Sellers from Karigar, Saheli programmes clocked strong growth over pre-COVID period: Amazon India

Amazon India on Monday said sellers from its Karigar and Saheli programmes witnessed significant growth as compared to pre-COVID sales under its 10-week 'Stand for Handmade' (SFH) initiative.

In July, Amazon India had announced offering a 100 percent SoA (Sell on Amazon) fee waiver for 10 weeks to help over 10 lakh artisans, weavers, and women entrepreneurs who are part of its Karigar and Saheli programmes on its platform.

"The initiative enabled sellers from Amazon Karigar (for weavers and artisans) and Amazon Saheli (for women entrepreneurs) to register 3.2X and 2.1X growth, respectively when compared to pre-COVID sales. 32 sellers crossed Rs 1 lakh in sales during the 10-week period while two sellers crossed Rs 1 crore in sales," Amazon India Director, MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) and Seller Experience Pranav Bhasin told PTI.

He added that more than 200 new sellers joined the Karigar programme during the 10-week campaign.

ALSO READ

From defence operations to ecommerce, how Amazon is coming up with job opportunities for military veterans

"The SFH initiative is part of our continuous efforts to help small businesses including artisans, weavers and women entrepreneurs to revive their business from the economic disruption caused by the pandemic. With the festive season coming up, we remain focused on helping our sellers further accelerate and grow their business," he said.

Bhasin said the categories that witnessed the highest overall sales included apparel, grocery and home decor. Also, over 200 Karigar Saheli sellers witnessed sales for the first time as part of this initiative.

Karigar sellers saw their highest daily sales during the SFH initiative on Independence day (August 15), while Saheli sellers saw their highest daily sales on Prime day 2020 (August 6-7).

More than eight lakh artisans and weavers from Karigar programme and over 2.8 lakh women entrepreneurs from Saheli programme participated in the SFH initiative.

Amazon India had also created a 'Stand for Handmade' storefront to help generate customer demand for the locally crafted, handmade products from Karigar and Saheli sellers.