Deep-driving into the vibe of women-led community marketplaces
Online community marketplaces have a unique culture of their own. Here are some fun things brewing at #SHOPOnSHEROES
Shweta Manjunath, a freelance interior designer based in Bengaluru creates beautiful handmade trays, that are not just functional objects. They can be classified as tray art!
Shweta is passionate about creating things. She also hosts online and offline workshops, and recently launched her online SHOP “Mishri Art” on our vibrant community marketplace SHOP On SHEROES. Here she markets all her beautiful handmade products.
Drop in and say hello at Shweta’s SHOP Mishri Art
Shweta’s interior design DNA is evident in the way she has curated her shop. She posts aesthetically appealing videos and photographs that inspire her customers to reimagine their spaces, with her products.
Like Shweta, India has millions of women creators looking for avenues to express their creativity and build a market for their products.
A home for creative women micro-preneurs
SHOP On SHEROES, our community marketplace is a great destination for creative souls like Shweta.
Unlike traditional eCommerce platforms, which have a somewhat impersonal, functional vibe, community marketplaces encourage expression, creativity, and a personalised approaches to selling. Conversations and content-led engagement are key ingredients.
A space for personalisation
Creators tend to bring out their personalities through their shops.
The name of Puja Mondal’s SHOP “Chaotically Colorful”, was inspired by her personality. She identifies as a “positive person, who is slightly chaotic, and loves colours in her life”.
Puja has given a contemporary spin to traditional mandala art, infusing colour, humour and some elements of pop culture in her work!
Drop in and say hello at Puja Mondal’s SHOP Chaotically Colorful
Inspiring the birth of new entrepreneurs
Another inspiring story emerging from the community is that of Guwahati-born Shireen Mullick. With the onset of the pandemic, like millions of women, Shireen was impacted by job displacement
So, at age 46, she turned entrepreneur.
Shireen opened her SHOP Nature’s Magic, which markets handcrafted natural soaps, a growing segment in the beauty market.
She also showcases her products beautifully. The watermelon-shaped soaps, turmeric and neem soaps shaped like roses (addressing pimples and acne) and loofah variants, are some of her popular products. She also invests time in the design detail, without compromising on the quality of ingredients.
Drop in and say hello at Shireen’s SHOP Nature’s Magic
Since Shireen is working in the fast-growing natural beauty domain, consumers tend to post a lot of queries on the product pages, before making a purchase. Shireen ensures a quick turnaround on product queries, and is a de-facto expert in her space.
“I am so grateful that SHEROES has given me the wings to fly,” says Shireen, whose business is especially busy on special days.
This Teacher’s Day, Shireen a former teacher turned entrepreneur, curated a beautiful hamper for educators, which was a hit.
Building a learning ecosystem
For first-time shop owners, building a narrative around their products, brand and shop can be a challenge. They are learning from scratch, the rules of brand-building, storytelling, and last but not the least, the importance of being consistent in showing up, everyday.
The latter can be especially challenging. This is because being a micro-entrepreneur can be a lonely journey. A lack of a peer network is a common reality.
This is where community, conversations and a learning ecosystem play such an important role in a community marketplace. Expert sessions, masterclasses and mentorship are a part of the SHOP On SHEROES ecosystem.
A recent activity that generated a lot of excitement was a masterclass hosted by take-charge co-Founders Savita Vijayan and Kavita Nair, of The Elephant Rumble. The sister-partner duo are popular SHEROES Champions who regularly engage on the community every week.
Globally, if we look at the business owners we have been associated with, each of them have a story — just like SHOP On SHEROES owners. And we love being a part of their stories as enabling characters. Their passion. Their purpose. Their will. Will take them to great heights!
~ Savita Vijayan, Co-Founder — The Elephant Rumble
The masterclass helped budding entrepreneurs visualise their brand narratives, and weave it into their social media footprint. The second outcome is more interesting — the importance of building a daily social media schedule. This practice not only helps micro-entrepreneurs, create a pipeline of social media content, it helps them design a routine for themselves, a method in the madness. It inspires creativity, reduces anxiety, strengthens purpose, on a day-to-day basis.
A community of high-trust women sellers
Being an active participant in the community has given Savita an insight into the growth journeys of SHOP entrepreneurs. She quotes the example of Garima Vashistha, an online tutor and entrepreneur, who has aptly named her SHOP “AM to PM Women’s Shoppe”, because it literally sources everything a woman needs for her daily routine!
“Garima’s consistency with showing up on the platform is great. I see that she engages beautifully with the audience, too. Letting the world know that you exist and showing them your services, is the name of the game on social media. I think she has nailed it!” observes Savita.
Drop in and say hello at Garima’s SHOP AM to PM Women’s Shoppe
Though SHOP On SHEROES comprises of high-trust, women sellers, it is open to all to purchase. We invite more women entrepreneurs, creators and aspirants, to launch their SHOPS on SHEROES, and all consumers to support women-led businesses.
Don’t miss: Our quick guide on how to launch your SHOP On SHEROES!
” SHOP on SHEROES is a great concept. The reason being many find this a go-to place. So, if they are familiar with posting and building client relations on SHEROES, they can also go to other platforms and feel confident there, too!” Savita rounds up.
SHEROES, the women-only social network is a safe, constructive, high-empathy, high-trust online ecosystem for women to engage and chase dreams. It offers communities, a chat-based counsellng helpline, champions, resources, opportunities, credit opportunities and a community marketplace. It is accessible via Sheroes.com and the SHEROES app
