ShoppingKart24 CREATES AN ENTHRALLING EXPERIENCE IN SHOPPING EXQUISITE INDIAN PRODUCTS

Starting from the beauteous crown of India in the North that is Kashmir to the tip of the Nation, India is a country, which is best known for its commendable and stupendous ‘Handicraft Art’. The luster of Modern India cannot fade the uniqueness of  handmade classy Indian products. There are various local craftsmen who are shedding droplets of strenuous efforts in the making of exquisite hand-crafted products.ShoppingKart24 provides a great exposure to these traditional commodities through the online and offline medium. Mr. Prateek B Singh is the ace founder of ShoppingKart24.

INSIGHTS OF THE COMPANY

ShoppingKart24 acts as a beacon to a number of artisans and small-scale vendors, by providing them a global platform through online and offline channels to advertise or promote the finely crafted Indian products. It works towards boosting the richness and uniqueness of Indian arts and crafts along with the other non-crafts products from beaucoup of artisans or local manufacturers and vendors belonging to rural and urban India.

The Company’s core focus is to highlight the hard work of Indian weavers, craftsmen, upcoming designers, and entrepreneurs globally so that their tremendous efforts can be appreciated worldwide.

Unfortunately, in India, the local craftsmen do not get adequate exposure, because of which their incredible potential does not get the right boost. They get limited customers in their respective regions due to the lack of visibility. Henceforth, ShoppingKart24 is a phenomenal portal between customers and exemplary Indian brands. The Company promotes GI Products and provides a good market to the artisans/craftsmen who are making these unique products.

The formidable Company covers Pan India, and recently it has started exporting products, and also working for a Supply Chain Management of Geographical Indication Products such as handicraft and handloom for a Geographical Indication (GI) Retail Store at GOA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT- the first GI retail store in India, working under Cashew Export Promotion Council of India, (CEPCI) and Ministry Of Commerce.

The Workforce is pivotal for any venture’s success; following the same mantra ShoppingKart24 is thriving in the business world. There are twelve members in the Company, including the founder and employees.

The entrepreneur says, “I think this  number of people are good to give a kick start to the venture and investing in employees is a tough task as today we need smart work factor with hard work strategy.”

ENSURING UNBREAKABLE FAITH

The Company is promoting and showcasing Geographical Indication Products, which are authentic and produced by genuine weavers, artisans, farmers or manufacturers.

A Geographical Indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products, which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin. GI is an intellectual property right, which identifies a ‘good’ as originating in a certain region where a given quality, reputation or other characteristics of the product is essentially attributable to its geographical origin.

‘Educate – Empower- Enrich’ are the three pillars on which Shoppingkart24 stands.  They educate the artisans or craftsmen to make the products as per the trending customer requirements.

 AN EDGE OVER THE PEERS

They are promoting Geographical Indication Products. There are 344 GI Products registered till date, out of 344 they have listed 125 product categories under Exclusive GI Products on their portal.

It provides an online and offline channel to showcase the unique & versatile line of products, and henceforth, promoting richness & uniqueness of Indian arts and crafts along with other non-crafts products.

They work on creating backward and forward linkages with rural craftsmen and women and hone their skills. The prime focus is on providing end to end solutions to weavers, artisans/craftsmen, and artists.

TRAJECTORY FULL OF DETOURS

The journey traced by Prateek was a roller coaster of obscurities, which he valiantly walked on. According to the magnate’s perception, there are few people who are born with a silver spoon, and similarly, there is extremely less number of people who have the opportunity to be the part of renowned institutions such as IIT’s and IIM’s. Coming from a commerce background, and henceforth, accomplished graduation from the University of Mumbai, and hailing from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh nothing was easy for him. It was like walking on a bed of crosses.

The most challenging part whilst beginning this Startup was the problems of weavers, artisans/craftsmen, and farmers, who are facing a Marketing issue, and the Company is providing the same.

Initially, Prateek’s passion was to do public service and become an IAS/IFS or IPS officer, but his fate opposed it, so after some selections and rejections, he decided to embark on an entrepreneurial journey, where he learned a lot from the experiences and challenges; still he is on the ‘learning, unlearning, and relearning’ mode. Single-handedly he incepted the organization, and being a sole founder is also difficult.

“Things which earned at ease are not valued whereas which are received through struggle and hard work are more valued.”~Prateek B Singh 

 ROLE OF THE PRESENT GOVERNMENT

Since 2014, the Government of India has announced a number of initiatives such as Digital India, Make in India, Startup India, and Skill India. The timely and effective implementation of such programs will likely support the e-commerce growth in the country.  Under the Digital India movement, the government launched various initiatives.

The Maestro has been recognized many a time due to the government’s initiatives only. The Company is also working in collaboration with CIPAM (Cell for IPR Management), DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade), Ministry Of Commerce to promote Geographical Indication Products, and Geographical Indication is a kind of IPR, which is legal protection of products from specific origin and it’s also a Government initiative.

The Company is also associated with the Office of Development Commissioner Handloom for the promotion of Handloom products. They have taken a workshop for artisans in Delhi Haat in the Capital through NBCFDC (National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation.  NBCFDC is a Government of India Undertaking under the aegis of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

 GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS

ShoppingKart24, in a short period of time, is bestowed with some phenomenal achievements.

• Selected in The Vault Competition best 50 startup ideas (Telecasted on air on 5th Nov ‘16 on Times Now and ET now).
• Shortlisted for Best Startup Entrepreneur under 30 in India through ‘Ye! Community’ (BEST 10)
• Selected in top 50 in G-Startup Worldwide, Seoul.
• Selected among the top 9 entries for Future Group presents Retail Startup Awards, 2017.
• Shoppingkart24 wins Super startup Status’ through Super Startups, India.
• Shortlisted for SILICON VALLEY BOOTCAMP among 10 Startups through Z-nation Lab.
• Collaborated with CIPAM-DIPP (Ministry Of Commerce) to promote GI products and support the artisans and craftsmen.
• Incubated at Malaviya Centre for Innovation, Incubation & Entrepreneurship, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi.
• Collaborated with the Office of Development Commissioner (Ministry Of Textile) to promote Handloom products and support the weavers & artisans.
• Working Informally with National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporations (Aegis of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment)
• Recognition as Top 25 Inspiring CEOs In India through Business Connect Magazine
• Recognition as Top 10 Ecommerce Start-up through Silicon India Magazine