Editor’s Note
This article highlights a remarkable display of collective economic influence, where a community’s coordinated action led to significant savings. It serves as a case study in the power of group negotiation within consumer markets.
The Jain community in Gujarat has showcased its formidable purchasing power by bringing home 186 luxury cars after securing a discount of ₹21 crore. This purchase resulted in massive savings of ₹21 crore for the people involved.
There is strength in organization. The Jain community of Gujarat has proven this adage true once again. An organization of the Jain community suggested that if all community members who wanted to buy cars united, companies would be forced to offer heavy discounts. And that’s exactly what happened. A hefty discount of ₹21 crore was secured on the purchase of 186 luxury cars.
This initiative was taken by the Jain International Trade Organization (JITO). Following the organization’s call, applications came in for the purchase of 186 vehicles. None of these 186 cars is priced below ₹60 lakh. Due to the bulk purchase, the institution also achieved massive savings of ₹21 crore. Himanshu Shah, Vice President of JITO, explained that the organization struck this unique deal of its kind with luxury vehicle brands like BMW, Audi, and Mercedes.
He said the organization acted only as a facilitator and did not profit from this deal. Shah stated that most cars were purchased by people from the Jain community in Gujarat. The mastermind behind this initiative, Nitin Jain, explained that it all started when some JITO members suggested leveraging the community’s strong purchasing power to secure heavy discounts from car companies.
He said, ‘Since purchasing power is one of the key strengths of the Jain community, we conceived the idea of contacting brands directly to ensure higher discounts on our members’ purchases. The car manufacturing companies also found it beneficial and offered us discounts because this deal reduced their marketing costs.’ He further revealed that, encouraged by its successful luxury car deal, JITO has now launched a new initiative called ‘Utsav,’ which involves similar arrangements with major brands of jewelry, durable consumer goods, and electronics.
He mentioned that even before word of the heavy discount spread, some community members had initially purchased cars. Jain said jokingly, ‘Soon, other JITO members also started buying cars. In total, 186 cars were purchased, and savings amounted to ₹21 crore. On average, each member saved between eight lakh and 17 lakh rupees, which is enough to buy another car for a family member.’