It's raining discounts for NRIs

(##include msid=43376741,type=11##)AHMEDABAD: Preksha Parekh is getting married to Paritosh Patel in atraditional Gujarati ceremony in February. Though, the wedding is in New York,Preksha is here in her hometown to do her shopping. Surrounded bycousin sisters and relatives, she is busy buying tons of jewellery and clothesfor her wedding. By the end of December, she would have spent close to Rs 5 lakhonly on her wedding outfits and accessories. Come December andAhmedabad dazzles with the glow of dollars. The ''NRI season'' is in full bloomall through December and January. The city is the hub of NRI activity in theentire country. Since every upper middle class Gujarati family, on an average,has one member staying out of India, these families have NRG (Non-ResidentGujarati) relatives and guests coming home almost every year during winters.During this festive season, there are sales and discounts beingoffered at many shops, but the trend that has started just this year around isthe concept of "NRI-special sales and discounts". In many showrooms and shopsaround the city, there are special gifts and concessions being offered to thepeople with a super purchasing power, in short NRI''s. Bharat Shah,owner of Mahagujarat Silk Selection, a shop specialising in traditional apparelinforms, "NRI customers just need to bring along their social security card orstamped passport and we give them a special gift voucher that entitles them to adiscount of Rs 500 on a purchase of Rs 10,000. For a purchase of Rs 25,000 theywould get a silver gift memento costing Rs 1000."It''s rainingdiscounts, but the businessmen are also focusing a lot on the intangibles namelycustomer service and words of appreciation. Almost all the major apparel shopshave trained salesmen who serve just the NRI clientele. They know their typicaltastes and offer them advice on the latest trends on the Indian fashion scene. Says Rupali Gajrawala, asalesgirl at Tanishq, a jewellery showroom, "we have around 10-12 NRI customerswalking in every day and I make sure that I show them every available piece ofexquisite jewelry that we have." So, do these ''special'' customersdeserve this special treatment? "They never leave the showroom without giving ussome business", adds Rupali with a glint in her eyes. When it comesto innovative ways to lure the customers, the city shop owners win hands down.Says Pradip Shah, the owner of Deepkala Silk Palace, one of the largest sarishowrooms in the city, "we have a unique gifting scheme where the concept is,the more you buy, the more you benefit." "When a customer buysclothes worth Rs 50,000 she will get a 3 per cent discount, at Rs 80,000 a 4 percent discount and when she buys clothes worth Rs 1 lakh we give her a total of 5per cent discount. We have about 18-20 NRI customers every day and each one buysapparel worth Rs 25,000-30,000."With so much of business potentialaround, even credit card companies and banks have started tie-ups with some ofthese shops. ICICI has a tie-up with Deepkala and the State Bank of India creditcard wing has a tie-up with R K Zaveri and Sons. ICICI offers gifts like atravel press for customers who buy clothes worth Rs 15,000 at Deepkala and atrip to Goa for 3 days and 2 nights for customers shopping for upwards of Rs30,000. So, what if the cash-rich Gujarati runs out of money, whileon her huge shopping spree in the city? "Fret not", says Ajay Zaveri, a localjeweller. He says, "we have facilities like late payment options and payment atUSA options for our valued patrons. Even if they buy here, they can pay money toour designated sources in USA. Since, they bring in so much business; we have tocreate such exclusive deals for them."Gujarat is known for itshospitality and keen business sense, but even when it comes to spending instyle, no one quite comes as close to our well-heeled NRG''s.