Hastkala

Bridging the Gap between Artists and Artisans

Client Introduction

Hastkala Pramanak is an end-to-end software solution that enables objective verification of handmade products. Handloom and handicraft industries in India are plagued by the problem of cheap counterfeit imitations that eat away at sales and erode customer trust.

Hastkala is inspired by the vision of tackling this problem with the help of technology like artificial intelligence and blockchain. Additionally, Hastkala aims to protect artisans and buyers from middlemen exploitation by establishing a transparent system.

Hastkala partnered with Cloudesign to execute the technological aspect of its vision.

Handicrafts hold a special place in the lives of consumers and creators alike. They were once ubiquitous in the market but are now perceived as luxury products that demand a premium market price.

This premium price tag creates the need to authenticate every transaction in this niche. However, this is currently impossible given the complete disconnect between the customer and the manufacturer.

The unorganized nature of this sector further complicates tracking or verifying sales. As a result, unauthentic and counterfeit products flood the market hurting both clients and the creators.

Hastkala was born to bridge this gap and solve the problem of counterfeit handloom and handcraft products in the market. It's inspired by the vision of connecting artisans in the country’s most remote parts with buyers across domestic and international markets.

The traditional sales channels for handicraft products posed problems like:

Disconnect b/w the Buyers and Sellers

Traditionally, middlemen procured handicraft products from artists which they then sold in the market. This approach kept the manufacturers completely unaware of the buyer's needs and created a complete disconnect between buyers and sellers.

Counterfeit Products

Since the artists never sold their products themselves, the market was flooded with cheap imitations and counterfeit products of subpar quality. This problem not only impacted sales but also reduced the reputation of the industry as a whole.

Middlemen Exploitation

The traditional approach completely depended upon middlemen to bring the product to the market. They brought the products for cheap from the creators and sold them off to the customers at exorbitant prices.

Loss of Revenue

Problems like counterfeit products, lack of customer interaction, and hampered sales led to a significant loss of revenue for the manufacturers. This made it difficult to survive in an already challenging industry.

Reduced Demand

The innumerable problems with the existing industry processes made it almost impossible to verify a product’s authenticity. This resulted in reduced demand as customers became more concerned about buying counterfeit products.

Economic Impact

The many problems faced by the handicraft industry made it difficult for the creators and manufacturers to be profitable. This had a wider impact on the economic well-being and financial health of the industry.

Artistic and Cultural Protection

Hastkala puts an end to the unfair competition and counterfeiting that handicrafts face from machine-produced products. By providing an objective verification solution for authentic handicrafts, Hastkala protects our cultural heritage and the artists safeguarding our traditional arts.

Cloudesign engineered an innovative technical platform that could realize Hastkala’s vision of bringing together artists and artisans.

The solution involved equipping each handicraft item with a Hastkala RFID tag. Each tag contained a unique identifier representing the product and tied the product in with Hastkala’s digital ecosystem.

On scanning the RFID tag with a smartphone, users were directed to a webpage that contained all the information necessary to verify a product’s authenticity.

Among other important details, this web page contained the certificate of authenticity, seller details, manufacturing process information, and photo galleries. Cross-checking these details with the product in hand proved the authenticity beyond doubt.

This simple yet effective innovation allowed Hastkala to bring clients and artists together, redefining the handicrafts business.

This innovation was made possible with thoughtful features like:

Easy Onboarding

To keep the entry barrier low and enable easy access to rural artists, Hastkala featured a down-to-earth interface and easy onboarding and log-in. After registering with Hastkala, handicraft manufacturers could instantly begin sales tracking by incorporating RFID tags into their products.

Custom Products

By defining the idea of a product in a flexible fashion, Hastkala allowed manufacturers to define an endless variety of products. The ability to define custom products allowed the platform to onboard handicraft manufacturers from all walks of life.

User Roles

A wide variety of user roles were supported to accommodate every stakeholder in the manufacturing process. Designers, dyer, weavers, and every other stakeholder could interact with the platform and update necessary information. These roles made Hastkala a more welcoming platform for many.

Certificate of Authenticity

The star feature of the platform was the certificate of authenticity that established the credibility of every purchase. By scanning the RFID tag of a product, users received a certificate of authenticity complete with all the information necessary to verify the product. This feature ensured complete peace of mind for both buyers and sellers.

Product Journeys

Product journeys captured each stage that the product went through from design to manufacturing to sales. This feature enabled customers to become more involved with the handicraft industry. It also helped customers make more informed decisions and purchases.

Dashboard Views

Dashboard views provided one-stop access to all the important information the stakeholders needed. By understanding customer demographics and sales patterns better, manufacturers became better equipped to deal with the challenges of the handicraft industry.

Photo Galleries

Every product page featured product photos from multiple angles. This enabled easy identification and cross-verification with the product being sold in the market.

Structured Sales

More than anything, the introduction of Hastkala eliminated the man-in-the-middle and reduced the flood of counterfeit imitations of handicraft products in the market. Thus Hastkala brought more order to the industry, structured sales, and reduced exploitation by middlemen.