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ShellWala.com is an e-commerce platform that sells all the handicraft goods, majorly the seashell products (for now) available in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Basically, ShellWala.com sells Crafts & Souvenirs available in the Island. ShellWala.com is based out of Port Blair, having said that, it sells its products online. The company like any other e-commerce company displays its products on the website, which is a common marketplace for buyers. The customers choose their preferred product and place an order online. The customers choose their preferred mode of payment and we dispatch their product. The package is delivered to their doorstep by our delivery partners. All in all, the whole transaction takes place online, which used to happen physically, hence we have shifted the marketplace and broadened the customer segment.
The founder is an Islander, born and brought up in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and a resident of Port Blair. The founder has done his schooling from Port Blair, Andaman and completed his graduation in B. Tech – Civil Engineering. He is currently pursuing his post-graduation degree in Masters of Business Administration. It has been one of the prime motives of the founder to bring about a positive and impactful change in the how the trade is carried out in the Islands. It is the same motive that has resulted in the formation of ShellWala.com, which was just an idea during the first year and then later on formed into a company by the end of the first year of his MBA degree.
No one better than our Prime Minister can explain what is going on in this field. His thoughts have been encouraging enough to believe and contemplate what the future holds for the people involved in this sector. He said that there is a need to expand the handicrafts industry horizontally by linking it with technology and that Innovation and Research are two major key factors in this sector. Times have changed, he said, earlier the handicrafts market were only in our surrounding areas, but in this age things were different. He said there was a need to look at quality upgradation, technology upgradation and make user friendly products that were durable.
Both the Tourism and Handicraft sectors are directly related to each other and help the artisans and weavers showcase their skills to the world. The Tourism and Handicrafts sector go together and the two cannot be separated, instead it is imperative need to link the handicrafts sector to tourism. The time has come to monetize on the impressive scope of the handicrafts sector in driving the tourism potential of a country. Sadly, the people promoting tourism are different & those promoting handicrafts are different and they do not meet, said PM Modi.
The company is a common technology friendly platform for integrating the Travel & Tourism and the Handicraft Industry. It revolves around the fact that Souvenirs play a major role in the Tourism Industry of a Tourist Destination and also the fact that every region is known for its culture, values and traditions which again are displayed by its handicrafts. This innovative and user friendly e-commerce platform is a link between the two, for the sale of genuine handicrafts available in Andaman and for the promotion of Andaman & Nicobar Islands as a tourist destination.
It was observed by that whenever a tourist or anybody from outside the Islands would visit the Islands, they would be very keen to take something along with them as a souvenir. Also, this was a ritual that almost every Islander would gift these craft items available here to their loved ones staying abroad or in the Indian Mainland. These tokens were not only liked by the Islanders, but also loved by the visitors or tourists. These crafts and souvenirs play a major role in the lives of the Islanders as these depict the victory over the struggles and hardships faced during the Independence and post-Independence period. The tourists would adore the place and its crafts so much that they wouldn’t care less about the luggage restrictions and overburden their budgets to take these back with them.
Hence, we came out with the idea of developing a platform that provides the tourists with whatever they liked on their trip but couldn’t buy due to budget or baggage restrictions. This platform is for those who couldn’t get the time for shopping what they liked or had limited time in hand, so they grabbed whatever they could find. This is for those who thought this would look great on somebody but of course couldn’t buy it because that somebody wasn’t present physically and you couldn’t get their consent. This is for the forgetful ones who of course forgot to buy pen stands and keychains for their boss who sanctioned their leave. This is for the ones who would visit the Islands soon or later, but for now contented with the essence of what it has to offer.
With the advent of this platform, people come to know what we are selling and what Andaman has to offer. The platform in a way, doesn’t just sell Sea Shells, it depicts what Andaman has to offer to its potential tourists. The customers don’t have to worry about the genuineness of the product and can order whatever they like by reading reviews. Also, they can return what they don’t like within the return window. The customers not only get what they want but they also get it at competitive rates and in majority of the cases, cheaper than the market rate.
With time, the tech savvy & online unified world we have today, will realise the exciting experience our Island has to offer them. Time has come for the world to know that the Andaman & Nicobar Islands has preserved its biodiversity and yet developed over time.