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" Us and them For Choksi's strategy to succeed, a critical, and somewhat unknown, Links of London is the ability of Gitanjali to grow the Samuels and Rogers brands. That, in turn, depends largely on the company understanding the psyche of the American jewelry buyer, and feeding on it. Although it's been only a little over a year since Gitanjali threw its hat in the US retail ring, the company is drawing from its two-decade long involvement with the US jewelry market, which is unique in myriad ways, with one of those points of differentiation being making men the Links of London Raindance Silver Pendant of marketing campaigns. In India, gold dominates jewelry sales, that too mostly for investment purposes. In the US, jewelry is mostly bought for fashion, and diamonds account for about 70% of jewelry sales, with the balance coming from gold. Says Choksi: "Americans are mature customers, as they have higher disposable incomes. A bridal ring is the largest-selling jewelry item in the US, followed by fashion jewelry, solitaire and studs." Companies use software to map customer behavior, trends and manage customer relationship programs. As in India, where gold is bought mostly on festive occasions and for Links of London Reindeer Charm, there are busy periods in the US market also. Says Choksi: "About 35% of jewelry sales there take place between Thanksgiving Day-the fourth Thursday in November-and Christmas, and 15% on Valentine's Day." Hence, it is important for retailers to be on their toes during this period, both in terms of designs and supplies. Jewelry sellers in the US are big on direct marketing, even online marketing. They send out catalogues and mailers to potential buyers. An online catalogue is made available, which repeat customers can log on to using a password. "If customers like what they see in the catalogues, they visit a store," Links of London rock star guitar charm out Anuj Rukyan, Vice President of Gitanjali Gems. By comparison, jewelry makers in India rely on a combination of print and TV ads, if at all. In the US, contests and freebies are an integral part of marketing programs to lure customers.