In the Backbeat column, Manuj Goyal, Co-Founder, Gemporia India, talks about the challenges of introducing a British jewellery brand to the unstructured Indian jewellery market and disrupting the mindsets of individuals who have always looked at jewellery as luxury.
BY MANUJ GOYAL
Co-Founder, Gemporia India
The United Kingdom and India are bound by history and culture, resulting in stunning architecture and design. When one thinks of India, images of the impeccable architecture, artefacts, artwork of international stature come to mind. Our guiltiest pleasure lies in the craftsmanship of gorgeous over-the-top motifs, making India truly incredible in every way known to mankind.
When it comes to buying jewellery in India, traditionally, we have been turning to age-old trusted family jewellers. Given these jewellers’ limited resources and the importance of the ‘trust’ factor in buying jewellery, often high numbers are invested and jewellery is bought just for special occasions. The concept of everyday fashion jewellery is limited to non-precious metals, mostly due to the affordability and availability of these items.
Having worked in the international jewellery market for more than 25 years, my wife and I have repeatedly wondered how would it be to do business in India. With this immensely unstructured jewellery market, the challenges to bring in a game-changing concept, giving it a structure, fitting in the right place at the right time, have been some of the questions we’ve been trying to answer.
We’ve been making genuine jewellery for Gemporia, sold in the UK & USA, for more than nine years now. My business partner Steve and I figured out a simple solution. It has always been a perfect match. But the jewellery is manufactured in India; it must be sold here as well. While it might have been a little early, it was time to hit the Indian market with this new wave of jewellery buying. Indian consumers have opened their doors to e-commerce, it’s a good time to introduce them to the next step of jewellery shopping.
We plunged into the Indian jewellery market with an omni-channel approach. We are present on Television, the Internet and mobile apps. We’ve disrupted the mindset of individuals who have always believed in jewellery being a luxury, crafted only for opulence. Jewellery is reflective of personalities and tastes, it makes people feel good, feel beautiful. We believe in beating the concept of genuine jewellery being expensive. In a market so haphazardly organized, we aim towards a greater India, where everyone has an option, and is entitled to own a genuine piece of jewellery.
At Gemporia, we don’t just make genuine jewellery, but explore the world in pursuit of some of nature’s splendid gifts. Gemporia’s gemologists travel the globe to procure the best gemstones. We learn, innovate, teach and aim towards sustainable development while delivering the finest and the most exquisite jewellery. Gemporia is proud to have customers worldwide and is honest to create fairly-priced sensational jewellery to be cherished for a lifetime.
Gemporia’s journey has had its fair share of ups and downs. For our omni-channel launch in India, no matter how much we would prepare, it just wasn’t enough. Within a short span of time, we progressed from four hours of live telecast to 18 hours, reaching about 60 million homes every minute via Videocon D2H, Dish TV, TataSky and Airtel.
Moving towards westernization faster than any other country, why not add a touch of sophistication of the English to our quintessential classics? The elegant intricate designs from the UK blended with our beautiful motifs in designs that appeal to most sections of our audience, from dedicated homemakers to artists to corporates.
We, as Indian jewellers, believe in human values more than we believe in the value of a gemstone and the profit maximized by it. We believe in jewellery that creates a bond between us and consumers. We believe in living up to their trust.
@ FEEDBACK
manuj@pinkcityindia.com
