1. How has Zoya capitalised on the digital channels to sell its jewellery to its discerning customers during this pandemic?
With Zoya we want to build a personalised and purposeful brand through our online and offline customer interactions. Our digital brand strategy is based on storytelling and driving engagement to build a community of women that resonate with the brand. Storytelling communicates Zoya’s philosophy, inspiration, design and craftsmanship, while relevant and meaningful content engages them. Brand stories are shared across channels – from our stores to our main website and social media accounts, creating a seamless and tailored experience for the customers. While home visits and appointment selling have been practiced in Zoya since its inception, we have also been doing video call selling since our boutiques reopened.It has helped us service customers across cities where we do not even have boutiques like Alwar, Jabalpur, Goa and so on.
2. Augmented reality is coming up in a big way in the jewellery industry - are Indian consumers ready for a contactless way of buying, especially when it comes to high-end jewellery?
Jewellery is a high involvement purchase so while remote selling has increased, customers often like to examine the products physically before making the purchase decision. We are trying to make the transition from offline to online as seamless as possible with customer convenience in mind, by having the better part of the transaction done virtually, but I believe the final decision making is still done in physically. This is why we have implemented a #SafetyinEighty protocol at all Zoya boutiques which addresses over 80 safety checkpoints to ensure customer safety and peace of mind.
3. The jewellery industry in India is by and large been lackadaisical when it comes to embracing technology – do you think this pandemic will change that?
The pandemic has made it necessary to embrace technology and remote selling has become very important in the last few months.Appointment selling and home visits have been a way for life for Zoya ever since the brand’s inception. We have also been doing video calls with our customers and taking them on virtual walkthroughs of our collections based on their preferences. Our focus has always been on personalisation and exclusivity, and this is why our jewellery advisors put in effort to understand individual requirements of customers in advance, so that a major part of the sales process is completed without the customers having to step out of the comfort of their homes.
4. Zoya's new Bangalore store sales have touched 85% YOY for July and August - what has made this possible – and how have stores in Delhi and Mumbai performed?
Zoya is bought for the celebration of personal milestones and that is not going away. The customer segment for Zoya is also not as affected by the pandemic, and with limited avenues to spend, people have more disposable income and they are looking to purchase jewellery to celebrate their accomplishments and commemorate special milestones. Since Bangalore is a new store, we don’t have figures to compare its performance with from last year, but have been encouraged by the walks ins and sales from our new store. It’s situated on Vittal Mallya Road, which is the hub of luxury in Bengaluru, and has received very good word of mouth and social media buzz, which has helped. Considering the fact that people were hesitant to step out of their homes, we are happy to have seen a recovery rate of 85% YOY for July and August for Delhi and Mumbai. This has also been possible because of video calls and remote selling. It has helped us increase our reach across cities where we do not have boutiques and offer our personalised services to our customers.
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