‘I was sceptical about virtual, but from last 4 days I have already got many visitors to my booth, Have got 30 confirmed meetings and 7 buyers have already bought from me. This sales boom has changed my mind and I feel that IIJS virtual should happen 3 to 4 times a year.

Mangesh Chauhan, MD and CFO of Sky Gold Limited, cemented his faith in the online wing for jewellery business after IIJS gave him the much-needed boost. Now, he is preparing to have a great exhibition at the platform

What are your thoughts on IIJS?

I was not keen on the virtual mode in the beginning, especially when it comes to dealing in jewellery. For us, and the customer, the touch and feel factor is very important. But when the organisers convinced me, I logged in and uploaded images of my product. Within three days, I got a call from my team, and was told that 30 people have visited us based on just the preview. We started contacting them from the data we got. They were from all across the country — Patna, Gwalior, Guwahati, Rajkot. We started sending them images and have already sold to three of them. This was wonderful for me. The plus point is that you can connect all over India, and people always love it when the supplier calls you for business. There are small retailers too, who can’t attend the physical version of the exhibition because of the cost. Now, they can order from wherever they want. One of my customers is a small retailer, who was very happy with the fact that we provided him with the same service as we would to our big-ticket clients. Also, in the physical show, it is not possible to pay attention to each customer if quite a few of them walk into the stall. Now, everyone is comfortable. By now, 40 parties have contacted us, we have sent images of our products to 30 parties and already catering to 7 of them. It is also logistically a saviour for both exhibitor and supplier. There is peace of mind and flexibility because there is more time to consider now.

What new collections are you bringing to the IIJS table?

We have launched lightweight Turkish and Kuwaiti gold necklaces in 15-20gms. We are also getting studs, lockets, rings and pendants, which come in the Rs 15,000-Rs 20,000 range because they are very popular as gifts. Also, this is the buying trend because the price of gold has shot up. This will also be our inventory for the next six months.

What is your advice to other retailers on the next six months?

It will be great. A lot of consumers are on my radar who want to buy for weddings and gifting purposes. The wedding season is coming. They are waiting for Navratri and Diwali because firstly, it is an auspicious time to buy, and secondly they are waiting for the new, festive stock. Retailers must add 30-40% to their existing stock because customers will want it. The spend that is pending for the past six months will happen now.

Courtesy: Retail Jeweller India News Service