Twikster is a DIY e-commerce platform for creative folk – artists, illustrators, apparel designers – anyone creating anything by hand, with a creative bent – in India to have their own storefronts.
When there are other similar e-commerce platforms out there, when it is possible to create an e-commerce store from scratch, why Twikster?
For us, getting people aboard is a little more personal than just having them create their e-commerce store on Twikster. Every business, however big or small, comes with a little tale of how and why they came about, the challenges they faced, why they almost gave up. Their experiences reflect in various aspects of their lives, including their products and so these experiences should reflect on their storefronts.
Twikster is about having these conversations with people, whenever people are willing, documenting them via videos and write ups/ blog posts and sharing them with the world. It is about working with creative sellers to add a little of their “touch” and their brand into their storefront. And that’s how we have a store-y instead of a mere store created on what remains a DIY platform! A little gift from us to our users.
Here are two of our very first store-y’s –
https://twikster.com/blog/category/home-decor-on-twikster/
We also provide marketing, design, legal, accounting and development services (in partnership) to help these businesses grow. We work on ensuring that all their e-commerce needs, in the long and short run, are well looked after.
Our social responsibility? We aim to on-board one product-selling NGO every month for free. Every other NGO gets a flat 30% off on the subscription fee for life. They just have to share some proof with us and ask us for the discount.
So if someone has a store-y to create, we have them covered!
Open to feedback, thoughts, suggestions, product strategy inputs.
asha chaudhry
hey namrata,
pls check this out – TheHotStart is a crowdfunding platform for artists – you guys might have some synergies?!
https://www.therodinhoods.com/forum/topics/say-hello-to-india-s-freshest-crowdfunding-ecosystem
Rishi
Hi Namrata! Few things:
1. The “Why Twikster” is not evident when I go to your website. So may be you need to find a way to communicate that.
2. I don’t see any clients/select businesses using Twiskster on the landing page. I know it’s there, but I think it should be somewhere on the landing page.
3. On the pricing and plans, if you compare your plans to someone like Zepo, your Pro plan is like their Startup plan in terms of features. Not sure if that is what people typically ask for or if you had other reasons to do so, but you might want to look at comparables and see how you position your plans/product. Sometimes even if it’s cheaper, it might become a question of how customers perceive it.
Congrats on launching and best wishes!
Namrata Soni
Hi Rishi
Thanks for your inputs 🙂
1. Yes, the content on the homepage needs to be updated to communicate Why Twikster. Will do that soon 🙂
2. We had not added “businesses using Twikster” on the homepage because of the way the homepage is designed – they’re listed on the Showcase page instead. Will move a few testimonials to the homepage though.
3. Yes, our Pro plan is similar to Zepos start up plan in terms of features. We are targeting the creative community, kitschy/ indie artists, e-com start ups, product selling NGO’s not only in tier 1 but also tier 2 cities (yes, reaching tier 2 is a challenge, one that we are trying to overcome via tie ups and partnerships) . In speaking to this crowd we found that most are aware of the benefits of selling online, require basic features to do so and are somewhat price sensitive – what they make and want to sell is not their main source of income, but their hobby that they wish would be more recognized and reach wider audiences.
So instead of providing a whole lot of features that come with higher monthly fees, we went with an approach where we provide only the very basic features (required to get ecom stores up and running) for a lower subscription fees. If they need anything apart from features included in the plans, we provide it by way of “Services” priced and charged separately as per their need.
Thanks
Namrata
Namrata Soni
Thanks Asha, Will check it out!
– Namrata
Alok Rodinhood Kejriwal
Why cant YOU manage Artists on Flipkart, Snapdeal etc etc?
Why should you replicate what exists?
Isn’t your skill getting artists to sell online, rather than CREATING an online platform?
Its like a Celebrity Manager choosing the best Recording Label for his client – NOT creating the Studios, Technologies etc?
Namrata Soni
Providing the ability to create independent e-com stores is one function of the platform. The other is to help artists/ creative folk manage their e-com businesses. So yes, as part of this second function, we help manage their online presence, which can include marketplaces.
That being said, limiting to marketplaces is not the right choice for everyone. When we spoke to our TA, they said –
– There is so much other competition on marketplaces. I need to have my own store as well.
– I don’t want to sell my work to everyone. Not everyone understands what this is about. Not everyone values it. I want my own store to connect directly with the customer base that I have built through my offline efforts.
– My products are unique and I want that sort of uniqueness to be present in my store as well.
People want their brands to have credibility and more importantly the flexibility to project their brand in the manner they desire. A customized look and feel. But again, its not something that all can/ want to do on their own.
So then, it became not just about helping them sell online. But about providing something that creative folk and their customers can connect with, to whatever extent possible. For example, one artist created her store last week, the store is up and running – but she has requested for UI customization which is more aligned with her “style” and one which we will be providing. So she’s happy knowing that she will soon have a store she desires, she doesn’t need to do it herself, it will cost her a fraction of what it could cost to develop a store from scratch, and her business does not have to suffer while the customization is underway.
asha chaudhry
hey namrata,
how’s the response to twikster been?
we’d love to hear some updates from you!! do share 🙂
asha chaudhry
hey again namrata,
just read about twikster in YS! awesome stuff. do update rodinhooders as well!