Big traders hire online experts as Benares silk goes digital to stay afloat

Many of the smaller ones are hopping on to the e-commerce and social media bandwagon in order to survive amid the Covid crisis

Lack of export orders, few customers and a dull market scenario has increased the dependence of Varanasi's silk traders on digital tools. To arrest the fall in the business due to the Covid-19 crisis and extended lockdown, they have begun using e-commerce websites, social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram to sell their products and keep the trade alive.

Some of the larger silk traders in the city have even hired the services of online marketing experts to learn the tricks of the trade. According to them, the Covid crisis will not end in the coming few months and