MUMBAI: ShopClues.com, a multi-category online marketplace, has joined hands with National Scheduled Castes Finance & Development Corporation (NSFDC) to support hundreds of smaller sellers and artisans from backward classes to find a wider market for their goods.
The company has entered into an MoU with NSFDC, which is a Government of India undertaking under the aegis of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The vision behind this partnership is to provide a robust online marketing platform to the products made by NSFDC beneficiaries. This way, they expand their reach tremendously and the customers of ShopClues get ready access to their stellar productions.
ShopClues will also provide training, infrastructural support in marketing, data analytics and customer acquisition to the NSFDC beneficiaries. Their catalogues will become a part of the ShopClues’ National Retail Heritage (NRH), which has previously pushed sales for numerous local manufacturers and artisans. NRH is an effort by ShopClues to bring online, the most popular markets of India that are famous for their unique product offering.
ShopClues.com CEO & co-founder Sanjay Sethi said, “We saw an immense potential for the NSFDC beneficiaries in the e-commerce revolution that is happening in the country. They not only get to leverage our platform, but also gain confidence in their work thanks to the enhanced sales, professional training and exposure that they will get via ShopClues. We look forward to expanding the scope of our CSR initiatives in a similar manner that leads to a win-win situation for the retailers, for us and for our customers.”
NSFDC CMD RK Singh added, “The purpose of our association with ShopClues.com is to economically empower the scheduled caste artisans by providing them an online e-retailing platform and mentoring to organize them in cluster mode, upgrade their product quality and upscale their production to meet the marketing demand. This would enable them to earn sustainable incomes in the long run and become successful entrepreneurs. Online marketplaces like ShopClues has democratized brand-creation – so, we’re hoping that the merchandise produced by our community finds mass-appeal and these artisans get recognition in India and abroad.”
ShopClues will help the ministry to prepare catalogue of products for the beneficiaries with attractive pictures, accurate prices, descriptions etc. and display it on its website. It will also update this catalogue periodically to drive sales. The team at ShopClues will intimate the local sellers through e-mail, SMS or telephone about orders from buyers. Payments will be made to the vendor/seller through RTGS/NEFT after the delivery of goods. Also on the anvil is a classroom and on-the-job training for sellers on e-marketing-related subjects such as merchandising, quality management, packing and shipping of products.
