All the more reason for a company to highlight something unique, Vaccaro says. Although Beverly Hills Jewellers is known for its Canadian diamond lines, he says he couldn’t resist designing with fancy yellows and putting his own name on the company’s latest collection.
“For every 10,000 stones, there is one fancy yellow; no two fancy yellows are alike, which makes them more desirable and more unique,” he explains. “The pieces are still made and mounted in Canada, but a fancy yellow is a special stone and that’s why we chose it.”
The positive vibe appeared to extend beyond Beverly Hills’ booth. The mood on the show floor at JCK Las Vegas and Couture seemed optimistic the North American jewellery industry had turned a corner, particularly where polished diamond prices are concerned. The talk around many a booth, however, centred on marketing efforts geared to what has become the main buying demographic of the jewellery industry: millennials.
Gregory Jacobson, president of IGC Brand Services Canada, distributor of the Naledi Collection, says millennials are a game-changer where the jewellery industry is concerned, given this group’s reliance on mobile devices for browsing, social media, and online news. These days, the need to embrace social media and mobile technology is critical in the all-important bridal category, particularly since it is doesn’t go head to head with products like electronics the same way say, fashion jewellery does.
“The bridal category has changed,” Jacobson says. “Millennials purchase product quite differently. It used to be you expected people to pour into your store and buy jewellery. Now it’s really important to have an online presence—if you don’t have one, a lot of the time people will just skip over you and move on to the next store.”
No doubt, brides are using their mobile phones for all their wedding planning and purchases, which highlights the need for mobile-friendly websites and developing social media channels.
That’s one of the reasons Stuller developed its ‘Ever and Ever’ bridal program, which helps retailers enter the social media game. The marketing material includes digital files that allow jewellers to insert their own logo for e-mail broadcasts, along with Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest posts.
The collection is customizable online, enabling consumers to work with jewellers to build a ring and choose their preferred style, stone shape and size, and metal. Retailers can set their own margins for the various styles offered and the bridal client can customize every aspect of a ring’s design. Each change is reflected in the price displayed and includes the retailer’s markup.
