e-commerce
ShopClues partners NSFDC to promote rural craft & artisans
MUMBAI: ShopClues.com, a multi-category online marketplace, has joined hands with National Scheduled Castes Finance & Development Corporation (NSFDC) to support hundreds of smaller sellers and artisans from backward classes to find a wider market for their goods.
The company has entered into an MoU with NSFDC, which is a Government of India undertaking under the aegis of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The vision behind this partnership is to provide a robust online marketing platform to the products made by NSFDC beneficiaries. This way, they expand their reach tremendously and the customers of ShopClues get ready access to their stellar productions.
ShopClues will also provide training, infrastructural support in marketing, data analytics and customer acquisition to the NSFDC beneficiaries. Their catalogues will become a part of the ShopClues’ National Retail Heritage (NRH), which has previously pushed sales for numerous local manufacturers and artisans. NRH is an effort by ShopClues to bring online, the most popular markets of India that are famous for their unique product offering.
ShopClues.com CEO & co-founder Sanjay Sethi said, “We saw an immense potential for the NSFDC beneficiaries in the e-commerce revolution that is happening in the country. They not only get to leverage our platform, but also gain confidence in their work thanks to the enhanced sales, professional training and exposure that they will get via ShopClues. We look forward to expanding the scope of our CSR initiatives in a similar manner that leads to a win-win situation for the retailers, for us and for our customers.”
NSFDC CMD RK Singh added, “The purpose of our association with ShopClues.com is to economically empower the scheduled caste artisans by providing them an online e-retailing platform and mentoring to organize them in cluster mode, upgrade their product quality and upscale their production to meet the marketing demand. This would enable them to earn sustainable incomes in the long run and become successful entrepreneurs. Online marketplaces like ShopClues has democratized brand-creation – so, we’re hoping that the merchandise produced by our community finds mass-appeal and these artisans get recognition in India and abroad.”
ShopClues will help the ministry to prepare catalogue of products for the beneficiaries with attractive pictures, accurate prices, descriptions etc. and display it on its website. It will also update this catalogue periodically to drive sales. The team at ShopClues will intimate the local sellers through e-mail, SMS or telephone about orders from buyers. Payments will be made to the vendor/seller through RTGS/NEFT after the delivery of goods. Also on the anvil is a classroom and on-the-job training for sellers on e-marketing-related subjects such as merchandising, quality management, packing and shipping of products.
e-commerce
Instamart and Duolingo launch street spell check campaign for Instaprint
Duo the owl fixes signboard typos across cities to showcase instant printing.
MUMBAI: If spelling mistakes had a sworn enemy, it might just be a bright green owl with a printer. Instamart has teamed up with language learning platform Duolingo for a quirky nationwide campaign that turns everyday spelling errors into a public spectacle while promoting its instant printing service, InstaPrint. The playful activation takes aim at the many misspelled shop boards and public signs scattered across Indian streets. From “saloons” that promise haircuts rather than drinks to menus and posters peppered with punctuation mishaps, the campaign sends Duolingo’s mascot Duo on a mission to restore linguistic order.
Armed with Instamart’s instant printing feature, Duo prints corrected versions of the mistakes on the spot and pastes them over the originals. The result is a series of humorous street interventions that have quickly begun circulating on social media.
Photos and videos of the grammar correcting owl have been widely shared online, with amused users reacting to the unexpected spell check patrol. One user joked, “Ab ayega na maza bhidu,” capturing the internet’s delight at the unusual campaign.
Behind the humour lies a practical message. The activation is designed to showcase the capabilities of Instaprint, Instamart’s printing service that allows users to print documents and posters almost instantly.
The company says the feature is meant for everyday needs such as printing resumes, visa documents or last minute posters without the usual scramble to locate a print shop.
Instamart introduced Instaprint in 2025 across select metropolitan cities including Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi. The service allows users to order printed materials directly through the platform, extending the quick commerce model beyond groceries and household essentials.
By combining Duolingo’s famously persistent owl with India’s street level spelling quirks, the campaign taps into the internet’s long running fascination with grammar mistakes while demonstrating a real world use case for instant printing.
After all, in a world full of typos, sometimes what you really need is a quick printer and a very determined language teacher.
