Amazon Saheli Helps Women Entrepreneurs from Kudumbashree Bring in Onam Cheer

KOCHI:
Women entrepreneurs – part of the Kudumbashree program – have realized the benefits accorded to them by listing and selling products online. These women who have been supported, trained and empowered by the Amazon Saheli program are thrilled by the spike in sales they have witnessed during the Onam season.

Before discovering the convenience of becoming a seller on Amazon.in, these women faced difficulties associated with financial independence, social empowerment and a lack of access to opportunities to grow and scale their business. As the nation emerges from the recent challenging times, these sellers have turned to e-commerce to get back on their feet, and bring in the Onam joy with Amazon. For Onam, some of the unique products offered by Kudumbashree include Handicraft Sreebudha, Bamboo Wooden Lamp Shade and Handicraft Coconut Shell Decorated Fish

Under the Kudumbashree program, women in Kerala who make products across diverse categories of grocery, home and fashion accessories now have access to a wider market via Amazon Saheli. These women entrepreneurs who have been selling products, handmade or procured, primarily in local markets were faced with unpredictable demands and logistical challenges. These concerns were addressed by the Amazon Saheli team which trained the women entrepreneurs of Kudumbashree and continues to support them through seamless onboarding assistance, introducing them to imaging and cataloguing, product listing, subsidized referral and free account management. Despite the setbacks due to the recent disruption, by participating in the recently hosted sale events like Prime Day and Small Business Day, and through benefits offered under Stand for Handmade initiative, Kudumbashree has accelerated growth in recent months.

S Harikishore, Executive Director, Kudumbashree, “The lockdown was a strenuous period due to the overall unpredictability. However, with e-commerce and Amazon we were able to stay afloat. Our primary reason for joining Amazon Saheli program was to become financially independent and have a career on our own, while actively contributing to the prosperity of our families. The recent difficult time has further shown us that it was a great decision to sell on Amazon as it is bringing in better revenue and giving us yet another reason to celebrate Onam this year. Despite the COVID-19 setbacks and lockdown, Kudumbashree has registered over 3X growth in revenue – 2020 vs 2019 (year-to-date). We are hopeful that the upcoming festive season will bring in even greater joys for all of us”.

Amazon Saheli currently has over thousands of products listed by women entrepreneurs. Through the program, Amazon conducts extensive training and skill development workshops for its partners to help women entrepreneurs understand nuances related to online selling and to help them develop skills & capabilities necessary to grow their business on Amazon.in. The training workshops comprise of sessions on the listing of products, imaging & cataloguing, packaging & shipping, inventory & account management and customer service to name a few. The workshops will be free of cost and will offer several exclusive benefits including assisted onboarding and mentorship programs.