Akshaya Tritiya is here, finally! The festival of ‘gold rush’, as it has come to be known, has become more widespread in the recent past.Nowadays, one does not need to frequent jewellery outlets to buy, but can order jewellery online through various websites and online portals designed for this very purpose.The comfort and efficiency of e-shopping for jewellery has made it a success with the working class women and youngsters of the city.Says Smruthi, a Hyderabad based fashion designer, “I am very busy with my work as this is also a season for marriages.Online shopping offers a wide variety and all I have to do is make a few clicks.” Lakshmi, a bank employee and a mother of two children, agrees that online shopping couldn’t have come at a better time.“With household work and my job, shopping online is the fastest way to purchase jewellery.These transactions are very secure nowadays and I have no worries about it.” Gold sales have picked up after the 21-day strike and this year has seen a dramatic upsurge in the online sales of gold and diamond jewellery across the country.“Indians are in love with jewellery.There were a few minor hiccups due to the this year’s budget, but sales have picked up and look as healthy as ever,” says Rajiv Mehta, managing director of suratdiamond.com, an online jewellery store.He also reported a 40 per cent increase in the online sales this Akshaya Tritiya from last year’s.Shashi Natani, CMO at johareez.com, another such online portal, also voiced similar sentiments and said that the budget restraints are a thing of the past.Initially, the Indian consumer market was skeptical about buying jewellery online due to a rich history of physical inspection and predominance of various outlets.However, the trend looks to be changing due to various offers and policies of the online stores.Gaurav Issar, CEO and co-founder of jewelsnext.com calls his website an ‘online mall’ which is a platform for shopping from various different brands.“The pre-bookings have been in full force this year and we have recorded an increase of 500 per cent compared to last year’s festive period,” he says.Customers have been assured of authenticity of the products with certificates being provided for every purchase.Many online portals also provide the customers with a full refund within a specified period of time after the delivery.The merchandise, if found unsatisfactory, can be shipped back, the expenses of which are covered by the merchant.Various portals also offer a lifetime buyback on the jewellery up to 80 per cent of the initial cost.Besides these bonuses, online gold shopping has another added advantage.Explains Vidya Nataraj of bluestone.com, “These sites provide access to not only Indian but also international designs, making the collection more contemporary.While touch and feel are regarded necessary, most sites have very generous return policies, making the process that less intimidating.” Evolution, as some might say, is inevitable and the inception of online gold shopping, which is a world in itself, looks to grab the customers by the scruff as gold is something which Indians hold dear.This is a ground breaking progress in the advent of online gold sale as it is more patient than an average merchant and definitely more user friendly.
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