Buyers’ Preferences of Product Design for Purchase of Selected Indian Handicrafts with Special Reference to Orissa State

Any artistic article or commodity produced by the skill of hands is handicrafts. Indian Handicrafts have been a traditional craft and the skill of making handicraft has passed in families from generation to generation. The beauty and charm of its crafts has always been a source of attraction to many Indian and foreign tourists. Today handicrafts are thus reaching all corners of the world. A clear understanding of consumer behavior can give marketers a better idea of how marketing works, enabling them to devise more potent marketing strategies. Usually outdated designs do not attract buyers. The response of consumers to Indian handicrafts is unpredictable and lends itself less to research and generalization than does the response to other products. In keeping with the changes in consumer tastes and preferences, artisans have to change their crafts The old, traditional designs, patterns and styles have to be discarded and new designs are to be evolved. The product design of handicraft items needs to be improved in several aspects. The design of a product should be in accordance with the tastes and preferences of customers. So it is necessary for institutions to come together to provide the strategic direction and action plans to evolve systems, procedures and norms related to design, market, technology, innovation and quality.