Month: May 2020

Interview with Liana Kadisha Cohn, Co-Founder of Switch

In Episode #81 of the Joy Joya Jewelry Marketing Podcast, I interview Liana Kadisha Cohn, the co-founder of Switch, a unique jewelry rental service. Switch gives customers the opportunity to borrow unlimited designer, fine, one-of-a-kind, and vintage jewelry for a monthly subscription fee. Curious shoppers can try something unique and unusual without committing to it, so they expose themselves to new designers and styles in a low-pressure situation. 

In addition, Switch sells the jewelry they rent, and they also buy jewelry from customers in exchange for cash, membership credit, or credit for purchase.

In this episode, we chat with Liana about the inspiration behind Switch, why innovation matters, and what the future holds for consumer shopping habits. We cover questions like:

– How much did you look to other fashion/accessory rental companies like Rent the Runway as a model for your own brand, and in what ways are you different from those companies?
– In your marketing and sales strategies, where do you place more of your focus – on acquiring new subscription customers or on converting existing subscription customers to buyers? A mix of both?
– Who are some of the designers you partner with, and what makes them a good fit for the Switch brand (price point, materials, design, style, etc.)?
…and more!

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Jewelry Marketing for a Post-COVID-19 Future

Since late March, we’ve been doing a lot of thinking, reading, writing, and speaking about the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on retail in general and the jewelry industry in particular. We’ve also spoken to many industry experts and have watched many webinars on the subject, in an effort to gain some clarity and better serve our clients.

Now that businesses are slowly starting to reopen, and life is regaining at least some hints of normalcy, we’re trying to imagine the post-COVID-19 future. How will consumers’ shopping habits change, and how will jewelry brands need to position themselves in the marketplace to meet consumers’ needs and expectations? We’re certainly not holding the crystal ball, but we have a few ideas, which we’ll share in this video.

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Interview with Deb LaBudde, Founder and CEO of Memo

In Episode #79 of the Joy Joya Jewelry Marketing Podcast, I interview Deb LaBudde, the founder and CEO of Memo, a highly-curated ecommerce fine jewelry retailer that offers customers a very unique and innovative shopping experience – at home.

Launched in December 2016, this first-of-its-kind ecommerce site completely transformed how consumers shop for fine jewelry, since they can try the jewelry before they buy it for three days. Some of Memo’s earliest designer partners included Lalaounis, Emily P. Wheeler, and Jane Taylor, all of whom are still on board.

You’ve likely heard the industry term “on memo”, which refers to jewelry retailers allowing their special clients to wear a piece before buying it. Inspired by this practice and seeing a need for it in the ecommerce space, Deb left her previous career as a corporate executive and founder and managing general partner of a closely-held venture capital fund to create Memo. Full disclosure: Memo has been one of my clients since 2018, and I’ve loved seeing the company grow and evolve over time.

In this episode, we chat mostly about how consumer expectations around shopping for fine jewelry are changing and how Memo is disrupting the industry with the new-to-launch Home Try-On (HTO) Program. We cover questions like:

Who are your target customers? What do they like most about the Memo model?
How do you attract new customers and retain existing ones?
In your opinion, will the HTO program change how consumers expect to shop for fine jewelry?
What do you envision for the future of the HTO program?
…and more!

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Best Practices for Jewelry Brands Using Instagram Live

Since the implementation of “shelter in place” rules during the coronavirus pandemic, more jewelry brands have been opting to replace their lucrative in-person event marketing strategy with a virtual one, taking advantage of free platforms like Instagram Live. Through these platforms, brands are able to connect with their audiences in real time, engaging and interacting with them in a meaningful way.

Have you been wondering how you can also use Instagram Live creatively and effectively? Watch this video, since I’ll be sharing some of the best practices for using the platform and even pass along some tips from jewelry designer Julie Lamb, who’s been hosting many Live broadcasts over the past few weeks.

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