Among all SHGs in the nation over the past year, the self-help groups (SHGs) of urban women in the state have had the largest online product sales on Amazon and Flipkart. Rakhee Singh, Joint Director, Department of Urban Development, stated that the amount of business done by our SHGs was Rs. 4.40 lakh, which was the largest amount among SHGs nationwide.
According to a data from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Keralan SHGs took second place with sales of Rs. 1.98 lakh during the same period.
To give these SHGs a larger and more consistent market, the Department of Urban Development made these products available on e-commerce platforms.
“The department organises exhibitions, fairs and special haats to help these SHGs sell their products. However, the online presence is giving these SHGs a wider, unexplored market. The initiative will go a long way in ensuring socio-economic empowerment of these women,” said Rakhee Singh.
The most popular items on e-commerce sites include Kullu caps, Kullu shawls, Kullu socks, Chamba sandals, Chamba dishes, etc., all of which are sold under the brand name "SonChiraiya." The products produced by the SHGs in Kullu and Chamba are currently in high demand, according to Kamlesh Thakur, State Mission Manager for the National Urban Livelihood Mission.
For the women working in these SHGs, knowing that their items are being offered online and are popular with people all over the country is quite gratifying.“We had no idea about Amazon, Flipkart till our products were put on these platforms six months back. It’s very heartening to know that people are liking our products,” said Leela Devi, a member of Nai Kiran SHG, Kullu. “Now, we have to keep the stock ready all the time. Online orders can come any time. The sales have increased, so has our income,” said Leela Devi.
The ability to showcase and sell their items across the nation and possibly internationally is, in Reena's opinion, the major advantage of being online. She is a member of the Bera Wali Mata SHG from Chamba. “We are hoping that our sales will pick up a lot more in the times to come. With feedback from a much larger customer base, we will get new ideas to improve our product further,” said Reena.
With the preliminary results, the department is also pretty thrilled. “At the moment, we only have a fraction of SHGs involved in handicrafts linked to the e-commerce portals. Given the good response to our products, there’s a plan to bring food products as well on these portals,” said Kamlesh Kumar.
