E-commerce: Kashmir Box

As e-commerce gains popularity throughout the world, Kashmir has produced its own version of the flipkart and e-bay albeit with a different USP. JUNAID NABI BAZAZ reports.

Kashmir Box, an online e-commerce web portal started by three young entrepreneurs aims at promoting brand Kashmir at a global level. The youthful trio of Muheet Mehraj, Ishfaq Mir and Kashif Ahmad Khan, who set up the portal offer the products manufactured in Kashmir only.

“Shops and showrooms are limited to fixed number of people. We wanted to reach out to the wider customer base and there was no better option than internet,” said Muheet Mehraj Bhat, 21 who is one of the main founders of Kashmir box.

With just six months into operation, the company offers scores of products and in a couple of months its owners want to expand their merchandise to more than 2000 products.

“We offer honey wax candles, cricket bats, Wazwan (Kashmiri cuisine), dry fruits, saffron, woodcarving, Kashmir art and many other products on the Kashmir Box. Our aim is to offer each and every thing that is manufactured in Kashmir,” says Muheet. “Just like in a box we can add many things together; in Kashmir Box we hold the same idea. And that is the reason why we named it Kashmir Box.”

The important aspect of this website, Muheet says that all those who work for it are youngsters. Besides a business, Muheet says, the purpose of portal is to help Kashmir artists and artisans.

“Two years ago, Kashif Khan, used to visit the homes of artisans in Kashmir valley. On one visit, he learnt that a wood carver got Rs 15,000 from a shop for a bed, which the shop then resold for Rs 50,000. In another case he learnt that a carpet weaver earned Rs 70 a day while his work, which took a month to finish, fetched the trader around Rs 1 lakh,” says Muheet.

“This feature will enable two fold benefits. One it fetches more profit to the artisan and another it brings the artisan in direct contact with the customer,” said Muheet.

An idea for doing something different occurred Muheet when he was just a seventh class student. He started with a simple HTML page and uploaded it on free hosting software. Meanwhile a technical problem occurred by which he could not view image on his page. This prompted him to get deeper into it.

“After deep contemplation I understood the cause for its failure and realised the importance of internet. That is the actual point of time when I decided to venture in computer field,” Muheet said.

Two years ago, Muheet visited Kashif and shared the idea with him. Both of them wanted to go ahead. However, Kashif this time had something different in mind. He wanted to do something for the uplift of artisans.

“Besides having a business, we wanted to add a social cause to it,” engineer turned entrepreneur, Kashif Ahmad Khan claimed. “We also founded, Kashmir Box Foundation, which will work for the welfare of the artists. This foundation will provide them financial help at difficult times.”

When asked who will fund the foundation, he said, “Ten percent of the business done by Kashmir Box will go to the foundation.”

For any Kashmiri, Muheet says, if they have anything to start with, Kashmir Box is ready to help them out.

Besides this Kashif is running another online portal E-Resolute. This portal provides instant help in various fields for people living in rural areas.

“I interacted with rural people and got to know about the problem they face day in and day out. The basic problem among them was no access to services and products at their villages,” Kashif said. “Even for buying small things, people living in rural areas have to go to Srinagar. This portal will now try to fill this gap and provide them help online.”

The portal provides 32 services in education, Agriculture, IT services and many others.

Kashif claims that he has received huge response from the people. In just five months, Kashif claimed, that he has made tie ups with the Jammu and Kashmir bank.

Khan, an engineering student left a job at Mercy corps to venture in entrepreneurship.

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