Crafts Bazaars

One of the major challenges in urban India is to establish and strengthen the link between the rural crafts community and the urban consumers. 

Principles of Marketing

Market survey – Some important aspects are:

• Based on the reviews of the customer’s needs and demands, checking the availability of the products and designs
• Checking the availability of raw materials in craft bazaars: Conducts research to find unexploited skills and provides training and skill improvement facilities., this communication can be addressed by flowing marketing strategies

Identifying buyers and financial forecasting

• Good Products – The competitiveness of the products in terms of their budget, benefit, and craft beauty should prevail
• Home-based Industry – Lots of people have misconceptions that the handicrafts sector requires less capital investment. But, it faces competition from all over the country and from abroad. So, training and development of these expert skills would be vital to counter the market flooded with mediocre products
• Distribution System: For sales and distribution, the market should neither be small nor be large
• The distinctiveness of crafts – Craft heritage, tradition, needs, resources, and capacity are unique and different in every region. So the development of the craft industry should be based on the skill available in the community
• Design and creation of Products – For every product, the design should be unique. It should be static for every product
• Expanding the Market – Since there is an increase in the crowding of the products, the handicrafts sector in the craft bazaar must constantly expand and find new avenues like wholesale, export sales, etc
• The well-being of the crafts community – The income and benefits from the marketing strategy should lead to the overall development of the crafts, like providing safety norms in hospitals and the workplace

Urban Craft Bazaar

Several agencies and organisations such as NGOs, Handicraft and handloom Boards, Tourism development organisations have organised craft bazaars in urban centres to teach crafts communities.

• Purpose – To test new products in the market and develop confidence in the craftsperson to organise craft bazaar and melas independently

Prominent Examples –

• Dilli Haat(Delhi)
• Bharat Bhawan (Bhopal)
• Bandra Reclamation (Mumbai)
• Surajkund Mela(Haryana)
• Dakshin Chitra (Chennai)
• Shilpagram(Tirupati)

Making Craftspeople Independent – In 1960, the first craft bazaar was innovated to bring rural crafts into urban areas and create new markets for traditional handloom items.

• In the beginning, some government agencies helped craftspeople in every stage of the exhibition and accommodation in different cities. However, nowadays, craftspeople organise everything by themselves
• Today, these craftspeople are confident enough to travel around the whole world

Advantages of the Marketing Crafts through Bazaars

• The craftsperson receives more exposure, gets public attention, visibility and grabs attention in the urban metros
• Craft Bazaar dispenses a chance to highlight unique crafts along with skills
• It has become one of the potential sectors to light up the problem. The craft bazaar is used as a platform to raise social and environmental issues
• It is the place where craftspeople can directly interact with consumers. Moreover, the craftsperson can learn the changes in craft, taste, trends, and colour preferences.
• By interacting with other craftsmen, the craft bazaar becomes the platform for learning and collecting confidence

Success stories of other mega crafts inspire others to excel.

• Self-employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Lucknow
• Ranthambhore Projects 
• BMKS (Tussar)
• URMUL and Kala Raksha, Rajasthan
• Banascrafts (Ahmedabad)
• Central Himalayan Rural Action Group(CHIRAG), Uttarakhand are some success stories.

Disadvantages of the Marketing Crafts through Bazaars

• The craft bazaar is a temporary marketplace.
• It will not link the crafts community with a permanent outlet
• An organisation does not control the quality of the products. So many craftsmen can bring defective products to the marketplace.
• It is not the right place to exhibit expensive art pieces, as expensive art craft pieces require better presentation and promotion.

Preparing a Craft Bazaar

There are factors responsible for the success of the craft bazaar, such as 

• Presentation, advertisement and selection of venue: Selection of venue, knowledge about local sales tax regulations, and advertisement will greatly impact crafts sales 
• Promotion – By organising, promoting, production planning and kiosk, the message of ‘Crafts made and sold directly by craftspeople’ can be conveyed
• Planning and calendar – The events in the bazaar are the starting point of design, development, production and planning through the years, as making the right quantity is important

In Conclusion:- 

However, the future potential of India’s crafts sector is enormous.

Handicrafts are in high demand in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. To meet these new demands, we must provide the crafts community with a global market perspective as well as design and development expertise. This is why this subject is taught at the senior secondary level in schools, so that students can pursue a career in a field with so much potential and promise.

Today, the entire world is debating climate change and looking for products and activities that are environmentally friendly, people-friendly, and sustainable. Handicrafts are made by hand using simple energy-efficient tools, with minimal environmental impact and a low carbon footprint, using locally available natural raw materials. Crafts are made in a community-friendly way and have high artistic and functional value. The Indian crafts sector can improve craft promotion and development, as well as create a brand identity for Indian handicrafts that addresses these global concerns.