5 things we learned marketing handlooms
When it comes to handlooms, Indians have always loved and upheld the charm of an authentic handwoven saree. It has been patronized, almost single-handedly, by the country’s enormous wedding industry — no bridal trousseau or wardrobe is complete without a selection of handlooms!
That’s not to say we haven’t been subject to the aesthetic and consumption habits of globalization. Many an auntie at many an Indian wedding have woefully bemoaned the lewks young India have been adopting for the last many decades.
But these complaints are slowly quietening down. And not just because the pandemic wedding has resulted in a more intimate setting. Young India is wisening up to the beauty and timelessness of handlooms. And making wiser decisions not just in terms of their outfits but in terms of the impact their choices have on the local economy and the environment.
In the last decade, we have had a chance to work with GoCoop — the first national award winner for the marketing of handlooms in e-commerce. We have also named and created the identity for their private label the good loom which launched at Lakme India Fashion Week in 2017.
Here are a few things we’ve learned along the way:
Weave in the stories:
The difference between your social enterprise and a faceless corporation, is just that — you are not a faceless entity. GoCoop’s business model, for example, was developed with the artisan and their livelihoods in mind. As a result the organization conducted several zoom sessions with their artisan partners, which made for strong content with their customer base and beyond. Emailers that shared these stories without sales-y calls-to-action performed up to 4x better in terms of click-through and sales conversions.
Know your niche:
With many brands and labels in the space, your product aesthetic, or business model will likely dictate your audience niche. Draw up your customer profile accordingly, and speak to your audience. For GoCoop’s online event goswadeshi where the brand brings together around 40–50 master weavers, artisans and designers on their platform for a limited period, the audience group comprises craft lovers and conscious customers in an 18–65 demographic. The approach, therefore was to create an identity and experience that celebrated crafts and colour. the good loom show on the other hand reflected a product aesthetic curated for conscious customers and minimalists, who believe that less really is more.
Clean labels go a long way:
While it may be tempting to complement your craft brand with a craft-based label design or logo, the lessons from our blog on blanding (to be hyperlinked) still hold true here. Unless you are likely focused on a specific craft, in which case it may be a good idea to capture the essence of that craft in your identity, a clean label communicates clean intentions, and can complement any of the crafts or weaves you choose to sell.
Show don’t tell:
As with building any lifestyle brand, your mission is to show your audience how your product can fit seamlessly into their lives. Create images that tell a story, and don’t just show off product. The product listing on your site is where they’ll finally make their decision in any case.
Presentation is everything:
And once they’re on your product page, ensure your brand is styled and represented in a manner that’s authentic and true to your voice. When the good loom launched at fashion week, we took a few conscious calls — with a diverse pool of models, minimalist yet functional styling and backdrops. These ideas have carried themselves down to the imagery in the product listings — the last mile in the customer’s online journey.
It’s interesting how handlooms have reinforced some of these tried and tested principles we keep coming back to. Timeless tips for a timeless product category, we’d like to think.
