Hawkers in Gariahat have opted to embrace the online route to boost sales after losing a significant portion of their business to e-commerce, particularly following the Covid-19 pandemic.
While creating a dedicated e-commerce app remains financially unfeasible for now, the plan is to connect with potential customers through YouTube videos. Interested buyers can place orders via phone, and the products will be delivered by courier.
The Gariahat Indira Hawkers’ Union, which represents around three-quarters of the 2,000 hawkers in the area, has hired a professional agency to produce videos featuring 100 stalls, categorized by product type.
Debraj Ghosh, the union’s general secretary, shared that they aim to release at least seven videos in December, covering categories such as apparel, bedsheets, curtains, handbags, junk jewellery, crockery, shoes, and mobile accessories. Each video will feature a dozen stalls and provide product details, along with contact information. Over time, similar videos will be created to cover all the hawkers.
“Before 2020, the average daily turnover for a stall was around Rs 7,500. Now, it’s down to Rs 2,500,” Ghosh explained. “This drop is largely because many customers who shifted to online shopping during the pandemic continue to shop online.”
“Survival Depends on Going Online”
Ghosh expressed that the shift to online shopping has severely impacted the hawkers, with many struggling to cover even their basic costs. “We realized that if we don’t adapt and go online, it will be difficult to survive,” he added.
Although they would appreciate it if a university or the state could develop a dedicated app for them, the union is making do with limited resources in the hope of attracting a positive response from customers.
Ajay De and Monoranjan Dhar, two stall owners in Gariahat, supported the initiative. “We’ve backed the hawkers’ union’s efforts to counter the online competition. If we can start selling our goods online, we can recover lost business,” De said.
Dhar expressed interest in attending workshops organized by the union to help vendors adapt to the new business model. “I often get asked by customers when I’ll start offering online services, as some of my regulars, especially older ones, would prefer door-to-door delivery,” he said.
Mousumi Mukherjee, a retired teacher from Jadavpur who frequently shops at Gariahat, said home delivery would be a huge convenience. “I visit Gariahat every other week. It would be so helpful if I could have my items delivered instead of having to go there,” she shared.
