Actress Disha Patani roped in as the brand ambassador for diamond jewellery player Orra

Bengaluru: Diamond jewellery retailer Orra has signed Bollywood actress Disha Patani as the brand ambassador for its new affordable collection targetting millennials and self-purchase by women. The collection, priced sub Rs 1 Lakh and set in 14-carat gold, is a new category in Orra’s portfolio dominated by premium bridal offering so far.
“Orra as a brand is evolving. We had 14-karat jewellery in some of the designs but we did not consider it for a complete collection. This is the first time we are launching diamond rings and earrings set in 14-karat gold which cost 30-40% lesser than jewellery made in 18-karat gold, created especially for young millennials,” Dipu Mehta, managing director of Orra, told ET.

This move also comes as the company wants to cash in on the post-pandemic consumer mindset and driven by the optimism that the ongoing vaccination drive will bring back normalcy.

“Once life returns to normal, the desire for women to adorn jewellery will also make a comeback. We are bullish about the industry,” said Mehta, adding, “We are lagging behind by only about 5% from last year’s numbers and should be able to meet full recovery by the end of this fiscal.”

Direct-to-home shopping features such as video calls helped Orra achieve recovery. Shoppers after July-August period were noted to be serious buyers resulting in 10% increase in ticket size and higher conversions, the company said, adding that earrings and necklaces dominated sales in 2020.

“We are launching an app by June which will allow virtual trials. We had registered 100% growth in our online business over 2019,” said Mehta.

Currently, Orra has 42 stores in the country. The brand will open 14 new company-owned stores by June and smaller experiential stores in malls. The plan is to own 100 stores in the next three years and be the largest diamond player in the market, the company mentioned.

The Indian jewellery market is estimated to be worth Rs 2 lakh crore and growing at a low double digit rate at present.