Snapdeal has announced that they will promote traditional Odiya crafts in partnership with Govt. of Odisha owned entities – Orissa State Handloom Weavers Co-operative Society Ltd. and Odisha State Handicraft Corporation Ltd. The products will be sold under the brand name “Utkalika” and “Boyanika” and will be promoted on the marketplace as a part of partnership. Between the two brand, around 200 products listed on Snapdeal as of now.
Commenting on the association, Vishal Chadha, Senior Vice President, Market Development at Snapdeal said,
“Snapdeal takes immense pride in the association that we have initiated with the Odisha government. Odisha has a rich culture and is famous for its ancient tradition to make splendid handmade pieces of art. Snapdeal’s vision is to create life changing experiences for all our stakeholders and empower our craftsmen with access to tens of millions of buyers across 5000 towns and cities of India. Through this association, we will enable the State Corporations to boost their sale of products thereby promoting an all-inclusive growth of the handicrafts industry”.
Commenting on the association, Chithra Arumugam, Commissioner, Handloom, Textiles and Handicrafts Department, Govt. of Odisha, said,
“We are excited to partner with Snapdeal to promote and sell unique handlooms and handicrafts traditions of Odisha. We are keen to leverage technology to reach buyers across the country. We hope that this initiative will create more livelihood opportunities for our artisans by increasing sales of their products”.
As a part of this collaboration, Snapdeal will provide complete assistance to the corporations with online cataloguing and refine their product offerings through the data analytics. Boyanika offers an eclectic mix of handcrafted sarees of the Ikkat, Bomkai Silk, Berhampuri Silk, Sambalpuri and Tussar variety while Utkalika offers home décor and jewellery items showcasing native tribal crafts. These elaborate handcrafted products showcase the profuse history of Odiya culture that has been passed down the generations, as said in a press release.
