Production and Marketing

There is great variety and diversity within the crafts community in every part of India. A craftsperson could be village or urban-based; they may produce utility items or specialised objects, sell through the village haat, or transport goods to urban markets or for export. According to Art and Culture Class 12: Production and Marketing, production and marketing are essential parts of a successful crafts community. Let us understand production and marketing in detail. 

Structure of Production and Marketing of crafts:

Production:

• Craft: Each group, like metal, wood, clay, textile, etc., approaches its production work differently

• Location: The location determines access to raw materials, different clients, and transport costs which ultimately affect the production

• Raw Material: Procurement of raw materials by craftsperson varies like the client gives a tailor the material while a craftsperson gets raw material by a cooperative

• Skill and Technology: Craft can be produced manually or with semi-automated tools

Marketing:

• End Product: The utility and durability of the item produced by a craftsman are also considered important

• Markets: It can be termed village/urban, domestic, export. Craftsperson must adapt to the needs of different types of markets and clients’ demands

• Sales Channel: Craftsperson must be familiar with clients’ demands and changing trends. They also need to know the objective of the item, whether it is for the village haat, jajman, traders, or for the cooperative 
• Employment Status: Craftsperson could be self-employed, a wage earner for a large or small organisation, or a cooperative

Rural Economy:

In the rural economy, the sale of craft products plays an important role. Here, the crafts community knows the clients and knows their community, status, and demand. For example, A shawl wala interacts with the house’s women, knows each client’s taste, gets orders executed, and delivers the order accordingly. A rural economy is a direct form of financial exchange. 

Weekly Market or Haat:

Village artisans organise this market, and each craftsperson is given a designated place to sell their wares.  The weekly market adds some great sources of finance and marketing to the village artisans. 

Festivals and Melas:

During the festival times in the village, the duration of the haat is extended by several days. For example, the Shivratri mela in the village of Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, happens for several days. The visitors and pilgrims to the festival could also spend the evening finishing the puja and other ceremonies in the melas.

Pilgrimage Centres:

• The pilgrimage centres like temples, mosques, gurudwaras, etc., attract devotees from near and far and in large numbers
• As a result, craft communities have settled near them, and whole townships have become famous for their crafts
• For example, Kanchipuram has become a thriving cotton, and silk weaving centres and saris produced here are called Kanchi cotton or Kanchipuram silks

Rural to Urban:

The crafts community may settle near urban markets to facilitate the supply for the needs of the urban markets and sell its wares at the local haat or bazaar.

Advantages:

• Opportunity to develop some new sets of various skills and tools
• Opportunity to develop some new designs for the new clients

Disadvantages:

• Pricing needs to be restructured
• Transporting goods to greater distances results in prices being raised
• The producer often does not know the client
• The producer does not understand the client’s needs
• Middlemen play a major role in the sale transactions, often taking most of the profit from the crafts producer

Private Marketing:

• Independent artisans work in their homes or karkhanas and sell goods to big stockists directly or through a middleman. This sums up the name of private marketing
• Some large dealers have goods made directly from artisans, advancing them money.  These advances of money create debts to dealers
• The role of private enterprise in handicrafts marketing is overwhelming as over 90 per cent of the role of private enterprise in the field of handicrafts marketing
• Private marketing is the new norm as it encourages production and marketing to uplift to a whole new level and grow into a business 

Export Promotion:

• Since Independence, the export of Indian handicrafts has gained importance, both in quantitative and qualitative terms
• U.S.A., U.K., West Europe, and Russia have established markets for Indian handicrafts while Japan, South Asia, and the Middle East continue to expand
• There are several schemes for the marketing and promotion of export trade in handicrafts in India
• Export Promotion Councils and other organisations of industry and trade are made available for assistance
• The Trade Development Authority (TDA) and Trade Fair Authority of India (TFAI) have given a new orientation to the country’s trade promotion through fairs, exhibitions, etc.
• Promoting export options to various artisans provides great insights on expanding the culture and marketing of products to a whole new level 

New Commerce:

• The Internet and e-commerce are new forums for promotion and sales which can act as new distribution channels to tap the sharp demand for crafts
• This can help overcome business challenges such as understanding the customers’ preferences, product display, merchandise selection and pricing, or the logistics of running a retail outlet
• Handicraft entrepreneurs can only succeed if they take the crafts community into their confidence, make them shareholders, and continue to motivate and innovate

Conclusion: 

It is an undeniable fact that a company’s survival is dependent not only on its customers, but also on a diverse set of stakeholders such as the government, Religious leaders, social activists, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and the media as a result of earning the satisfaction of these segments are also important because they contribute to the Word-of-mouth marketing that increases the brand’s power. The social concern contributes to the organisation’s strength. corporations that have fully embraced the brand’s social values, which have been successful in establishing a strong brand, and, eventually, a large customer base relationship. The field of corporate social responsibility falls into one of two broad categories. Concerns such as child nutrition, child care, and elderly care homes, alleviation of hunger, and assistance to those in need due to natural disasters, etc.