Over 8 lakh artisans and weaversrom 22 States, including 17 Government Emporiums will participate in the mela
Customers can shop for more than 55000 products across 270+ art and craft forms of India

26 September 2020, Bengaluru: Ahead of the festive season, Amazon.in today announced the launch of a  first-of-its- kind virtual ‘Handicrafts Mela’, showcasing over 55,000 unique products across 270+ art and craft forms from various parts of the country. Over 8 lakh artisans and weavers associated with 1500 Karigar sellers and 17 Government Emporiums including Tantuja, Harit Khadi, Tribes India and national level artisan organizations like Craftmark & Dastkari Haat Samiti will benefit from this Mela. The ‘Handicraft Mela’ will run from midnight of 26/9/2020 till 10/10/2020.

Amazon’s Handicrafts Mela will help customers discover and purchase products from artisans and weavers from different parts of the country by visiting specific sections like handloom zone, handicrafts home décor, kitchen items, handmade toys, handcrafted festive collection and many more. Customers can also discover unique products like Sambalpuri from Odisha, Banarasi from UP, Bamboo and natural fibre crafts from north east, Dhokra craft from Chhattisgarh among many more. During the lead up to festive season sales, customers can shop for unique products available at Handicrafts Mela and get upto 50% off.

Pranav Bhasin, Director- MSME and Seller Experience at Amazon India said “Exhibitions and melas have been the primary avenues through which Karigars have been able to reach their customers. However, as these on ground events have been brought to a grinding halt, the online marketplace has emerged as an avenue that these sellers can leverage to reach customers across the country during the festive season. Through a virtual Handicrafts Mela, Amazon India aims to generate consumer demand for arts and crafts that reflect the cultural heritage of the country. Considering the success witnessed by sellers through previous sale events and initiatives we rolled out, we’re optimistic about the positive impact that Handicrafts Mela will have in the lives of lakhs of artisans and weavers from across the country.”

In its mission to bring all forms of Indian crafts online and expand the selection of products made available to customers, Amazon India launched the Karigar program in 2016. Since launch in 2016, Amazon.in has on-boarded more than 3000 master weavers, co-operatives, artisans and government organizations under various Ministries like Textiles, Cottage Industries, Tribal Welfare amongst others to sell online. The Karigar program has made a difference in the lives of over 8 lakh individuals’ part of artisan and weaver communities from over 22 states and union territories. Amazon.in has also partnered with 22 Government Emporiums and 5 Government bodies to showcase authentic crafts to craft lovers and increase market connectivity. Today, Karigar store showcases over 60,000 products, including 270+ unique arts and crafts from over 20 states.

To aid in the revival of the businesses of these Karigars, Amazon India had announced the 10 week long ‘Stand for Handmade’ initiative in July 2020. The event proved to be a massive success, nearly doubling the sales of Karigar sellers from across the country over the 10 week period. In addition to this, the initiative positively impacted over 10,000 artisans from Chhattisgarh, whose businesses were revived through the sale of Bell Metal and Dhokra handicrafts. Over 5200 weavers from Bengal are now back to weaving exquisite weaves on their looms and over 4500 Pochampally weavers from 56 villages of Telangana have recovered and were able to resume their handloom weaving business.

About Amazon.in
The Amazon.in marketplace is operated by Amazon Seller Services Private Ltd, an affiliate of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN). Amazon.in seeks to build the most customer-centric online destination for customers to find and discover virtually anything they want to buy online by giving them more of what they want – vast selection, low prices, fast and reliable delivery, and a trusted and convenient experience; and provide sellers with a world-class e-commerce marketplace.

For more information, visit www.amazon.in/aboutus
For news on Amazon, follow www.twitter.com/AmazonNews_IN

About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.
For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

For more information contact:

Shashank Rathod
Amazon India
rathshas@amazon.com

Sweta Nair
MSL Group
sweta.nair@publicisconsultants-asia.com