Retailers Hail Rosentiques for a Five-Star, Impeccably Designed Buying Experience

On Gudi Padwa, Rosentiques Fine Jewellery set a new benchmark for itself and for the industry. Rosentiques is a renowned manufacturing brand. The occasion was the launch of their business-to-business (B2B) jewellery boutique. The showroom is intended exclusively for jewellery retailers who wish to redefine the in-store experience for their customers.

Leaders of the retail sector assembled for the event — including one of the largest chains in the country and several of the independent family jewellers of retail jewellery  — and found themselves gazing in amazement at the sheer grandeur of the space.

One display window featured a stunning rose cut collection. Indoors, a crystal-clear display rack glowed with diamond and polki jewellery. Elsewhere, expert eyes fell on Bikaneri jadau and uncut diamonds in works of astonishing finish. The invitees truly were spoilt for choice.

The Retail Jeweller spoke to them to gauge their response to this unprecedented event. Rosentiques is, after all, the first brand to have built such a superlative buying experience at the trade level.

‘Pampered and important’

“The jewellery display is awesome and we as retailers felt elevated when we walked in. We realise that our customers need to feel the same way when they see our jewellery,” says N Anantha Padmanaban, MD, NAC Jewellers, and chairman, All India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council (GJC). “It is a brilliant concept.” And, he adds, a big leap into the future.

Entering the boutique was like entering a five-star hotel with a gala display of jewellery, says Shaankar Sen, chairman and MD, Senco Gold, and vice chairman, GJC. “I felt pampered and important.”

This retail approach, he says, is the need of the hour. “I’d be happy to replicate bits of the experience observed here at some of my stores. Such accessorisation of jewellery through visual delight is very vital. I’m happy to see manufacturers such as Rosentiques come forward to enliven the selling proposition of the industry.”

Rave responses from the experts, then. How did the boutique come into being, as a strategy? It was born, says Adesh Nahar, owner, Rosentiques, out of the realisation that new-age jewellery consumers were evolving in ways that made traditional retail practices less relevant.

“It’s a fact that consumers are demanding more than just a good product at retail,” says Nahar. “The days are gone when the beauty of [a piece of] jewellery was the sole selling proposition. Today, a great design needs to be couched in an equally opulent and lavish retail setting before it will enthral the consumer.”

Working backwards

What Nahar means is that a retailer must conceptualise design and its display as a unified, holistic experience for the consumer. In a way, this involves inverting the typical process of retail design.

And this is what Nahar did. So he began by creating an uber-luxurious lounge. “All our clients are special to us,” he says. “We want to give them the best experience, and inspire them to do the same for their customers.”

Ishu Datwani, owner, Anmol Jewellers, especially appreciates the clutter-free presentation of jewellery in the lounge. “I say retailers should create exactly what Rosentiques has done in this field, and reap benefits.

“This is a wonderful, thoughtful approach for a manufacturer, he says, adding that one must watch and see how and what other retailers learn from Rosentiques,” says Jim Vimadalal, director, India Representative Office, Alrosa.

How any jewellery is displayed gives the first and most important impression of its beauty, says Ashraf Motiwala, director, AS Motiwala Fine Jewellery. “I saw beautiful displays which can help a retailer choose jewellery wisely and easily. The lounge is a lovely place to talk about business. Rosentiques Fine Jewellery has been showing out-of-the-box designs, and is now combining this strength with great visual display. It will go far in the market.”

A model to follow

Visual merchandising is the lifeblood of jewellery nowadays, says Laksh Pahuja, director, Gemma and Rosentiques has set a high benchmark for the rest of the industry.

“The good thing is that now, instead of opening boxes in the offices of a manufacturer, we get to be treated so well that we remain calm and confident during our purchase,” says Kailash Kabra, owner, KK Jewels.

“It’s hard to believe that a manufacturer would go all the way to build this luxury boutique just to make retailers realise what they have been missing in their business,” says Sabyasachi Ray, executive director, GJEPC. “As the export body of the industry, we hail this initiative as a first-of-its-kind lesson for retailers. It shows how to upgrade the in-store ambience to pamper customers, raise aspiration levels and, thereby, boost sales.”

Designed to satisfy

With the physical space settled, does the jewellery measure up? “The attention to detail in their jewellery is phenomenal,” says Ishu Datwani, owner, Anmol Jewellers, admiringly.

Rosentiques has long been known for its design prowess in polki. Today its expertise is acknowledged in three other categories as well, namely, diamonds, jadau and rose cut designs. No other manufacturer in India is able to offer four different lines of product to its retailers, to help them make their inventory highly versatile.

“I must say, more power to diamonds, as I see simply awesome diamond jewellery here,” says Jim Vimadalal, director, India Representative Office, Alrosa.

Nahar is proud of his capable and committed organisation. “Our design team works relentlessly to develop one-off designs that stand out from the crowd. We make sure that even our price-point jewellery embodies the highest design values. Most important, we keep in mind the modern sensibilities of consumers. Each piece by us is high in wearability.”

Retailers at the boutique launch welcomed the key lesson: painstakingly designed jewellery deserves to be presented to the customer as the highlight of a wonderful experience. They were grateful to Rosentiques for showing them how.

Courtesy: Retail Jeweller India News Service