WorldArtCommunity Foresees Rapid Growth Owing to Augmented Mass Affluence and Discerning Tastes

WorldArtCommunity is an online marketplace for Arts, Crafts and Design. Headquartered in Gurgaon and registered in Delhi, the platform enables artists, craftspersons and designers to create their own online store and sell their creations.The website spans across multiple categories of creative expression including, Paintings, Photography, Drawing & Illustrations, sculpture, pottery, designer apparel, accessories and home décor.It was launched in December 2014 by IIT alumnus Shobhit Arora.

BWDisrupt interacted with Shobhit Arora,  founder and CEO of WorldArtCommunity, to know more about the handicraft market from its makers.

Shobhit Arora, as the founder and CEO of WorldArtCommunity, a Gurgaon/ Delhi-NCR based online marketplace for Arts, Crafts and Design. In his present capacity, he is shouldering the responsibility of effectively spearheading the functioning of the website in totality.

Having worked in areas across commercial functions with MNCs and in multiple geographies, Shobhit comes with an expertise in marketing strategy, digital, consumer portfolio management, P&L management of over 14 years in companies like Standard Chartered and GE.

During his professional stints with numerous companies, Shobhit had a chance to work on numerous projects which was possibly one of the reasons that urged him to bring forth his start-up. The initiatives spanned new product launches and the setting up and building of businesses in his erstwhile avatar of a retail banker and a strategy person. WorldArtCommunity was the outcome of a post-work coffee table conversation with colleagues about the possibilities of creating an organisation with a sense of purpose to make a difference to people's lives. Shobhit marked the struggles of artists to pursue their creative pursuits while converting their passion into a profession. While resources for such artists remain scarce, the opportunity is not.

Shobhit realised that creativity is an element that is yet to find its logical fulfillment due to certain limitations. With immense support from like-minded people who were passionate about supporting this cause, the WorldArtCommunity was born. It is a space where art creators and art lovers meet and artists earn financial and personal rewards by starting their own business, using the power of collaboration and technology. It charges 10 percent commission on every successful transaction through its platform with no extra cost for creating a shop.For the art connoisseurs, the WorldArtCommunity offers one–of-a-kind handcrafted products which can fulfill aspirations for a beautiful lifestyle.

As for the future, WorldArtCommunity, which targets the top 18 cities of India, has marked tollgates for itself by going mobile in August 2015, going international by Q3, becoming series A by Q4 and revamping the web interface by Q1-16. The WorldArtCommunity is witnessing an increasing trend of like-minded buyers. These customers seek products that can work as a mode of self-expression and an extension of who they are. The company foresees a rapid growth in demand owing to augmented mass affluence and discerning tastes.

It was during a coffee table discussion with colleagues one day that Shobhit brainstormed on the possibilities of creating an organisation that could make a difference to people's lives. He realized that creators of art seek ways to pursue their passion and often struggle to make a career out of it as creativity has certain limitations. With immense support from like-minded people who were passionate about supporting this cause, the WorldArtCommunity was born in December 2014. By bringing together the art creators and the art lovers, the website assists artists in earning financial and personal rewards by starting their own business on a commission based model.

Kickstarting with just one employee, Shobhit worked part-time for 3 months to launch the venture and has witnessed it expanding like a family which has possibly been one of his biggest strengths. He achieved his first milestone recently in the form of funding worth USD 200,000 from serial entrepreneur and angel investor like Viraj Tyagi and others. His continuous zeal and passion fuel him towards getting this venture embedded in the art and design ecosystem both offline and online five years down the line.

What is the website about and who launched it?

Worldartcommunity.com is a peer-to-peer marketplace for artistic creations across a wide range of mediums and materials. It empowers artists and designers to create their own space and commercialize their creations to the discerning audience.

It caters to artistic creations across lifestyle category to include Art (Paintings, Photography, Sculpture, Pottery) and Design (Apparel, Accessories, Home Décor)

Launched in Dec 2014 with 18 sellers and 200 odd products by Shobhit Arora, an iit alumnus and an ex Banker, the website has grown rapidly to over 3,000 registered sellers and a merchandise over 100,000.

How big does it want to become?

The company plans to expand the geographical footprint by going international in near future and continue to pursue profitable growth. There would be significant investments done towards technology as well towards enhanced interactivity between buyers and sellers. At a longer term the company would be looking at extending the online presence to offline.

Tell us about the business model & funding raised?

The startup enables artists, craftspersons and designers to create their own online stores and sell their creations. It charges 10 per cent commission on every successful transaction through its platform. World Art Community has raised second round of funding of $200,000 from existing investors. The recent transaction was a follow on round of $200,000 with existing investors lead by Viraj Tyagi, a serial entrepreneur and investor. Tyagi founder Nettpositive Business Analytics, a venture which was taken over by US-based consumer credit data agency Equifax.

How big is the online handicraft industry & the competition for the brand?

Indian Art, Craft and Design space is a market of over $12Bn (including exports). The market is highly fragmented and unorganized. While globally this space is well organized with large online players, India is yet to see too many avenues where customers could buy handcrafted products online.
Online handicrafts is a small sliver of the entire space with many players at early stages. The segment provides significant opportunity for these players to grow and for some of them to become large entities.

How is it helping artists and designers?

The website is empowering artists, designers and NGOs who are currently heavily dependent on third party intermediaries to commercialize their creations. As they set up their shops, artists and designers get the capability to choose the look and feel of their shop, talk about themselves, link up their social presence, upload and manage product inventory, decide the pricing and even offer promotions.

In this process, it’s enabling the survival of creative expression which often doesn’t find a commercial viability. Besides, working with NGOs and designers enabling artisans, the organization is supporting the opportunity constrained artisanal ecosystem.