Warraque Ahmed, a Gen Z seller, recently introduced his traditional family business of handloom products to the digital realm. Vowing to preserve the timeless craftsmanship of Banarasi sarees, he is already seeing growth as he navigates the complexities of e-commerce. Under the Flipkart Samarth program, this young seller envisions a vibrant future for his family’s legacy. Read his story.
A city flourishing along the banks of the Ganges in Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi is a perfect symphony of spirituality, culture and craft — with handloom products being one of its mainstays. Amidst its narrow winding lanes and bustling ghats lives 23-year-old Warraque Ahmed.
“Our family has had a handloom since it was first introduced in Varanasi – during my grandfather’s time. My father really focused on this as a business, and my brothers and he have been weaving sarees and selling them across Maharashtra, Surat, Bengaluru, Alwar and more. I have always wanted to join my family business, but not in the same way,” says Warraque.
Read on to know how he is giving a competitive digital edge to his traditional family business.
Offering a traditional business a digital boost
Even before he was a young graduate studying economics, Warraque knew that he was to join his brothers and uphold the legacy of the family, which includes his dad, mom and five siblings.
Fully immersed in creating traditional handloom products for more than two decades, they know the ins and outs of their craft. His family not only runs their own jacquard loom but also works with over 20 other artisans who dye the silk and weave it as per specifications.
“I got into the business to help my family. I wanted to try taking our products online. I made my Flipkart ID in 2022, but started selling only a year later when I learnt more about e-commerce” says Warraque.
It was in 2023 that he and his father were invited to attend a meeting about the Flipkart Samarth program in Varanasi. Attending it was an eye-opener for the young entrepreneur. “I met experts who explained how Flipkart supports those selling handloom products. There was a lot to learn about how to get orders, how to do business online and how to deal with payments and returns,” he says.
The Flipkart Samarth program empowers weavers and artisans by offering them a pan-India market, enabling them to preserve their traditional craftsmanship. It also facilitates training, offers technology support, and decodes market insights, helping family businesses like Warraque’s flourish in the digital marketplace.
“As members of this program, we pay lower delivery fees. We also get help with photoshoots and other aspects,” he says. Bolstered by this support, Warraque started to sell online in earnest from October 2023.
Weaving together success and satisfaction with Flipkart
“We create our own designs by hand, and then we send them to the weavers. After that we fit the designs to the machines,” he explains. When Warraque started out on Flipkart, he listed about 40 designs and at first, got 2-4 orders.
Realizing that the demand was higher for certain colors, Warraque slowly started to understand what consumers wanted. Soon, he expanded his listing and online sales started to cross 10 orders a day. With a little experience under his belt, he soon understood the ideal price points. Today, he has started to enjoy the process of digital commerce.
“This is a labor of love for my family and there is good growth online with orders reaching 15 a day. Currently, we only sell sarees but I want to start selling suits, dupattas and scarves too.”
Upping the ante: Warraque’s promising vision
“As this is our first year with Flipkart, we are gaining valuable experience. I believe we are in the training phase. So far, we are doing good thanks to the Flipkart Samarth program. We have good production quality so we can grow our business further,” he says.
Being relatively new in the online market, Warraque hopes the Big Billion Days open up a huge potential for his handloom products. For him, growth not only means preserving his family’s legacy but also offering sustainable livelihood opportunities to artisans in his community – a true win-win.
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