Jeweller - August 2020

COVID-19 Update
9.5%
decline in the Westpac-
Melbourne Institute Index
of Consumer Sentiment
between July and August
* Westpac Consumer Sentiment Survey highlights, 12 August
6 October
Commonwealth Budget to be
announced, including decisions on
further stimulus payments, business
support, and tax reform
$5,000
additional grant available to Victorian
small businesses – both metropolitan
and regional – from the State
Government’s Business Support Fund
due to the impact of stage-four lockdown
To qualify for the extended
JobKeeper scheme, employers
now need to show a 30 per
cent decline in revenue for
the September and December
quarters; employees hired
from 1 July are now eligible
DR PHILIP LOWE
GOVERNOR, RESERVE BANK
OF AUSTRALIA
“The economy is not going to
recover until we get on top of
this virus. From the outset there
was a very strong sense that
we needed to build a bridge to
the other side when the virus is
contained. That bridge has had
to be longer than we might have
hoped to be necessary, even so,
it’s been the right strategy.”
DANIEL ANDREWS
PREMIER OF VICTORIA
“We want businesses
to survive this pandemic. We want
people healthy and back at work.
We want to begin the process of
rebuilding our economy and our
community and setting us up for
the future. We can’t get to that
point unless we all play a part
in making this strategy work,
but we will continue to support
businesses to the other side.”
DR ELOISE ZOPPOS
RESEARCH FELLOW,
AUSTRALIAN CONSUMER
RETAIL STUDIES UNIT –
MONASH UNIVERSITY
“Victorians are well placed to
adjust to the ‘new normal’... While
we can’t know exactly what the next
few weeks will bring in Victoria,
we do know that consumer and
shopping behaviours were already
changing, and we can only expect
these changes to continue.”
48,000
Australians applied to
access up to $10,000 of
their superannuation in
the week to 2 August *
* Australian Prudential Regulation Authority
60%
of surveyed
Australians who received
government stimulus
payments said they spent it,
rather than saving
* ‘Australian Financial Review’, 10 August 2020
$101.3bn
estimated total cost
of the JobKeeper
scheme until
March 2021
Australian
Financial Review
Gemfind Digital
Solutions
World Diamond
Congress
Pip Marlow, CEO
Salesforce ANZ,
Charles Coorey,
partner Gilbert +
Tobin, and Dr Billy
Sung of Curtin
University will take
part in the event.
4The Australian Financial
Review will host the third
instalment of its Future
Briefing virtual event series
on 29 September. The webcast
will explore the new reality
of consumer behaviour and
demand of online shopping.
Topics covered will include
e-commerce opportunities
and trends, and how to create
strong brand engagement and
personalised experiences.
Gemfind’s Alex
Fetanat and
Anthony Arechiga
will explore
digital marketing
strategy and
website best
practices.
4US jewellery-focused
digital marketing firm
Gemfind Digital Solutions
continues its ongoing
webinar series for retailers
on 19 August.
The session, held in
partnership with the
Independent Jewelers
Organization, is entitled,
‘The Road Map to Successful
Online Selling for Jewelers’.
The biennial
Congress was
scheduled to be
held in Hong Kong
in November, but
has been moved
online due to
COVID-19.
4The next World Diamond
Congress will be held digitally
from 14–15 September 2020,
the World Federation of
Diamond Bourses (WFDB)
has announced. Yoram Dvash,
acting president WFDB, said,
“This is the first time that
we will be holding the entire
Congress in this format,”
adding that the event was
coming at a “critical time” for
the diamond industry.
12 | August 2020