakh artisans and weavers and women entrepreneurs. On Monday, the e-commerce portal stated that customers from more than 12,000 pincodes in India purchased a product from the ‘Stand for Handmade’ store front. Due to this, artisans, weavers and women entrepreneurs were helped to double their sales in the 10-week period.

Amazon further added that the ‘Stand for Handmade’ initiative enabled sellers from Amazon Karigar — for weavers and artisans and Amazon Saheli — for women entrepreneurs — to register 3.2 times and 2.1 times growth. Adding more, it said that 32 sellers crossed Rs 1 lakh in sales during the 10-week period while two sellers crossed Rs 1 crore in sales.

Issuing a statement, Director of MSME and Seller Experience at Amazon India — Pranav Bhasin — said, “We are humbled by the response to this initiative as customers from more than 12,000 pincodes purchased a product from the specially-curated store front. With the festive season coming up, we remain focused on helping our sellers further accelerate and grow their business.”

Bhasin added that more than 200 new sellers joined the Karigar programme and benefited from 100 per cent SoA (sell on Amazon) fee waiver. Categories which witnessed the highest overall sales included apparel, grocery and home decor. Also, 508 Sambalpuri weaver families from Orissa were able to seller sarees than could span over 17,738 yards while more than 4,500 Pochampally weavers from 56 villages of Telangana have recovered and were able to resume their handloom weaving business.

Amazon said, “More than 5,200 weavers from Bengal are now back to weaving exquisite weaves on their looms and the lives of 200 Banarasi weavers were positively impacted through sales of handloom Dupattas and Sarees.” It added that more than 8 lakh artisans and weavers from Amazon Karigar program and more than 2.8 lakh women entrepreneurs from Amazon Saheli program benefited from a 100 per cent SoA fee waiver for 10 weeks.

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E-Commerce Legal MSME

KVIC’s Legal Action Forces Flipkart, Amazon, Snapdeal to Remove 160 Fake Khadi Products Online

KVIC. (Photo Credit: Image grab)
KVIC. (Photo Credit: Image grab)

New Delhi, September 20: The Khadi and Village Industries Commission’s (KVIC) on Sunday informed that its firmness had forced e-commerce portals like Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal and others to remove over 160 web links selling products in the brand name of ‘Khadi’. The new development comes days after KVIC served legal notices to over 1000 firms using the brand name ‘Khadi India’ to sell their products.

Issuing a statement, KVIC said, “These e-commerce portals were selling products like Khadi masks, herbals soaps, shampoos, cosmetics, herbal mehandi, jackets, kurta and many such products through different sellers using the brand name ‘Khadi’. This created a false impression among online buyers that these commodities were genuine ‘Khadi’ products. KVIC also stated that a majority of the products that have been removed were being sold by one Ayush E-Traders. This firm has confirmed to KVIC that it has removed 140 links for various products that were being sold as ‘Vagad’s Khadi Products’.”

Adding more, KVIC stated that there has been a steep rise in violation of Khadi trademark as the popularity of Khadi grew manifold in recent years. It added that a number of online sellers began selling random products in the name of Khadi. For the ease of online customers to buy genuine Khadi products, KVIC has launched it’s e-portal selling a range of 300 products online at www.kviconline.gov.in/khadimask.

KVIC recent action has resulted in shutting down a number of stores across the country that were selling fake Khadi products. KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said, “Legal notices have been issued to various firms essentially to safeguard the interest of Khadi artisans. This trademark violation has a direct bearing on the livelihood of our artisans who are making genuine handcrafted products.”

Earlier in August, KVIC had issued legal notices to two firms Khadi Essentials and Khadi Global for unauthorizedly selling cosmetics and other products in the name of Khadi. The KVIC had also sought damages to the tune of Rs 500 crore from Fabindia which is pending before the Bombay High Court.

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E-Commerce Finance MSME

Khadi’s E-Market Portal Empowers Local Artisans Through ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ Initiative, Sells Their Products to Remotest Parts of India

Khadi's E-Market Portal
Khadi's E-Market Portal.

New Delhi, September 9: With just two months of launching the KVIC E-Portal, Khadi and Village Industry Commission’s (KVIC) venture into the online marketing segment has quickly established a pan-India reach. The portal — www.kviconline.gov.in/khadimask/ — has enabled the artisans to sell their products to the remotest parts of India. Currently, the KVIC E-Portal sells over 180 products and many more are in the pipeline.

Aiming to appeal Indians go ‘Vocal for Local’, KVIC has a list of products range including hand-spun and hand-woven fine fabric like Muslin, Silk, Denim and Cotton, Unisex Vichar Vastra by Ritu Beri, Khadi’s Signature Wrist Watch, a variety of honey, Herbal and Green Tea, Herbal Medicines and Soaps, Papad, Kacchi Ghani Mustard Oil and a range of herbal cosmetics among many others.

Apart from this, KVIC is adding at least 10 new products to its online inventory on a daily basis, setting its target to add at least 1000 products by October 2, 2020. Union government stated that KVIC had served nearly 4000 customers in just two months. The product range is priced from Rs 50 to Rs 5000, keeping in view the choice and affordability of all sections of buyers.

