KISNA – A Saga of 18 years long journey!

Exclusive Interview with Mr. Parag Shah, Director, KISNA Real Diamond, and Gold

KISNA has turned eighteen, how has the journey been so far?

With KISNA turning eighteen, I am delighted to share that its overall journey has been wonderful. Having 3500+ retail in-store outlets today, we now have the largest outlet reach not just in India but in the world as far as diamond jewellery is concerned KISNA launched in 2005, wherein we started our journey with twenty-five outlets and gradually expanded our business to be the brand we are today. Considering, the evolving needs, trends, and insights shared by retailers, distributors, and consumers, we kept improvising and expanding our vision over the years KISNA is known for its service and consumer satisfaction.

Through our analysis and data research, we found out that only 3% of consumers own diamonds and realized that there are many suppliers but not everyone can buy diamonds. Hence, through our offerings, we focused our efforts on targeting the remaining 97% of consumers and in a way brought about a revolution in the market. The brand’s vision is to fulfill the aspiration of every Indian woman and make diamonds accessible to them. We introduced and offered Third-Party Certification that none of our competitors have. KISNA is the first brand to give 100% certification. Through the strategy we created back in 2004, during its launch, we ensured that every KISNA product is hallmarked, thus making us a consumer-trusted brand.

Over the years we realized that Tier II and Tier III markets have a huge demand for brands which led to collaborations with retailers to open a franchise. This, in turn, made KISNA the one-stop solution for consumers to fulfill their wishes for all kinds of diamonds and gold jewellery. In the digital age, we are improvising and further building our online presence as well, to bring more relatability to Indian consumers.

KISNA is the first company that did not directly launch in the market. It is the only company which takes its retailers ahead with it, by:

• Supporting them with infrastructure
• Building their knowledge on e-commerce and online business
• Giving them the opportunity to focus on not just local but national level marketing as well.

With a strong team of professionals, each of them bringing in their strengths and years of experience, we can create a mark domestically as well as internationally. In the USA, we are working directly with retailers such as Walmart and Macy’s amongst others which gives us the opportunity to connect with consumers in small cities and towns. The changing trends in India lead to changes in consumer needs. These days, consumers are looking to merge their local styles with international trends. Our knowledge of the international market helps create that fusion in our products.

Please tell us about KISNA’s new identity.

On Kisna Day this year (2022), we launched a brand-new identity. Through the research we conducted, we felt it was imperative to cater to the evolving trends and consumer needs. When we first launched KISNA, it is identity was positioned according to the consumer mindsets of 2005. Today, we are making it a franchise and hence we realized it is time for KISNA to have a fresh look that resonates with evolving preferences of the consumers and suits the trends of today’s day and age. The brand’s new identity encapsulates its vision of ‘Har Ghar KISNA’ – fulfilling the aspirations of every woman in the country today. KISNA was launched at a time when women were family oriented. Their entire life revolved around their family and being a homemaker.

Now, women think of family as a part of their larger world and have a lot of international aspirations. They strive towards having their own individuality and identity and wish to make a life of their own. As women now are traveling, attending board meetings, and conferences, and conquering the world, their needs have changed. As they achieve higher goals, they deserve to reward themselves.  With the launch of the brand’s new identity, we aim to fulfill those aspirations and retain the cultural value of our brand and its originality. With the objective of communicating in a language our customers will understand, we will provide retail experience, franchise, and guidance on how to buy diamonds as a part of our new identity

Please tell us about the launch of RARE.

To elevate the spirit of KISNAYA 2022, we also launched RARE, KISNA’s solitaire brand that offers an exceptional assortment of solitaire with distinctive design options and unmatched customization for every occasion. Every piece of RARE jewellery envisions and celebrates the smaller yet meaningful journeys and victories of day-to-day life. In this fast-track world where everyone works hard to achieve their goals, gifting ourselves what we desire has now become a trend.

There was a time when men would avoid wearing jewellery, but now it is a trend. There are not many options available when it comes to gifts for men. It is usually watches, pens, and wallets. Solitaire rings, hence, can be a huge category to explore in this segment. Another trend we have come across is that couples portray their relationships with solitaire bands. Hence, we offer couple bands for them under RARE. The higher ranges of RARE have a range of Riviera necklaces that are beautiful, elegant, and unique.

RARE connects to a larger audience as each solitaire is unique and has its own individuality. Every woman is unique just like our solitaires. There is a beautiful parallel between women and solitaires. Each of their stories is unique. Today, women say, ‘I am real and rare’ and that is exactly what our solitaires reflect. Our colour palette gives an international appeal, mixed with white, gold, and black. It is modern, international, and resonates well with the Indian women of today. Further to introducing Orokraft, its first gold jewellery brand, we seized the opportunity to launch RARE solitaire. Known for being the favourite for specific occasions, today, solitaires are the favourite for all occasions.

What kind of CSR initiatives has been undertaken by KISNA to give back to society?

KISNA is known to be involved in CSR initiatives. Our Founder, Savjibhai Dholakia’s vision, which also became our largest project, is to build one hundred lakes. Owing to the scarcity of water in many places, we have made seventy-five lakes so far and have the honour of being able to touch more than five thousand lives and thirty villages. KISNA has actively contributed to the environment as well by planting twenty-five lakhs’ trees. We host blood donation drives on KISNA’s anniversary, Hare Krishna Group’s Anniversary, and Gandhi Jayanti, encouraging our employees to participate as well. We also lend our support to the GoI’s ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ initiative by participating in cleanliness drives in Mumbai.

Courtesy: Retail Jeweller India News