Platinum Guild International - India recently held the third edition of its Platinum Buyer-Seller Meet (BSM) on July 25 and 26, 2018 in Hyderabad. The BSM was organised exclusively for authorised platinum jewellery manufacturers and retailers of India under the PGI Programme. The BSM is organised to showcase “the true business potential of platinum and help deepen their exposure to the category”, PGI-India said.

This time round, nine manufacturers showcased a diverse portfolio of over 5000 pieces between them. The jewellery included a range of best sellers and new developments in core categories like Platinum Love Bands, Platinum Evara and Men’s platinum jewellery.

The event was attended by 95 retailers, who are PGI’s “key strategic partners”.  These included Tanishq, Orra, Kalyan Jewellers, Malabar Gold and Diamonds, GRT Jewellers, Senco Gold & Diamonds, TBZ - The Original, Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers, Prince Jewellery, Indian Gem and Jewellery Creations, Lala Jugal Kishore, Khimji Jewellers amongst several others.

In the business transactions that took place during the two-day event, Platinum Love Bands, Evara and Men’s jewellery evoked the maximum response, followed by incremental orders for light weight jewellery for women and dual tone categories.

“Platinum jewellery is the only category that has been consistently growing in double digits for most retailers as a result of PGI’s strategic marketing initiatives,” PGI-India stated.

This year, a   key highlight of the BSM was the launch of PGI’s exclusive online training module www.platinumtraining.in, encompassing platinum’s history and heritage, attributes, key opportunities and best in store practices.

“This platform will serve as a complete platinum guide, with latest marketing updates, sales contests, rewards, recognition and much more,” PGI-India said. “Additional key segment is the platinum purity assurance programme which explains the authentic mark of platinum, key features of the certificate and its role in gaining consumer confidence. Overall the platinum online training module promises to offer an engaging experience for the partners.”

Another unique feature in the third edition of the BSM was a panel discussion organised in partnership with CNBC TV 18. The panel discussion brought together stalwarts from different industries and featured Akash Banerjee, Senior VP, Head of Marketing & Partnerships, Viacom Digital (Voot); Murali Talasila, Partner & Innovation Leader, PwC India; and Saurabh Uboweja, Founder & CEO, Brands of Desire. They all shared their expertise and knowledge on how to leverage current disruptions to fuel business growth and to attract  today’s millennial consumers.

The ‘Season of Love’ awards night, was also held, where key retailers and their staff, “who promoted the campaign with enthusiasm and contributed to the sales of platinum jewellery”, were felicitated.

“The ‘Season of Love’ is an annual exclusive in- store platinum programme, where customers commemorate their love in true platinum style,” PGI-India explained. “The 2018 edition was celebrated across all leading platinum jewellery retailers across India, from May 16 to June 17 June 2017 and had extraordinary offers available for customers on the purchase of platinum jewellery.”

Speaking on the initiative, Vaishali Banerjee, Managing Director, Platinum Guild International (PGI)-India, said, “The growth momentum of 2017 has continued for platinum this year. Season of Love registered a retail sales growth of 70% with retailer participation almost three fold compared to last year. This is truly a result of our ongoing strategic collaboration with our partners. This momentum was represented at BSM as well. We had 95 key retailers from India’s leading chain and independent stores visiting us in Hyderabad. It was two days of very brisk business and positive reviews from manufacturers. We are excited and extremely positive for the upcoming season.”

Nirmal Rawal, Partner, BN Jewellers, commented: “Platinum Buyer-Seller Meet is truly an exclusive platform where manufacturers get a chance to have a complete one on one with leading retailers of India. Today we have moved beyond platinum bands and have a wide range of products from bracelets, chains to platinum jewellery for men. BSM gives us the opportunity to showcase our offering to platinum focused clients which results in incremental orders.”

Said Puneet Mehra, Director, Gandaram & Sons Jewellers, “This is a brilliant initiative taken by PGI and we now look forward to this every year. It gives us a chance to look at a wide range of platinum jewellery across categories by leading manufacturers, compare prices, product finishing and make an informed decision all under one roof.”