Insightful
Exploring Woman’s Relationship With Jewellery
A case of hoarding power and flaunting beauty
The challenge
Gold in India is never bought with the mind, but is bought with the heart. Indian families view it as a store of value and prosperity to be used with a lot of discretion, only in rare and critical situations. And most remarkably, it is one of the few sources of wealth that is under female dominion. In a patriarchal society, it is not hard to understand why this value is tremendous and significant for the Indian woman.
The approach
A global costume jewellery brand approached us to understand the unique mind-set of ‘gold-fascinated’ Indian women to explore best ways to approach the various consumer segments. We ran ethnography sessions in three centres (Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai) across women in different life stages – Career Builders (married with no kids), Family Builders (married with kids) and New Life Builders (single working women) to understand meaning and associations with luxury and role of jewellery in their evolving world view and personal lifestyle.
The output
A rich insightful presentation on the drivers for jewellery purchase across the segments also brought out marked differences in attitudes across the centres (traditional/conservative market of Chennai vs. a more contemporary mind-set in Delhi and Mumbai). It is only in the last two decades that opportunities for women in work have increased and many more are getting into the workforce. And that brings in a wave of empowerment. That has impacted their view of gold and jewellery in general. Its locker appeal has given way to its appeal as enhancing femininity – a way to look and feel beautiful.
