Gitanjali to sell jewellery online' plans new stores with MMTC

Popular brands from fashion jewellery designer Gitanjali's collections like Asmi, D'damas, Nakshatra, Gili, Diya, Sangini and others will now also be available online through their own portals.

Gili and D'damas have been testing the e-commerce module for the last one year. Asmi and Nakshatra made their online foray earlier this month. By January 2009, the group plans to bring all its 25 brands for online sale.

Consumers can select and buy the products from catalogues available online and can make the payment through credit cards or direct money transfer from their bank accounts via net banking, for which Gitanjali has already tied-up with Visa and Mastercard and several major banks.

Products ordered online will be shipped directly to the consumer or can be collected from the nearest offline store. Initially, the company is charging a minimal shipping charge, but beginning January, the group plans to deliver the products free of charge.

"E-tailing is becoming important, keeping in mind the increasing comfort level of people in buying online. During Diwali, online sales picked up. Now with Christmas and New Year, people are buying gifts online. We target young people, NRIs and foreigners (the biggest potential customers) through our e-tailing venture. Moreover, this is to expand our customer network and reach out to international buyers," says Mehul Choksi, chairman and managing director of Gitanjali Group.

Says Choksi, "We are exploring a whole new sphere of jewellery marketing and going forward e-commerce will be a substantial part of our marketing initiative. We expect to capture 35 per cent of the total online jewellery sales in India by 2010." By 2010, the group targets 3-5 per cent of its total sales to come through e-commerce.

Offline, the diamond company plans to launch new stores and new brands in the New Year. It will come up with more stores in collaboration with the public sector Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation, India's largest trader of metals.