Mr. Kailash Tulsi Gajara
Founder,
Megastores
In an era where digital convenience shapes consumer choices, Megastores emerges as a pioneering Mumbai-based online marketplace dedicated exclusively to authentic Indian handmade products. Founded by Kailash Tulsi Gajara, a visionary with roots in Kutch, Gujarat, and a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Southern California, Megastores beautifully blends tradition with technology to empower artisans, preserve cultural heritage, and connect craftspeople directly with customers across India and the globe.
Preserving Tradition Through Technology
India’s handicrafts sector, the country’s second-largest rural employer after agriculture, has faced a serious decline over the past three decades, with over 2 million artisans abandoning their craft due to low incomes, lack of market access, and insufficient support. Megastores was born from the urgent need to safeguard these unique crafts from extinction and revitalize the livelihoods of marginalized artisans.
What sets Megastores apart is its artisan-centric, hand-holding approach:
- The company’s team personally visits rural artisans and weaving communities, documenting their stories, verifying the authenticity of their crafts, and onboarding them onto the platform.
- Megastores equips artisans with essential digital skills — including product photography, cataloguing, pricing, digital marketing, and branding — enabling them to establish their own brand identities.
- All listings, cataloguing, and promotional services are provided free, with only a 15-20% commission charged on sales to artisans, ensuring they receive fair earnings without intermediaries.
A Comprehensive Marketplace Fueled by Social & Video Commerce
Megastores is not just an e-commerce platform; it is a vibrant community hub that integrates social networking and video commerce to deepen customer engagement and brand loyalty.
- Megastores Social, launched in 2023, is a groundbreaking social network crafted specifically for artisans and brands to share exclusive images, videos, and authentic content. This platform makes the craft community more visible and interactive, allowing followers to engage with artisan stories, comment, share, and shop—all within a trusted ecosystem.
- Live video streaming and video commerce enhance transparency and trust, enabling customers to see artisans at work, participate in live demonstrations, and form genuine connections with the creators.
- The platform supports multilingual access, helping reach diverse linguistic regions across India and fostering inclusivity.
- By combining online and offline (“phygital”) exhibitions backed with modern POS and payment gateways, artisans gain broader marketplace exposure and improved transactional ease.
Bridging Gaps and Overcoming Challenges
Recognizing the obstacles that handicrafts face—limited digital literacy among artisans, difficulty reaching remote areas, customer mistrust, and misconceptions about the sector’s scalability—Megastores actively works to:
- Develop local trust points serving as pick-up and drop-off centers, easing logistics for remote artisans and courier partners.
- Conduct regular training workshops covering digital marketing, product design, pricing strategies, and branding.
- Provide inspirational content and trend updates to artisans and self-help groups (SHGs) to keep their offerings relevant on a global scale.
- Promote transparency by narrating authentic artisan stories and validating product heritage, thereby enhancing customer confidence in product authenticity.
- Maintain affordable and fair pricing by eliminating middlemen, empowering artisans financially.
Impact and Growth
With over 10,000 products spanning 100+ crafts, Megastores has onboarded around 500+ sellers from 15 different states of India. The platform has helped many artisans increase their incomes substantially—some earning over ₹10,000 monthly from retail sales and receiving bulk orders worth lakhs from B2B channels. By actively fostering collaboration among artisans, NGOs, government bodies, brands, and customers, Megastores has established a holistic ecosystem for sustainable craft entrepreneurship.
Vision for the Future
Megastores is expanding its international shipping capabilities and integrating richer social commerce experiences to take India’s handmade treasures to a worldwide audience. The platform’s roadmap includes:
- Launching more multilingual features to serve India’s diverse artisan population.
- Strengthening collaborations with NGOs, government bodies, and private sector partners.
- Enhancing artisan branding through dedicated web pages featuring products, stories, awards, and craft documentation.
- Continuing to innovate with live video commerce, virtual workshops, and interactive customer experiences.
Conclusion
Megastores is much more than a digital marketplace—it is a movement dedicated to preserving India’s rich cultural heritage by empowering artisans through technology, community, and commerce. Every purchase supports not only a beautiful, authentic craft but also the livelihood of a skilled artisan sustaining age-old traditions. By fusing authentic storytelling, social connectivity, and innovative e-commerce solutions, Megastores is shaping the future of India’s handmade industry for the benefit of creators and consumers alike.
Join the Megastores movement—where tradition meets tomorrow, and every handmade product tells a story worth preserving.
