Brandbook Studio created an Interactive e-commerce platform for rural India, a Dharma Endeavors dream fueled by Karnataka Government, created by Brandbook Studio, loved by millions with a responsive web design

Brandbook, a renowned web design and development company, collaborated with Dharma Endeavors and the Karnataka Govt to create a website that connects users to the heart of India. The platform focuses on empowering rural families and vulnerable communities engaged in handicrafts, community tourism, and agriculture. Our website design and development expertise enabled us to craft a user-friendly interface that <>encourages users to buy directly from rural entrepreneurs whenever possible. We believe in the power of your purchasing decisions to make a real impact on lives. When you support these entrepreneurs by buying directly from them, you provide them with much-needed extra income, contributing to their growth and prosperity. With our responsive web design approach, we ensure an immersive and seamless user experience, making the connection between you and rural communities even more meaningful.

Rural micro-entrepreneurs

• Digitally challenged
• Under the mercy of middlemen, with little negotiating power

Nearly 70% of the country’s population is rural, with agriculture and its allied activities being the main source of income, contributing to around 20% of the country’s GDP. The face of poverty in the country is largely a rural one. Yet there is untapped billions in the handicrafts, community tourism and value-added food sectors. The handicrafts sector alone is USD 150 billion market, providing employment to more than 200 million people in the country.

They need direct to consumer market linkages to increase their annual incomes.

Urban Consumers

• Geographical restrictions in reaching rural areas
• Lack of trust in the quality of the products they are buying
• Lack of information

Alongside this rural reality is the urban one. There, lie billions of India's up and coming newly-rich, making up a large chunk of the 80% of its GDP. They remember the flea markets and bazaars of old with nostalgia. Around 60% of Indians are willing to pay more for 'Made in India' products.

They need customer support, quality assurance and an immersive experience that allows them to have more sustainable consumption.

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• Currently, design is overwhelming. Difficult to direct the eye. Too much info for user at a glace and no color consistency in existing platform.
• We must find creative ways to showcase something attractive for the hut/shop window to entice customer to entre the shop.
• Show buyers how the impact is created when a product is purchased.
• Can we have sponsorship opportunities for brands on Centre Stage itself, during live streaming, or when a local entrepreneur is live?
• Good to have all of rural India under one roof.
• Balance between info on product + info on people behind the product.
• How to highlight sponsors throughout the Mela.
• FAQs on product page to answer most customer queries around products.
• If there is a login, choose the most easy login options.
• People may want to browse by product only and not go from tent to tent. However, still important to show the story + people behind the product. Categorization according to product + according to people
• Easy Interaction directly with the vendor to ask specific information about the products is important
• Flexibility to use mobile + desktop

Our website design expertise allowed us to map out essential user features for the 1st version, with a focus on responsive UI design using Figma, graphics design, and user flows. As we gradually added features, the project timeframe extended, but our dedicated team managed to deliver the complete project within a reasonable timeline.

Our responsibilities included website front-end and back-end development, along with comprehensive testing, gathering user feedback, and continuously improving the website. Implementing the site on a live server and tracking user behavior through analytics were crucial steps in the process. We, as a graphics design company also, we ensured visually captivating elements with our creative designers proficient in vector illustration, Photoshop, and other graphic design services.

Throughout the development process, we addressed real-time bugs and issues promptly through customer communication via emails and phones. Our focus on web development and user experience optimization allowed us to create a successful platform where users can buy directly from rural entrepreneurs, empowering them with much-needed extra income.

Small part of User Flow we prepared during after user interview

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