Elaborating the aim of KVIC’s E-Portal, its chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said the online sale of Khadi products is a big push to ‘Swadeshi’ and aims at empowering the local artisans. He added, “Khadi’s E-market portal is providing our artisans with an additional platform to sell their goods. This is a concrete step towards the building of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.”

Adding more, he said, “Earlier products of Khadi institutions were sold only through outlets and hence their visibility was confined to a few states only. However, with KVIC’s E-portal, products are now reaching to the far-flung areas of the country and thus giving wider marketing spectrum to Khadi institutions which will ultimately increase their production and add to the income of artisans.”

The government claims that KVIC has received online orders from 31 States and Union Territories that include the far-flung Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. For the ease of customers, KVIC has fixed the minimum order value at Rs 599 for free delivery of goods. It has also entered into an agreement with the Postal Department for delivery of consignments via Speed Post.

Among the variety of products that KVIC sells also includes Modi Kurta and Modi Jackets for men and palazzo and straight trousers for women. Other products like — Khadi Rumal, spices, herbal neem wood comb, shampoo, cosmetics, cow dung and cow urine soap, yoga dress and several varieties of ready-to-eat food — have been included so far.

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E-Commerce Finance

Essential Commodities to Fuel Revival of Retail Sector in India As Consumer Expenditure Remains Focused on Essentials, Says Report

Retail Sector (Photo Credits: Pexels)

A recent study has revealed that the demand for essential commodities is likely to drive the revival of the retail sector in India. According to a report by Anarock Retail and the Retailers Association of India (RAI) titled ‘Indian Retail – Certainty Despite Headwinds’, the average bill value for essentials has gone up 1.5 times after lifting of lockdown — from Rs 650 per basket in early March to more than Rs 900 per basket presently.

“Amidst the pandemic-induced slowdown, essential goods will fuel Indian retail industry’s growth in the coming quarters as consumer expenditure continues to remain focused on essentials, particularly food and grocery,” said a joint statement by Anarock and the RAI.

Anuj Kejriwal, MD & CEO of Anarock Retail, was quoted by IANS saying that COVID-19 will work as a catalyst for the growth of organised retail and e-commerce in India. “Online spending is on a marked rise with online shoppers projected to increase from 15 per cent in 2019 to 50 per cent of the total online population by 2026”, Kejriwal added. The CEO of Anarock Retail further added saying that other new retail industry trends, omni-channel retailing is evolving rapidly with brands collaborating actively to enhance their reach and many are using malls or in-mall stores as urban warehouses to ensure a faster delivery to customers.

The report further adds that organised retail and e-commerce are on an upswing. Giving details of the revival of several retail sectors, the report added that food and grocery, followed by apparel, fast moving consumer durables (FMCD) and electronics, furniture and home furnishings and quick service restaurants (QSR) will see a “v-shaped” recovery within the next two to three quarters. Meanwhile, several other segments including beauty, wellness and personal care and home essentials may take 4-6 quarters to recover fully, the report said.

Citing IBEF data, the report adds that the share of Indian organised retail will double to 18 percent in 2021, from 9 percent in 2017. Similarly, the e-commerce is expected to more than double to 7 per cent from the previous 3 per cent in the same period.

Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO, Retailers Association of India (RAI) was quoted in the report saying that Omni-channel was gaining importance before the pandemic and the pandemic has enhanced the importance of retailers having an omni-channel strategy.

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E-Commerce

Flipkart Wholesale Launches Business-to-Business Platform for MSMEs and Kiranas

Flipkart. (Photo Credit: Twitter/@Flipkart)
Flipkart. (Photo Credit: Twitter/@Flipkart)

Bengaluru, September 3: E-commerce platform giant Flipkart has recently launched operations of its digital business-to-business marketplace, aiming to connect local manufacturers with retailers. With the launch of Flipkart Wholesale’s B2B platform, Flipkart aims to bring the entire wholesale marketplace at their fingertips.

Issuing a statement, Senior Vice President and Head of Flipkart Wholesale — Adarsh Menon — said, “With the strong capability within the group in B2B, we will focus on meeting the needs of kiranas and MSMEs by providing these small businesses a wide selection at significant value, powered by technology to make their lives easier.”

Adding more, he said, “Whether in grocery, general merchandise or fashion, these businesses will have one-stop access to an extensive selection of products with attractive schemes and incentives.” Menon stated that Flipkart Wholesale is currently available for fashion retailers, especially footwear and apparel, in Gurugram, Delhi and Bengaluru. However, Flipkart is planning to expand the platform to Mumbai as well.

Meanwhile, Head of Flipkart Wholesale stated that e-commerce is planning to the new platform to 20 more cities and in categories such as home and kitchen and grocery by December 2020. It is also aiming to rope in over 300 strategic partners and has over two lakh listings in two months.

Apart from this, the business-to-business (B2B) platform will enable the onboarding of 50 brands and over 250 local manufacturers in the coming days. Through this platform, kiranas, resellers and MSMEs will have access to the easy credit facility. The company statement said that platform, will provide a wide range of assured quality products, micro-market level B2B and B2C insights from the Flipkart ecosystem and an easy order tracking facility.

