Challenges and Opportunities of Online Markets: Brass Casting Crafts in Area Studies of West Bengal, India and Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand during Last Decade to the COVID 19 Pandemic

Abstract

Craft Industries play an important role in the economy and livelihood of rural people in India and Thailand. The lost-wax brass casting craft development is a challenge and opportunity for the online market at present. This research examines the lost-wax brass casting crafts between West Bengal, India, and Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. From the field research in Thailand and document analysis through documents and online investigation especially on India. It is found that India and Thailand have lost-wax brass casting craft using one of the oldest traditional techniques of metal casting since the pre-historical period. Indian government-supported Indian Craft Council that established in 1964, it is a non-profit voluntary organization for developing and marketing Indian crafts which include the lost-wax brass casting craft. While Thailand, SACICT was just set up in 2003, particularly for similar tasks.

From the last decade to the period of the Covid 19 pandemic (2019 - 2021), this lost-wax brass casting craft of India has been in greater demand than of Thailand, both in domestic and foreign markets due to the promotion of online marketing with historical value-adding articles on their various websites in English. The Indian product design development is also faster than in Thailand. Thai artisans still preserve their old traditional items even though Thai scholars have tried to help them with technology processes and design development. Today, online marketings have various services, e.g. Facebook, Line, Instagram, WhatsApp, WeChat, etc. There are challenges and opportunities for craft marketing both in India and Thailand.