Bridging the gaps with fractional retailing

At a time when the Covid -19 situation has forced everyone to take the virtual or online path for business and social interactions, a physical retail space that promotes local arts and handicrafts might seem like a distant reality . And yet most of us know that a brick and and mortar space is inevitable in the context of retail space and is just a matter of time before it gets back to what it is - a community space that brings together buyers and sellers. If it can also come with new cost saving business models, then even better. After all, going forward cost and resource optimization will be one of the top priorities for most brands.

Indi Collage, founded and curated by Anuradha Singh, a textile designer/fashion stylist and exhibitor, is a space that aims at promoting the work of some of the best artisans & designers from across the country,based on the concept of Fractional Retailing (sharing of retail space for a short duration with low cost). In the process it aims to provide a seamless experience to the exhibitors. Anuradha has been an exhibitor herself traveling across the country to engage with her customers. The numerous challenges she faced in exhibitions has been the inspiration behind setting up Indi Collage. In an interaction with VM&RD, Anuradha shares some thoughts behind the initiative.

How did the idea of Ind Collage first come about and how does it work?

I have been a designer & an exhibitor myself, travelling across the country to engage with customers. The numerous challenges I faced prompted me to start something like this - finding the right space in a good location at the right time of the year, managing stock delivery through transporters, local taxes, arranging for display materials, finding the right help, making sure that the POS machine works etc.The idea was to provide a seamless experience to the exhibitors.