Showcase general manager Carson Webb said the buying group was making a concerted effort to help members strengthen the diamond and fine jewellery side of their businesses, highlighting the importance of offering improved marketing and branding assistance.
“Gone are the days of being able to ride on the back of the De Beers ads that helped sell diamond jewellery,” Webb stated. “Rather than having our consumers going to the internet, overseas or just the majors to purchase their diamonds, we want to provide a very strong and quality diamond story here right at home for our retailers to tap into. This helps all of us concerned within the industry.”
He added that although jewellery brands – in particular those that specialised in silver jewellery – provided a wealth of marketing resources for retailers to use at a local level, it was difficult to gain access to similar tools for other parts of a jewellery business such as fine jewellery, re-modelling and custom design.
While Showcase had been working on this strategy for some years, Webb said a number of recent developments in its own diamond brands meant the buying group was now in an opportune position to assist members.
In September last year, Showcase rebranded and relaunched its Canadian Fire diamond brand, which was established in 2010. The buying group also relaunched Passion8 Diamonds in March this year after acquiring the business from former owner Miller Diamonds in August 2014, and is additionally collaborating with Rio Tinto on a new diamond brand, Dreamtime Australian Argyle Diamonds.
“Each of the Showcase diamond brands that have been established or relaunched have been done so with a long-term vision in mind,” Showcase marketing manager Antonia Kratsas stated. “Each brand has its own unique story which we know today’s consumer is very much interested in.”
Not just another product
Webb said it was the “story behind the brand” that was the main focus: “[It’s] not just about presenting another brand to consumers but ensuring that [the brands’ stories] carry real values and attributes that are unique and offer a point of difference for our retailers,” he explained.
He added that while Showcase would be placing emphasis on its own diamond offerings, the ultimate goal would be to create greater awareness and increased demand across the diamond and fine jewellery sectors as a whole.
When asked how the buying group’s new strategy would impact other local diamond suppliers, Webb commented, “Our focus on growing the diamond business across our membership is actually seeing benefits – i.e., increased sales – for all our major local diamond suppliers.”
Representing about 280 member stores, Showcase is Australia and New Zealand’s second largest jewellery buying group.
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