Digital innovation is today at the centre of the debate in various industries, including the gold and jewellery sector.
Even a world that has always been closely linked to craftsmanship and Made in Italy can no longer ignore new technologies and the impact they have on customer relationships and on the way business processes are managed. Some companies have only just begun their digital evolution journey, with growing questions and expectations, while others have already achieved their goals.
Stroili Oro, a leading Made in Italy brand with 400 directly owned stores, has adopted a tablet-based sales management solution for its agents operating in the Italian, French and Spanish wholesale markets.
Behind this choice lies, on the one hand, the need to make sales processes more efficient in terms of accuracy and speed and to access always up-to-date and reliable information; on the other, the will to get closer to customers with a new approach, enhancing branding also through the technological tools employed.
Key elements of the solution, in addition to the digital catalogue always updated with new items and promotions, include:
And the future? A survey carried out in 2020 by Federpreziosi Confcommercio shows that, over the past five years, the number of jewellers with a website or even just a social media page has increased by 7.1% (from 66.0% in 2015 to 70.7% in 2019). Companies engaged in e-commerce have also increased: from 52.9% in 2018 to 53.1% in 2019. This figure has doubled over the last five years, indicating that jewellers are realising that digital today is a key factor in choosing brands and products and are striving to seize all related opportunities. Jewellers operating online generate on average almost double the revenues compared to those who have not embraced digital innovation.
Discussions with the main players in the market reveal that one of the next frontiers will be B2B e-commerce, a sales channel that complements and strengthens traditional order collection channels, especially in the wholesale market.