If you look at how we shop now, it feels like the internet has split into two worlds. On one side sit the giants, where you can toss everything from a phone to pickles into a single cart. On the other side are these small, sharp niche marketplaces that feel more like communities than stores. And in a lot of categories, the specialists are quietly beating the giants on what actually matters: trust, depth, and how people feel when they spend.
Take iTokri, based in Gwalior, started in 2011 by Nitin and Sakshi Pamnani, has grown into one of India’s leading online marketplaces for handmade crafts and handlooms. It works only with handcrafted inventory, sourcing textiles, jewellery, artwork, and home decor from artisan groups and organisations across the country. Multiple reports describe it as one of the largest curated portals for handmade products, with over one lakh listings and thousands of makers on the platform. Each order goes out in eco-friendly packaging with a handwritten note and a tiny handmade trinket, a small gesture that leaves a big mark on customers.
Under the char, the business model is smart. iTokri is not just another reseller sitting between makers and buyers; the team works directly with artisan clusters and NGOs, giving them visibility and fair prices, even crediting them by name on product pages. During the pandemic, coverage of the brand highlighted how it kept honouring payments even when logistics were tangled, so artisans were not left stranded when physical markets shut down. That reliability builds trust on both sides. Creators trust their work will be respected and paid for, while shoppers trust that their money is supporting real livelihoods and is not just feeding a faceless supply chain.
This is the unbundling of retail in action. Instead of one mega platform pretending to be everything, we get many focused ecosystems. One site becomes the default place for handmade textiles, another for regional snacks, another for speciality coffee or tech. You don’t go there only for price but because they ‘get’ that category in a way generic platforms never will. Their filters, descriptions, photos, and customer service all reflect a kind of obsession with one slice of the market.
For shoppers, this changes the emotional texture of buying. People who care about authenticity find it easier to trust these smaller marketplaces because the details are visible. You see words like Ajrakh, Ikat, Bandhani or Dokra explained, not buried. You feel more comfortable paying a little extra because you know who is behind that work. At the same time, you still get the comforts of modern e-commerce: online payments, tracking, returns and support. It feels less like charity and more like a transaction with a story.
For artisans and small producers, the impact is much deeper. Platforms like iTokri give them steady visibility and income in a market that usually sidelines them. Some weavers and entrepreneurs quoted in reports talk about earning lakhs a year by selling through the site, something that would have felt impossible earlier. The marketplace takes on photography, descriptions, logistics, and customer queries, so makers can focus on their craft in a sector where many were treated as replaceable; that shift of power mattered.
Niche platforms obviously don’t have an easy path. They can’t burn cash forever on discounts or undercut sellers the way giants can. They live and die by curation and service. If quality slips or customer support goes silent, trust evaporates. They also operate under constant pressure from bigger players who can copy visual cues and surface similar-looking products without the same ethical backbone. That’s why the strongest of these platforms double down on provenance and community. They highlight craft history, share behind-the-scenes content, host pop-ups, and build newsletters that feel like letters from a friend, not just promo blasts.
What I find hopeful is how this unbundling nudges us to rethink value. Instead of always asking ‘where is this cheapest’, more people are starting to ask ‘where is this honest’ or ‘who benefits when I buy from here’. When a parcel arrives with the artisan’s name on the tag or a handwritten thank you, it’s a subtle reminder that commerce is more than one click. It’s a chain of hands, and your choice shapes which hands stay in the game.
The giants aren’t going anywhere. They will stay the default for quick, generic buys. But in categories where story and trust matter, niche marketplaces are quietly building their own kind of power. They may look small from the outside, yet within their chosen vertical, they are becoming the first place people check, especially those who are tired of feeling like one more anonymous order ID.
The unbundling of retail is a business shift that also signals a deeper cultural correction. It shows that scale is not the only way to win, and that depth can beat breadth. People crave connection. In a world drowning in options, it feels grounding to slow down and shop from a place that remembers your taste, honours its makers, and treats every box like a piece of someone's life, not another shipment.
References:
- Couple Quit Jobs to Build iTokri & Empower 10,000 Artisans, Earn Rs 27 Crore
- iTokri, a Platform Empowering the Artisans and Weavers in India - The CSR Journal