VELLORE: A team of women artisans are busy in giving final touches to the colourful wooden toys. They carefully do the furnishing to make them more attractive and catching the eyes of the customers.
Buoyed by the success of getting the opportunity to sell the products through one of the major online stores in the international market, they are self-motivated to bring out quality products to meet the demand.
The tie-up Tamil Nadu Urban Livelihood Mission (TNURLM) has entered into with Flipkart gives the hope to Vellore self-help groups (SHGs) to find better marketing avenues.
Nine types of products manufactured by SHGs, under the brand name of Velma (Vellore Mahalir), will be made displayed on Flipkart online store.
Vellore is the first district in Tamil Nadu to get the opportunity to foray into online marketing tying up with one of the major online stores.
“We are the first in Tamil Nadu to have the chance to sell products of SHGs following the tie-up TNULM had with Flipkart,” K Jayakanthan, assistant project officer (APO), Mahalir Thittam in Vellore.
Glass paintings, ceramic dolls, wooden toys, fur toys, silk saris, lungis, gift articles, wall hangings and fancy items like bangles and rings will make it to Flipkart store.
Among them, the wooden toys made by ‘Yellow Rose’ SHG located at Kangeyanallur in the outskirts of Vellore will first make the entry into Flipkart.
According to AR Sivaraman, project officer (PO) of Mahalir Thittam, “It will give a big opportunity for the SHGs to improve their marketing capability and explore more avenues.”
While the informal sector has received a big body blow due to the Covid pandemic, entering into new marketing avenues will improve returns for the SHGs and provide better livelihood for them, he noted.
The volunteers of SHGs which are manufacturing the goods to be sold through Flipkart were recently trained by representatives of the online store in handling orders, packing and delivery.
Vellore district collector A Shanmuga Sundaram said, “Gaining entry into international marketing avenues will not only bring better opportunity but also result in improving the quality of the products in order to compete with other countries.”
The marketing is assisted by city livelihood centres (CLCs).