Last month, the number of businesses interested in trading their products via the Livemaster Yarmarka Masterov e-commerce platform for handmade goods and crafts grew by 53% compared to March.
The expansion was due to the fact that now the e-commerce website targets both craftspeople and small businesses.
Pottery, home décor and furniture, organic food, eco-friendly toys made of wood, porcelain, textile, as well as jewelry and accessories, fur and leather clothing (real and faux) and materials for crafts such as fabrics and finish hardware are now the best-selling products on the website.
The growth in sales seems to be even more impressive compared to the previous year. The number of sold accessories increased more than ten times, pottery more than 12 times, vintage items seven times and crafts materials six times. Customers are buying clothes four times more often and handbags, dolls and other toys three times more often.
This surge in the popularity of the Livemaster Yarmarka Masterov platform is apparently due to the fact that many non-grocery businesses had to close temporarily because of the coronavirus and there have been issues with delivery services.
The program to support craftspeople and small businesses launched by the platform also played a role. The program offers free access to an entire range of tools to sell goods on the internet until 2021, plus unique promotion and advertising services for Russian producers and renowned handmade artists.
Earlier, corporate clients paid over RUR 82K ($1.6K) per year to sell 2K items. Now, 10K entrepreneurs have received free membership cards and are able to compensate their falling incomes in traditional offline trade by selling their products on the e-platform; 10K craftspeople have received a free webpage to promote themselves.
According to the official statistics, traditional offline sales of clothing, footwear, accessories jewelry and souvenirs dropped by 90%. The income of self-employed people in offline sectors fell by 97%.
For many entrepreneurs, the transition to online sales is the only chance to retain their incomes and compensate for the losses.