Dharavi x Snapdeal: world's largest slum joins world of commercial e-tail

The lanes are narrow, the stench is overwhelming: welcome to Dharavi, one of the world's largest slums located in the heart of Mumbai, India. Finding a computer in any of the tiny households that are often not larger than 80 square feet (7.5 square meters) and double as workshops is unlikely, yet about 200 of those shops have tied up with Snapdeal, one of India's leading online market places, to sell products like leather belts, bags and fashion accessories online and for the first time nationwide. What does this first foray into the world of e-commerce mean for these artisans, the small and medium-sized enterprises, the community and similar communities around the world?

Snapdeal ties up with DharaviMarket.com

Snapdeal recently tied up with DharaviMarket.com, a for-profit initiative aimed at "making the skills of the squatter settlement more accessible to the middle/upper classes while providing the local, skilled craftsmen and artisans direct access to local and global markets", according to the website. This move benefits both as Dharavi Market can avail of Snapdeal's large, nationwide reach, popularity and its extensive shipping network, and Snapdeal can support its vision of "creating one million successful entrepreneurs within the next three years and empowering thousands of artisans and small businesses to sell nationally while supplying locally".

“At Snapdeal.com, we are constantly exploring innovative ways of promoting entrepreneurship and digitally enabling small-and-medium-sized businesses. Partnering with DharaviMarket.com is a Snapdeal endeavour aimed at empowering local artisans by providing a platform to promote and sell their indigenous products to a nationwide audience through a sustainable model," confirmed Amit Maheshwari, vice president, fashion at Snapdeal.com.

Currently, around 200 local artisans and small and medium businesses from Dharavi are part of the new initiative, which is available on the Snapdeal website under the label “Dharavi Market”. Customers can currently find 157 products, ranging from leather goods such as belts, bags, handbags and caps to suitcases and men's wear such as jeans, shirts and shorts. Prices range from 330 rupees (5.33 US dollars/almost 5 euros) for a pair of men's shorts to around 7000 rupees (113 US dollars/around 100 euros) for a leather bag. In the future, Snapdeal wants to bring more Dharavi artisans and small and medium business entrepreneurs on board and create an exclusive store for them called the ‘Dharavi – Snapdeal store’.

“This initiative is a great example of how technology and business can come together to change the lives of millions of artisans in our country. It is my hope that Dharavi craftsmen will get their due recognition through this online store," commented Shabana Azmi, actor and social activist.

For the local artisans and entrepreneurs, who often can't read or write, selling via the internet means that they now have to advertise their products professionally, many of them taking pictures of their merchandise for the first time in their lives, often on their regular cell phones or smartphones. Until now, they had no idea of e-commerce and how it works, selling directly in the slum or through closeby wholesale markets only. Snapdeal will provide assistance with the online cataloguing of products and will also help refine the product offerings by analyzing market-based insights.

Dharavi, the entrepreneurial powerhouse

Dharavi's total population is estimated at around one million people, sharing an area of only 217 hectares (2.17 square kilometers), which makes it one the world's most densely populated areas. Apart from the usual problems that arise when so many people share such close quarters – pollution, epidemics, conflicts - there is also a sense of community, pride and an energetic hustle and bustle that transforms into entrepreneurship. Many of the artisans making products here have been doing so for generations and contribute to the slum's annual revenues of billions of dollars.

Dharavi, already famous for its sheer size and popularized in movies like Slumdog Millionaire, Black Friday and Salaam Bombay, has a chance to sell its products to a global market, step-by-step, of which the tie-up with Snapdeal is an important milestone. Other e-tailers may follow suite and Dharavi could become a model for other artisans worldwide.

Images: Snapdeal, workshop in Dharavi (M.M.), women selling pottery in Dharavi (Marcus Fornell), typical Mumbai slum (Simone Preuss)