How Flipkart Samarth programme enabled this home decor brand to help local artisans adapt to a changing market

Rahul Kumawat’s parents hoped that their son would pursue a degree in accountancy and get a government job. Because, they believed that this would secure his financial future. But, the Rajasthan native had other plans. Belonging to Rajasthan, a state that has a wide cultural and traditional heritage in wood work, Rahul wanted to tap into the business opportunity that it brought and also enable the artisans to continue their heritage. 

Bringing together a small team of artisans, Rahul started K C Arts. The venture manufactured wood-based items for home decoration. “We manufacture products in the home décor category, ranging from photo frames to wall clocks, show pieces, wind chimes and many kinds of hanging items.”

Rahul explains that traditional decor handicrafts such as elephants or horses that were once popular in Indian homes had lost their charm over the years. “I saw many artisans struggling to survive as they couldn’t meet the demand for new decor products. While they still had the skill, they couldn’t adapt to the changing customer preferences.” This is where K C Arts has been making an impact. “By leveraging these artisans’ skill, we manufacture home decor products like photo frames, wall clocks, wind chimes, and other decorative items that align with the modern consumer’s taste.”

In 2019, Rahul got to know about the Flipkart Samarth programme —an initiative by Flipkart  dedicated to empower sections of society that are less privileged or organisations that are committed to driving social change such as NGOs, government bodies, rural women, artisans, persons with disabilities , among others. Through this programme, Flipkart provides them with opportunities that’ll help them attain financial independence. “One of the biggest benefits of this programme is that it enables small-scale businesses and social enterprises to access a large customer base, which is not possible when we sell these handicrafts locally or through other traders,” says Rahul.

Joining the programme brought immense benefits to K C Arts. “Through the Flipkart Samarth sponsorship, our product listings made it to the front page on Flipkart. This brought us higher visibility. In just a few months, we began shipping 250-300 orders a day. That number peaked to 600 orders during the festive season like Diwali.”

Another advantage that retailing on Flipkart brought to Rahul’s business was the ability to continue running the business on days when they couldn’t make it to office. “The Flipkart app helps us to track our daily orders, sales, payments and prepare dispatches for the next day. Compared to other e-commerce portals, Flipkart’s application is easier to use and has more features.”

Watch Rahul talk about how Flipkart helped him make K C Arts a success and empower several artisans in Rajasthan.