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E-Commerce Process & Business Expansion

Flipkart Ties-Up With Nepal’s E-Commerce Firm Sastodeal to Enable Cross-Border Trade, Now Its MSMEs Can Sell Their Merchandise Abroad

Flipkart. (Photo Credit: Twitter/@Flipkart)
Flipkart. (Photo Credit: Twitter/@Flipkart)

Good news for India MSMEs. All the Indians MSMEs which are registered with e-commerce giant Flipkart will now be able to sell their merchandise abroad as well as the homegrown e-commerce platform. Flipkart had partnered with an e-commerce company in Nepal named Sastodeal. With this, Flipkart aims to create cross-border trade opportunities for lakhs of sellers who are registered with its platform.

Expressing his opinion on the partnership with Nepal’s Sastodeal, Flipkart’s Head of Marketplace Jagjeet Harode said, as quoted by Financial Express, “The partnership with Sastodeal, a homegrown brand like ours, will not just open doors for a wider market reach to our sellers but also allow them to boost their business significantly.”

With this partnership in place, both the e-commerce company will list products from Flipkart marketplace sellers under various categories including audio devices, men’s clothing, women’s ethnic wear, and sports and fitness, among others. Flipkart states that this new collaboration will help numerous MSMEs — spread across the country — experience newer avenues for business growth. Flipkart also sees this partnership as an opportunity as in Nepal, there has been a surge in online shopping.

Apart from local sellers, Flipkart is also planning to showcase its private brands such as MarQ and SmartBuy under this partnership. Both its brands operate under various categories including electronics, home appliances/home decor, and furnishings. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked the Indian firms to push for increasing domestic production and ramping up exports under Make in India and Vocal for Local initiatives.

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E-Commerce

10 Tips for Starting an E-commerce Business

Introduction

  • Are you thinking of starting an e-commerce business?
  • Do you know how to start an e-commerce business?

According to a survey, in the next 3 years, that is until 2021, the market size of

e-commerce will expand by more than double from what it is right now.

E-commerce will help you to expand your business at a minimum cost.

Here are some 10 points that you need to prepare on before starting an e-commerce business.

Tip #1: Key Strengths of the Marketplace

If you are making a product that you want to sell to the entire world, then you should choose your marketplace wisely.

First, choose your marketplace according to the nature of the product, you want to sell.

If you want to sell apparel, then Koovs, Myntra, Jabong would be best; if your product is related to electronics to transportation, then Yatra, MakeMyTrip would best and henceforth.

Other than this, before starting an e-commerce business you should also look for a marketplace that has good reach, transaction ease, customer friendly, goodwill, good customer base and best for your product.

Tip #2: Look for the Quality and Level of your Competitor

In a marketplace, you will find a lot of competitors. So, before jumping in, carefully analyze the behavior of the competitor, the pricing and range of their products, their policies, shipment processes and the discount they are giving. This will help you to make your own policies and strategies to market your product and beat the competition.

Look for a marketplace where there is a large number of customers and competition is low.

Tip #3: Catalog and Presentation Catches the Eyeball Attention

The presentation and catalog play a vital role in the online market because the customer cannot touch or feel your product. So, work hard on what you have presented in the catalog.

If you properly give details about your product in a presentable manner, then you can grab the attention of your customers and they will definitely buy your products.

Tip #4: Merchant Support Service

You will get different types of merchants in the marketplace like small, big, niche, and expert merchants.

You need to select a merchant which handles your customers’ queries and help you in making policies, displaying your products, and giving discounts.

Tip #5: ROI, Fee, and Margins

Before starting an eCommerce business, you need to identify:

  • How much margin you are getting from it?
  • What fees they are charging on returns?
  • What is their cancellation policy?
  • Which product is not available in the marketplace?

You should also determine which marketplace is providing better ROI in terms of visibility and sales.

Tip #6: Shipping Charges and Mechanism

Do you prefer shipping your products all by yourself or you want the marketplace to do it for you?

Different online portals have different schemes and charges for shipping your products.

If you are selling your product in the regional market, then it is better that you do the shipping yourself.

However, if you do not want to get into the fuss of shipping, let the marketplace do it and you just need to pay the charges for it.

For example
Flipkart usually charges 10%, if you ask them to ship your product.

Tip #7: System Access and Control

Before selecting a marketplace, you should know how much system access and controls a marketplace is giving to you.

Some marketplaces will not give you good access control and some will not even let you showcase all your products.

For Example

Amazon never shares the email Id of their buyers, as they say, it is not your buyer it’s our buyer. They are just taking your product over others.

Tip #8: Payment Mechanism

While starting an e-commerce business, do take care of the payment mechanism that the marketplace offers because you are investing in it; so, you’ll like to get good returns at a fixed interval of time.

If you are not getting the payment on time even after your stocks have sold out, then you won’t be able to buy new stock.

Amazon takes 14-90 days to pay back their customers, Flipkart takes 45-120 days and ShopClues takes 30-90 days.

Tip #9: Returns and Refunds

Sometimes, the marketplace gives a very small margin and it takes away all your money from the refund and return cycle. How? Let us study some cases.