REVOLUTIONIZING THE HANDICRAFT SECTOR

 
 

THE FOUNDERS

Business + Operations Lead*
Creative + Sourcing Lead

THE CHALLENGE

The handicraft market has grown 12% between 2015 to 2019 and is expected to reach $984.8 billion in 2023. African trends are also on the rise as design, tourism and media permeate the continent. However, the cost of doing business continues to stifle African producers, who struggle with the fluctuating costs of natural resources, production limitations and the challenge of managing orders with little-to-no operating systems in place—difficulties that significantly increase cost per unit. Additionally, the artisans, being both untrained in business and disconnected from the international marketplace, are ill-equipped to design and produce products with the global customer in mind—one who wants unique products that can be produced cheaply, shipped efficiently, and sold quickly and easily to retailers.

My business partner and I—with nearly 30 years of collective experience in the industry—formed Trade Collectif with the aspiration of bridging this gap.

 
 
 

THE APPROACH

Stakeholder mapping proved to be a critical approach  forming a focused value proposition. Leveraging our experience in the handicraft market, as well as competitive landscaping and industry reports, I crafted a map of the marketplace to understand the roles, unmet needs, and value drivers—from the end customer to the producer.

Layering our combined expertise with the key unmet needs of the market, we carved out an opportunity that could solve some of the major pain points in the market: cultivate a system that unlocks professional potential and capacity for artisans while reducing the cost of doing business on the continent for wholesalers and retailers.

 
 
 
 
 
 

THE PROTOTYPE

Upon canvasing the business model, we decided to launch with a minimum viable offering and iterate on the business as we grow. This involved:

  • Product development in two key markets. We began by focusing on the two countries that offered us the highest rate of success—Zambia and Mali. By starting small and working with close partners, we’ve been able to intentionally evolve the business model by building, measuring and learning with our producers and customers to shape a system that works across stakeholders.

  • Launching where customers engage most. This meant attendance at Ambiente, the world’s largest home décor trade show in Germany, which was a main point of purchase for most potential clients. Essential to our attendance was branding, a website and social media.

 
 
 
 
 

THE OUTCOME

In less than 12 months, my co-founder and I achieved the following:

  • Branding: We built a brand, website, social media platform and marketing materials speaking to our target customer.

  • Product & Partnerships: We initiated agent relationships and developed product and pricing in Mali and Zambia.

  • Process: We developed preliminary processes, including a product management system with product, pricing and SKU information; product development system and forms; and order initiation and management flows.

 
 
 

Trade Collectif launched formally in February 2019 at Ambiente, where we pressure-tested and evolved upon our preliminary processes and identified key focus areas to improve our offering.