Mark Gold Jewellers offers coffee and carats
Ten years ago, Mark Gold opened Mark Gold Jewellers in Durban, a coastal city in South Africa, and combined it with a high-end coffee shop, called Coffee at Mark Gold. A strange combination, to say the least, but it has worked phenomenally well.
“A strong part of our retail concept is the combination of our jewellery store with our now very famous coffee shop,” says Gold. “It creates a lifestyle around our store. Usually, watch and jewellery stores are quiet, reserved and intimidating. It takes the edge off the store and makes it much friendlier.
“For security reasons, we had to separate the shops to a point, but because of the design of the two stores you can see there is a link,” he continues. “There are tables and chairs that sit outside the store, so whoever sits there is exposed to the brand and the product. Once they are comfortable with the space, they are comfortable with us as their jeweller.




Mark Gold Jewellers


Truly superior coffee is a key ingredient to Mark Gold’s success. “When we developed the concept, we knew very little about coffee, but we knew that if we delivered something below average, we would send the same signal about our watches and jewellery,” he explains. “We put together something that is way above average in terms of the delivery of the product, and the product itself is the best coffee in the world. In Durban, they have a Great Cappuccino competition and it is quite a big thing, and out of eight years, we have won it five times, and come in second twice.”
Gold seizes the opportunity when people are sitting outside his shops drinking his coffee to approach them. “I ask them how their coffee is, and after they say it’s excellent, I say, ‘Wait until you see our watches and jewellery.’ This way, I get them into the store. They either like it or they don’t, but at least they know about it.”
Gold is seriously considering expanding. “It is our plan to roll more stores out,” Gold details. “We need two more in South Africa, one in Capetown and one more in Johannesburg. We are really niche, but there is a need for more stores. We want international stores, as well. We are looking at moving into the USA, in Florida.”
Coffee and carats, the perfect recipe for Mark Gold.

Ace Jewellers and the virtual test drive
One of the critical concerns for customers is what the watch or jewellery will actually look like on them. Now, Ace Jewellers in Holland is offering a way for customers to ‘try on’ watches and jewellery via the Internet.
Ace Jewellers Group uses a revolutionary Augmented Reality retail tool called Holition. Ace, due to trademark concerns, currently only presents their own designed jewellery through Holition, but they are negotiating with watch brands right now.
“We are a manufacturer of high-end fine jewellery (registered brands: Infinitas Platinum & Ace Collections) and retailers of high-end watches and fine jewellery,” explains Alon Ben Joseph from Ace. “Because we design our own jewellery, we own the rights for our designs and had the possibility to create the 3D models of the jewellery to implement in Holition. Then we implemented the online software into our eBoutique (the first authorized luxury jeweller’s eCommerce website in The Netherlands).
“The first responses by consumers are great. The first buzz started on Twitter, so famous Dutch TV presenters re-tweeted our launch message and now blogs and traditional media are picking it up,” he continues. “Our old and new customers are responding very enthusiastically. Not only is it a great gadget and talking piece, but it really helps in sales conversions (online and in-store).”




Ace Jewellers


The way it works is that Holition takes a CAD image or a physical item, renders it into a 3D model. Then this is turned into a branded and personalized software file that can be used online or a stand-only unit in a physical store.
Then the customers download the software file, print the PDF file with the watch (personalized for a brand) and cut the watch out and put it on their wrist. As soon as they point the logo on the wristband at their webcam, they will see the actual watch or jewellery product in real size on their wrist.
In theory Holition can work with anything that can be worn on the body: watches, rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, sunglasses, hats and in the near future clothing.
“This is a great tool to create interaction with your consumers and gain data, knowledge and statistics on-line,” says Joseph. “This is preparing yourself for the future. eCommerce is here to stay and Holition is the key for consumer goods e-tailing in my view.
“Imagine brands, travelling account managers and retailers can actually sell merchandise they don't stock,” he continues. “Buyers of watches always want to see case diameter and height on ones wrist. That is now no problem with Holition. I have no doubt that it will boost sales (in long term for sure)! I am not saying that this is the holy grail, but a complimentary tool for our industry to engage consumers with our wonderful industry. Again I emphasize that in my perception Internet, software and eCommerce are NOT substitutes for physical stores and (sales) people, but an additional sales channel. I truly believe that luxury retail has to embrace cross-channel strategies. It seems that there are players in our industry that still believe Internet and eCommerce is a storm in a tea cup and will blow away. Internet is here to stay and I believe this is only the beginning of the possibilities.”

Retailer Innovations: Part 1
Retailer Innovations: Part 2


Source: Europa Star December-January 2010 Magazine Issue

EUROPA STAR LAUNCHES TRAINING COURSE FOR RETAILERS