DTDC launches Kaarigo to connect local sellers with wider markets

DTDC Express has launched Kaarigo, an e-commerce platform aimed at helping artisans, local sellers, MSMEs and small-town businesses access wider markets through digital commerce.

Kaarigo combines digital storefronts, seller support and DTDC’s logistics network to help businesses with onboarding, product cataloguing, online selling and fulfilment. DTDC said its network provides access to 96% of India’s population through more than 16,500 physical touchpoints and over 220 global destinations.

DTDC aims to onboard 1,000 artisans onto Kaarigo over the next 12 months. The platform is designed for first-time digital sellers and will provide support for registration, product photography, digital storefront creation and international listing. Advanced solutions will also be available for businesses looking to expand.

The launch included a special conversation with Rajni Kant, Founder of Human Welfare Association, who is popularly known as the “GI Man of India” for his work in securing Geographical Indication recognition for indigenous crafts.

Rajni Kant said Kaarigo can help artisans, weavers and producers gain market access beyond their immediate geographies and connect their GI-tagged products with national and global consumers. He added that the initiative can support sustainable entrepreneurship while helping preserve traditional crafts.

DTDC has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Directorate of Industries & Enterprise Promotion, Government of Uttar Pradesh, to support stakeholders under the state’s One District One Product (ODOP) programme.

The collaboration will enable artisans, weavers, craftsmen, MSMEs, Producer Organisations and Self-Help Groups participating in the programme to explore digital commerce through seller onboarding, product cataloguing, market linkages, fulfilment and logistics support.

As part of the partnership, DTDC will run a “Phygital Market Access” pilot, combining digital and physical commerce. Its retail touchpoints in Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Varanasi will explore curated showcases and commerce activities for ODOP products. The model could later be expanded through DTDC’s wider retail and channel partner network.

The initiative will also include awareness programmes, seller onboarding drives, training and capacity-building on e-commerce, digital marketing, product cataloguing, marketplace operations and logistics management.

Subhasish Chakraborty, Chairman and Managing Director, DTDC, said Kaarigo aims to help local enterprises and artisans access markets beyond their immediate geographies by combining technology, e-commerce and DTDC’s logistics network.

Abhishek Chakraborty, CEO, DTDC Express Limited, said the platform is intended to help local sellers discover customers, build their businesses and expand beyond their immediate markets.

For DTDC, Kaarigo expands its role from moving goods to supporting businesses as they enter new markets by combining digital access, seller enablement and logistics