Unlocking The Digital Door

The pandemic and change in consumer buying patterns have prompted individual sellers as well as large and small businesses to take the ecommerce route for survival

- Naini Thaker

A shish Das had a thriving business. The owner of Cacia Wooden Crafts in Kolkata, West Bengal, used to sell wooden home accessories and kitchenware at exhibitions. But then came the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdowns since March-end which put him in a spot. “I had no money,” recalls Das.

Luckily, however, three days before the lockdown was imposed, he had set up an account on ecommerce platform Amazon to earn some additional money. And, as he points out, “what was supposed to be ‘side income’ ended up becoming my only income.”

Das has a collection of over 100 products, and has listed 30 on Amazon for now. “Through them, I am earning about ₹30,000 to ₹35,000 a month. I plan to have close to 150 products on Amazon soon,” says Das, who concedes that the money isn’t close to what he earned from exhibitions. “But I have no complaints… if I wasn’t selling online, I don’t know how I would have survived.”

Das is just one of many sellers who never imagined ecommerce would be their focus, and means of survival, at any point. But the pandemic and resultant consumer behaviour have prompted them to take the digital route where minimal overheads are a blessing. Many small and large businesses, too, have finally taken the digital plunge and are strengthening their virtual presence.