Craft businesses should adopt technology on their own terms
Our view: craft businesses should adopt technology where it serves the craft, as a Bangalore HD and airbrush makeup artist shows
In brief
In our view, craft and skill-based businesses should adopt technology selectively: tools that improve the work or make it easier for customers to choose, rather than technology for its own sake. Rekha Krishnamurthy, a Bangalore makeup artist with 14 years of experience, uses HD and airbrush techniques and a website with clear packages and service areas.
Digital transformation advice often assumes every business should digitise as much as possible. For craft businesses, where the value is in skilled human work, we think a more selective approach is wiser.
Two kinds of useful technology
The first improves the work itself: new tools and techniques that raise quality. The second improves how customers find and choose the business: clear online information, easy booking and simple payment. Both serve the craft. Technology that does neither is often a distraction.
An example
Rekha Krishnamurthy is a makeup artist and educator in Bengaluru with 14 years of experience and more than 320 bridal, editorial and fashion assignments across South India. On the craft side, she specialises in HD and airbrush techniques, which respond to the high-definition cameras now used at weddings. On the customer side, her website publishes bridal packages from ₹30,000 for HD and ₹40,000 for airbrush per session, inclusions and extras, service areas and a recommended trial.
What we would not prioritise
- Complex apps when a clear web page answers the questions
- Automation that removes the personal consultation clients value
- Tools adopted because competitors use them, without a clear purpose
Where teaching fits
Her academy courses pass on techniques like HD and airbrush to new artists. Teaching is how craft professions absorb new technology together, rather than one studio at a time.
The counterpoint
Some argue that craft businesses resisting technology will be left behind. We agree that ignoring it is risky. Our point is about choice: adopt what strengthens the craft and the customer experience, and skip the rest.
Small, practical steps often matter most: online booking requests that capture date and location, a payment link sent with confirmation, a page that answers the questions clients ask every week. None of these change the craft, yet each saves time and makes the business easier to choose.
Our view
For skilled businesses in 2027, the smartest digital strategy may be a modest one: better tools in the hands of skilled people, and a website that makes choosing them easy. Everything else is optional.
Learn more: Rekha Krishnamurthy Makeup & Academy
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should craft businesses digitise everything?
No; adopt technology that improves the work or helps customers choose.
Which techniques does Rekha Krishnamurthy specialise in?
HD and airbrush makeup.
How does teaching relate to technology?
Courses help a profession adopt new techniques together.