从农村女企业家的纪念品的生意Women entrepreneurs from rural areas in the souvenir business.pptVIP

How to avoid the often heard sentences? ......“I can buy a cheaper souvenir.” Or ......“This is to expensive.” Some identified problems: Flood of cheap imports to Slavonia (from handicraft to food) and Croatia in general. Products made in China or India are cheap and trendy, and, as such, the interest in traditional local products tends to die out (to expensive etc.). High cost of raw materials and inconsistency in their supply and quality. High cost of the workforce (even though women work for minimum wages!). You can’t compete with Chinese wages. Possible solution: Analyses of market Move into new areas Products must have unique design quality Products must have a story attached How can rural women, handicraft producers, be hooked with clients and other actors involved in the market? Some identified problems: To much reliance on family, neighbours or previous contacts in local area. Women can’t run around for marketing, distribution and money collection. Sometimes middlemen tend to exploit them. Little use of market information Rural women have less possibilities to enter markets such as Istria or Dalmatia: no contacts, no information about events/fairs, lack of money to participate in events, no means of transport such as a car etc. Possible solution: Link to retailers interested in products. Try to directly hook producer to trader. Help set up stands, vending points at touristic hotspots. Strengthen sales skills, confidence. Provide funding for transport and exhibitions. Establish webshop. Some identified problems: Start-up financing for raw materials, marketing and other costs is a common challenge. Major problem to rural women is liquidity. Family is the primary source of finances. Most women have never used a credit or applied to any kind of subvention. For small levels of production, registration costs are significant and beyond womens financial means. The majority of rural women entrepreneurs in the handicraft business are registered as