Hyderabad: Platinum Guild International – India (PGI) successfully concluded its third edition of ‘Platinum Buyer-Seller Meet’ (BSM) on 25th and 26th July, 2018 in Hyderabad. Organized exclusively for the authorised platinum jewellery manufacturers & retailers of India under the PGI Programme, the meet aims to showcase the true business potential of platinum and help deepen their exposure to the category.
The third edition witnessed participation from nine manufacturers who showcased a diverse portfolio of over 5000 pieces together that included a range of best sellers and new developments in core categories like Platinum Love Bands, Platinum Evara and Men’s platinum jewellery. The event was attended by PGI key strategic partners and saw an overwhelming turnout of 95 retailers including Tanishq, Orra, Kalyan Jewellers, Malabar Gold and Diamonds, GRT Jewellers, Senco Gold & Diamonds, TBZ – The Original, Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers, Prince Jewellery, Indian Gem and jewellery Creations, Lala Jugal Kishore, Khimji Jewellers to quote a few.
The order booking was maximum for Platinum Love Bands, Evara and Men’s jewellery followed by incremental orders for light weight jewellery for women and dual tone categories. Platinum jewellery is the only category that has been consistently growing in double digits for most retailers as a result of PGI’s strategic marketing initiatives.
One of the key highlights of this year’s meet was the launch of PGI’s exclusive online training module – www.platinumtraining.in, which will encompass platinum’s history and heritage, attributes, key opportunities and best in store practices. This platform will serve as a complete platinum guide, with latest marketing updates, sales contests, rewards, recognition and much more. Additional key segment is the platinum purity assurance programme which explains the authentic mark of platinum, key features of the certificate and its role in gaining consumer confidence. Overall the platinum online training module promises to offer an engaging experience for the partners.
This year Platinum Guild International also partnered with CNBC TV 18 and brought together stalwarts from different industries to engage in a panel discussion. The panel featured Akash Banerjee, Senior VP, Head of Marketing & Partnerships, Viacom Digital (Voot), Murali Talasila, Partner & Innovation Leader, PwC India and Saurabh Uboweja, Founder & CEO, Brands of Desire who shared their expertise and knowledge on leveraging current disruptions to fuel business growth & attracting today’s millennial consumers.
The evening concluded with the ‘Season of Love’ awards night, where the key retailers and their staff, who promoted the campaign with enthusiasm and contributed to the sales of platinum jewellery, were felicitated. The ‘Season of Love’ is an annual exclusive in- store platinum programme, where customers commemorate their love in true platinum style. The 2018 edition was celebrated across all leading platinum jewellery retailers across India, from May 16 to June 17 June 2017 and had extraordinary offers available for customers on the purchase of platinum jewellery.
Speaking on the initiative, Ms. Vaishali Banerjee, Managing Director, Platinum Guild International (PGI)-India, said, “The growth momentum of 2017 has continued for platinum this year. Season of love registered a retail sales growth of 70% with retailer participation almost three fold compared to last year. This is truly a result of our ongoing strategic collaboration with our partners. This momentum was represented at BSM as well. We had 95 key retailers from India’s leading chain and independent stores visiting us in Hyderabad. It was two days of very brisk business and positive reviews from manufacturers. We are excited and extremely positive for the upcoming season”.
“Platinum Buyer-Seller Meet is truly an exclusive platform where manufacturers get a chance to have a complete one on one with leading retailers of India. Today we have moved beyond platinum bands and have a wide range of products from bracelets, chains to platinum jewellery for men. BSM gives us the opportunity to showcase our offering to platinum focused clients which results in incremental orders” said Nirmal Rawal, Partner, BN Jewellers.
“This is a brilliant initiative taken by PGI and we now look forward to this every year. It gives us a chance to look at a wide range of platinum jewellery across categories by leading manufacturers compare prices, product finishing and make an informed decision all under one roof”, said Mr. Puneet Mehra, Director, Gandaram & Sons Jewellers.
Mr. Kalpanik Choksi, Managing Director, I H Jewellers, Ahmedabad said, “Modern designs combined with the subtle look of platinum have found appeal amongst young men which has helped increased demand for men’s jewellery at our stores. Evara has helped us increase the choice we offer our consumers in the bridal jewellery space. We are very excited with the consumer response for Evara. With increase in sales of men’s jewellery and Evara, we have seen a growth of 50% in platinum sales.”
Purity Assurance Programme:
In order to assure consumers of the purity of platinum jewellery, Platinum Guild India Pvt. Ltd. has appointed Trust Ever Assurance Services LLP to audit and monitor its Quality Assurance Scheme. Under this scheme, all authentic platinum jewellery in India comes with a Quality Assurance Card and bears the purity mark of “Pt 950” stamped inside the piece. This also serves as an assurance of a ‘buy back’ programme.
