Communicator LVII(3): 25–31, July–September 2022 ISSN: 0588-8093 1 Centre for Media and Mass Communication Studies, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi-110062 (e-Mail: fbkhan@gmail.com); 2 Assistant Professor, Centre for Media and Mass Communication Studies, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi-110062 (e-Mail: aqsiddiq1984@ gmail.com); 3 Assistant. Professor, Centre for Media and Mass Communication Studies, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi-110062 (e-Mail: zishan789@gmail.com); 4 Department of Design and Innovation, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi-110025 (e-Mail: majeedtausief@gmail.com) The Craft #Regram—Selling Indigenous Products Using Instagram: The Upsell and the Downside FARHAT BASIR KHAN 1 , ABDUL QUADIR SIDDIQUEE 2 , M. ZISHAN 3 & TAWSEEF MAJEED 4 ABSTRACT Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. It has seen a phenomenal increase in the number of users in the last decade. With the list of professional features it ofers, the social media platform is also popular with brands looking to build communities and engage with their customers directly. For people engaged in the arts and crafts sector, Instagram seems the logical choice, considering the visual nature of the platform and business tools that it ofers. This study looks at the motivations that drive artisans and small businesses to sell their products on Instagram. In depth interviews with 10 active sellers on Instagram were done to gather meaningful data, based on experience. All the participants believed that Instagram was an invaluable tool for building the brand and marketing; however, as a standalone, it was inefective for sales. Omni-channel retail is suggested as the best way forward to ensure the best possible outcomes. Apart from limitations of the platform, there are challenges in setting up online presence as well. The level of digital skills involved mean that the artisans looking to set up an online storefront have to move beyond their artisanal skills and learn entrepreneurship and technical skills required to run such a business successfully. Gaining the trust of the customers is another challenge, who are difcult to convince of the authenticity of indigenous products and the quality of handicrafts. Since the quality of online products, that are not branded, is questionable, this paper proposes establishing a quality assessment body that can issue quality mark certifcation to ensure the authenticity of the products. This will not only improve the trust of the customers in such products, but it will also help small businesses establish their brands through labels and quality marks. Keywords: Indian handicrafts, Instagram, Omni-channel retail, Social media, Technology and Indian crafts Introduction Indigenous or native art and craft can be traced back thousands of years. This also means that such art has endured and continues to survive. This is only possible because of the fexibility and the willingness of the artisans and craftspeople to adapt (Varma, 2013). Adapting, while keeping true to the indigenous nature of the art and products is complicated (Jhaveri, 2020). While the Internet has brought everyone closer and helped in documenting every facet of art and craft and made the dissemination of information regarding technique and form possible, the sustainability of the sector is challenged by genericide and duplication. There are an estimated 200 million artisans in India, with the handloom and handicraft industry accounting for the biggest numbers in employment after agriculture (Agarwal, 2021). It is a key means of livelihood for people in both rural and urban areas (Jaitly, 1990), and is also becoming a viable second income for the younger generations who are monetising their artistry and craftsmanship using social media and other digital mediums (Luckman & Andrew, 2018a). The ease of establishing a virtual store and the ability to network through social media provides budding entrepreneurs and small business owners a sense of real and sustainable work (Luckman & Andrew, 2018b). For the purpose of this study, a small business is identifed as one with fewer than 5 employees and with annual revenue of less than INR 10 lakhs. This has resulted in a creative micro-economy that is giving small business owners and independent artisans and craftsmen the access to a rich international online marketplace and an opportunity to sell directly