Small businesses surviving pandemic through Facebook

KARACHI: Small business entrepreneurs have thoughtfully and smartly used Facebook platform to market their businesses and develop meaningful relationships with their target audience and consumers.

Polly & Other Stories is an online marketplace that was born with the idea of bringing human ideals back into retail by integrating original, innovative designs and products with flawless quality with the inspiring stories and creative talent of the people that make them. They work with a diverse community of innovative artisans, designers, artists and entrepreneurs across Pakistan that have a unified vision of growth and dynamic product development.

Through their platform, they assist local entrepreneurs to develop and sell products to a global audience while enabling businesses and artisans to grow, learn, and make a living.

Furthermore, they create a market pathway for their partners, enable them to reach more consumers, thereby growing their business and by handling all the marketing and logistics, we free them to focus on what matters for their individual brand. Altogether, at the moment, they have around 1000 artists and 85 small businesses working with them. Interestingly, 80% of these partners are women.

The business has proven to be a wonderful example of a 100% locally built and grown business. They have painstakingly built a delightful showcase of talent all the way from the snow-packed hills of Chitral to the muddy mangrove swamps outside the bustling metropolis of Karachi.

Amneh Shaikh-Farooqui, Co-Founder, Polly and Other Stories said that like other consumer facing enterprises, the COVID-19 crisis and subsequent lockdown hit our business, especially our physical store based in Lahore.

"This meant that we were increasingly relying on our e-Commerce website and Facebook Page to drive sales for ourselves and for the 1,000 artisans and 80 small businesses who are associated with our platform," she added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020