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PNN
New Delhi [India], October 26: Buying a religious idol or a sacred coin online is not difficult. There are hundreds of options available across marketplaces. But for many devotees, the product itself is only one part of the purchase. The rituals performed before it is brought home can be just as important. That is the idea behind Dharmic Store, a new spiritual commerce platform that has crossed 1 Lakh orders in the first month of operations. The company sells religious products that undergo a consecration process before being delivered to customers. Its range includes Khatu Shyam idols, Baglamukhi coins, and protective religious accessories associated with different deities and traditions. While religious merchandise has been sold online for years, Dharmic Store is taking a slightly different approach. Instead of offering consecration as an additional service, it has made the ritual a standard part of every product it sells. When someone buys a religious product, there is a lot of faith attached to it. People want to know that what they are bringing into their homes has been prepared with the right rituals. We felt this was missing from the online shopping experience. Thats why we started the Dharmic Store. The response in our first two weeks has been encouraging, but were more focused on building something devotees can trust over time, said Abhimanyu Bharti, Founder, Dharmic Store. Bringing an old tradition to online shoppingFor generations, devotees have travelled to temples and religious centres to obtain sacred objects. In many traditions, these objects are associated with specific prayers and rituals before they are taken home. But travelling to a particular temple is not always possible. A devotee in Bengaluru, for instance, may want a product associated with a temple in Rajasthan or Uttar Pradesh, without being able to make the journey. Online marketplaces have made the products easier to find, but the religious preparation associated with them is not always part of the purchase. Dharmic Store is trying to address that difference. Every product listed on the platform is intended to reach the customer after undergoing a consecration process. The company is building its offering around this practice, alongside product selection, packaging and doorstep delivery. 1 Lakh order in first monthThe company says it recorded 1 Lakh order in the very first month of launch. It is an early milestone, but an interesting one for a business operating in a category where customers may place considerable importance on trust and religious authenticity. Unlike buying an everyday household product, purchasing a sacred object can involve questions about its origin, preparation and religious significance. Dharmic Store is attempting to build a business around these concerns rather than competing only on product availability or price. Its early sales also point to the potential for specialised online stores serving particular needs within Indias wider religious products market. Whether this initial demand translates into repeat purchases and sustained growth remains to be seen. A new approach to spiritual commerceOver the past few years, online platforms have made it possible to book pujas, arrange religious services and participate in temple rituals remotely. Dharmic Store, a Direct-to-consumer (D2C or DTC) initiative by House of Tech Innovation is approaching the same market from another direction. Rather than offering a service that devotees participate in online, it focuses on physical products that are prepared through religious rituals before delivery. The distinction matters because consecration is not being presented as an optional addition. It is part of the product itself. For customers, the attraction is the ability to obtain products associated with particular religious traditions without having to travel to the places where they are traditionally found. For the company, the challenge will be maintaining consistency in the consecration process, product quality, and customer experience as order volumes increase. With 1 lakh orders in its first month, Dharmic Store has made an encouraging start. The more interesting question is whether consecration-led commerce can become a distinct category within Indias growing online spiritual marketplace. For a business built around faith, that will depend on something more lasting than an early sales milestone: whether devotees trust what arrives at their doorstep. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.)
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