Stuller Inc.

When Danny Clark became president and COO of Stuller, Inc. earlier this year, he knew that he had to continue to refine Stuller’s long history of exceptional service to the independent retail jeweller.

“We needed to continue to improve our offering for our customers,” says Clark. “One of our goals was to make the retail experience, the experience customers have with Stuller, even better.”

As a result, companies in North America and around the world have watched Stuller excel at what it does best – servicing jewellery retailers to the best of its ability. Today, Stuller is a household name when it comes to providing all of the necessary services any jewellery retailer may need to run a successful business.

“We spent a lot of time on the technology needed to run the business, like CounterSketch® Studio,” says Clark.

INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS

One of the advancements that Stuller has really excelled in over the past few years is perfecting its digital manufacturing process in order to achieve the right designs.

“A customer may see a product they like but they might want a different finger size or a different metal type or they might want to change the side stones…” explains Clark. “That’s what we call a flexible model. Our digital manufacturing process allows us to do the work faster giving the jeweller the ability to sell his customer what they need versus what he has in the showcase.”

Stuller is also known for making advancements when it comes to creating specialized systems that make the selling of jewellery process so much easier … One such example has been the 3CTM Choose, Change, Create initiative, which allows jewellers to either choose a design from Stuller’s vast inventory, change the elements of a design to customize the piece or create a completely new, one-of-a-kind piece with the help of CounterSketch® Studio or CAD.

According to Clark, the response to the products created with the 3C campaign has been “exceptional.”

Back in the summer of 2013, Stuller also unveiled an interactive design concept for independent retailers called ‘Create Bar.’ Jewellers were now given the opportunity to employ a modern kiosk, hardware, and digital tools like CounterSketch® Studio, in order to give its customers a really enhanced, interactive experience. The new conception also became an excellent tool for couples that planned on tying the knot by allowing them to design their rings along with their jeweller.

Maren Rosen, vice president of bridal and jewellery at Stuller, who started with the company back in 2011 as part of the premier services team, says that there was a need to update the brand’s products in order to satisfy the changing needs of the jewellers.

“Traditionally, we had provided products to the marketplace that were very essential,” says Rosen. “Products like solitaires, three-stone, five- and seven-stone anniversary bands. We were in need of an update to modernize our styling and embrace our products through our unique selling propositions. We did this through our web and through our software programs.”

Rosen adds that the company underwent a renewal by consolidating its existing product styles and creating a variety of new concepts under the direction of Stuller’s internal design team.

STRATEGIC MARKETING

It’s one thing to produce great product but it’s a completely different ball game as to how you choose to promote it to the rest of the world. But Stuller didn’t fall short when it came to its marketing strategies. In fact, the brand has enjoyed quite a bit of success as a direct result of having a powerhouse marketing team behind all of its campaigns.

According to Rosen, Stuller’s new marketing techniques “rejuvenated our bridal business and brought it to a different level than where we’ve been.”

Clark also adds that the company has “come a million miles in terms of how we’re putting together our product assortments and how we’re targeting our pieces to our audiences. The history of our company is in catalogues and we’ve had very good reviews on our catalogues but we also have a multi-touch marketing campaign now. We don’t just have catalogues; we go to brochures and we have a very robust Ecommerce business.”

Clark notes that online business has been increasing with each year and is something the company has really focused in on as a response to customers’ needs. “Some customers prefer to shop via phone and some customers prefer to come on Stuller.com and we’re happy either way, whichever works best for them,” he says.

IN A FLASH

But when it comes to truly cementing Stuller as a top choice for jewellers, it’s the company’s unbeatable same-day delivery policy that takes the cake.

“We’ve been the prime, just-in-time delivery supplier for the last thirty plus years,” says Rosen.

Clark adds that while the product is constantly being refined, Stuller strives to deliver to the customer the very next day.

“Some customers are asking for a certain amount of customization or personalization on the product and that will change what the delivery time is, but primarily what we are is a just-in-time supplier,” he says. “We’re looking to supply the customer with their product overnight in most cases.”

More recently, Stuller’s delivery service underwent a notable change by extending the order cut-off time for Canadian consumers across the country. The new implementation meant that no matter where a customer was located in Canada, their cut-off time for placing an order was 3 p.m. with guaranteed next day delivery.

“We’ve got a promise we make to our customers and we want to make sure we continue to be efficient in getting them the products they need, when they need them,” says Clark.

Rosen also reiterates the idea that Stuller’s formula for success has all been about satisfying the needs of the company’s independent jewellers.

“It’s just very exciting to be a part of such a successful company that’s so renowned in the jewellery industry,” she says. “And to keep the promise to our retailers – that’s really the foundation of who we are.” CJ