KalaConnect – AI-Powered Artisan Marketplace

KalaConnect connects Indian artisans with customers through an AI-powered marketplace to discover handmade crafts, support local artisans, and preserve India's rich cultural heritage.

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Inspiration

India has a rich tradition of handmade crafts, with many talented artisans creating beautiful products using traditional skills. However, finding the right customers and promoting these products online can be challenging. This inspired us to build KalaConnect, a platform that connects Indian artisans with customers and helps preserve our cultural heritage.

What it does

KalaConnect is an online marketplace that connects Indian artisans with customers who love handmade products. It helps artisans showcase their crafts and reach more customers. KalaCraft AI acts as a handmade craft advisor, helping users discover traditional Indian crafts and get product recommendations. Our main aim is to support local artisans and preserve India's cultural heritage through technology.

How we built it

We built KalaConnect using modern web technologies. The frontend uses JavaScript, Vite, and Tailwind CSS, while the backend uses Node.js and Express.js. We organized the project into separate client and server folders to make development easier. We also integrated a database to manage application data and configured the Google Gemini API for the KalaCraft AI assistant. Additionally, we integrated OpenCV-based image analysis using Python to analyze product images and support our AI-powered artisan marketplace.

Challenges we ran into

We faced challenges connecting the frontend, backend, and database and configuring environment variables. Initially, we used a rule-based AI assistant, but its responses were limited. We then integrated the Gemini API to provide more relevant answers to customers, facing some API configuration and error-handling issues during integration.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud to have developed a marketplace concept that brings traditional Indian craftsmanship and modern technology together. We created a structured frontend and backend, worked on product discovery features, and introduced KalaCraft AI to make handmade craft discovery more interactive. We are also proud of the practical knowledge we gained by solving real development and configuration problems.

What we learned

We learned how to connect a frontend with a Node.js backend, configure environment variables, work with databases, and integrate an external AI API. We also understood that an application starting successfully does not mean every feature works correctly. Testing each feature and debugging errors are important parts of software development.

What's next for Kalaconnect

We plan to improve KalaCraft AI with more accurate craft recommendations and personalized product suggestions. We also aim to enhance product search, strengthen database reliability, and provide artisans with better tools to manage their products and orders. In the next phase, we plan to integrate a secure payment gateway, enabling customers to pay online and track payment and order status clearly. We also hope to expand our reach to more artisans across India and help preserve traditional crafts through technology.

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