New Delhi - Kraftbuy.com, an e-Commerce portal dedicated to art and craft has designed a new platform for the handicraft community to thrive in the online space. Rajni Rajan, CEO of Kraftbuy.com in an exclusive interview speaks about Kraftbuy’s business and forward-looking strategy.

Here is a brief snippet from the interview.

[b]Please tell us something about Kraftbuy.com? [/b]

We are an e-commerce portal dedicated to art and craft from across the globe. This portal is unique in nature as it would display products not only from India but also from other parts of the world. It would provide a platform to Indian suppliers to explore domestic as well as international market and simultaneously provide global companies an opportunity to explore the Indian market.

It has been started by entrepreneurs who have spent around 19 years in various industries like Supply Chain, Sales, Marketing and Management Consulting. We understand the nuances of starting a new business as we have done the same for our clients in the past and hence, we also know how to mitigate the risk.

[b]You have devoted your e-Commerce venture to crafted products. What prompted you to make this choice?[/b]

E-Commerce business in India is at a nascent stage and we keep on hearing about the magical numbers as projections. We wanted to use our expertise in one business which is new, technology driven and sustainable. E-Commerce at the end of the day is an amalgamation of supply chain and marketing.

The above reasons were compelling enough to start analysis of the business. We did a quick market research on various products and services. After research we had some options but crafted products appealed more to us and so we went ahead.

What would you say makes Kraftbuy.com unique from others in business?
The purpose of creating such a unique and dedicated portal is to ensure that the people who value art and craft could exchange their creations on a single platform. We call handicraft as creations and not manufacturing because we believe that each and every piece is unique and involves intricate handiwork which no machines can do. These art and craft are a heritage and tradition of a country depicting their history and culture. Our differentiation is that we would be working with designers of crafted products who along with artisans would provide new and innovative creations to customers. The other key Unique Selling Point of our website would be products from other parts of the world.

[b]Tell us some of your marketing strategies and how well placed is Kraftbuy.com to capitalise on them? [/b]

We understand that the key to survival in the e-Commerce business is getting traffic on the website and this requires very strong brand recall in buyers segment along with efficient customer service. In our mission statement we have included 'customer delight' as our key focus. Our marketing strategy is woven around the same. Apart from using the traditional digital marketing tools we would be having our sellers from other countries acting as our brand ambassadors. We are also in discussion with some international e-commerce website for tie ups. On the offering side, as we would be working with fresh designers we would be offering new and innovative products to customers apart from regular product line.

[b]Who do you see as your biggest competitors? And, how the risks associated with your business different from your competitors? [/b]

We see Craftvilla, Snapdeal and Amazon as our main competitors. And to talk about the risks, our competitors are already 4-6 years ahead of us whereas we are new in e-Commerce. Moreover, the seller market for handicraft is still not matured and educated. It is very fragmented and unorganised sector where quality is always a concern.

But, the handicraft market is growing exponentially and has immense opportunity for growth. Indian handicrafts are well acknowledged for craftsmanship world-wide. We have strong background in supply chain and marketing and our employees understand crafts very well. These are positive points that will work in our favour to mitigate the risks.

[b]Tell me something about your growth plans over the next 3 years and how your company plans to achieve the targets set?[/b]

We want to grow to a 50 Crore company in the next three years. For this, we would be adding innovative products designed by designers, we would be selling global products in India and we would be exploring the international market to capitalise on their interest to Indian made crafted products.

We have already started recruiting designers from Craft colleges and taking few as partners as they want to pursue their own ambition. We have identified quite a few innovative products to be launched on our website. To mitigate the risk of running dry, we have initiated the talks with investors.

[b]About Kraftbuy.com[/b]

Kraftbuy.com is the supplier of the finest Indian handicrafts and traditional products online. You can find an appealing range of apparels, accessories, jewellery, furniture, paintings, arts, home furnishings, home decors and more categories. The store offers a wide range of hand crafted items from India and abroad at reasonable prices. Visit More : http://www.kraftbuy.com/