A special seminar, convened by GemAtlas.com and eBay.in, was held at the Trading Hall of BDB on Friday, April 22 to discuss the theme “New Technology Led Opportunities to Increase your business”. An audience comprising professionals from the industry and students on the verge of entering the business took part in the discussions.

Chairman of GJEPC, Praveenshankar Pandya, gave a brief Welcome Address stressing that e-Commerce had a lot of potential, but there were many challenges as well. He said that the Indian industry needed to take advantage of the new technologies, while remaining alert to attempts to misuse it. He cited the recent case of an online company which was listed on Alibaba.com that was offering to sell synthetic diamonds accompanied by natural diamond certificates. This could be halted through prompt action by GJEPC and the alertness of the industry, he concluded.

Senior industry professional and Independent consultant to GemAtlas, Hemant Shah made a keynote presentation discussing the need for constant change and innovation. This was the only way that companies could continue to stay relevant and grow, he pointed out, adding that the approach should encompass both the product and services provided to customers. “Businesses need to keep pace with changes in technology as well as changes in desires and expectations of consumers,” he said.  

Shah introduced GemAtlas.com as a new platform that would help individuals and companies in the industry grow their knowledge and their business through the use of various online tools that were available to its members. He elaborated on some of the unique features of the platform which aided networking, knowledge sharing and even establishment of business links, and stressed that everyone in the industry from miners to retailers could benefit from the opportunities and information that the platform could provide.

The second presentation, covering the B2C aspect of e-Commerce, was made by Deepak Tulsian, Head-Jewellery, eBay India. He focused on how sites like theirs were facilitating individuals and companies to carry out online exports, and said that the government had accepted this and was amending some policies to help those in the field.

Tulsian said that eBay offered entrepreneurs an opportunity to do business in the Indian as well as international markets and had an entire eco-system in place to facilitate companies both big and small who wished to carry on e-Commerce.

The presentations were followed by a lively interaction with the audience.

Summing up the event, Mehernosh Painter- Strategic consultant, Gematlas said, “The session gave a deep insight about Gematlas as a platform to drive success for the future of the Gem and Jewellery industry. It will also provide immense value to all stakeholders in the industry.”