Reviving sales during a global pandemic
We partnered with The Stewdio to spearhead a digitization project to take their long term client Studio Tara online and revive its customer base during the 2020 lockdowns in India.
All information in this case study is Yadhoom Digital’s and does not necessarily reflect the views of Studio Tara or The Stewdio.
With nearly two decades of success in selling fine jewelry from a brick-and-mortar store, Studio Tara faced a significant challenge during the 2020 lockdowns in India. As their sales dwindled, The Stewdio, a long-time collaborator for social media marketing for the brand, partnered with us to undertake a digitization project to take Studio Tara online and rejuvenate its customer base.
Studio Tara aimed to showcase its brand story and products, making it easy for customers to explore and purchase jewelry online. The urgency of this digitization project was amplified by their upcoming debut on the global stage at the Metal + Smith virtual trade show. This necessitated a complete website overhaul within a tight 3-month timeline.
Our strategy involved understanding Studio Tara’s unique values and creating an emotional connection with customers. Through extensive research into customer behavior, market trends, and user experience, we collaborated closely with the client at every stage. The emphasis was on building a product easy for Studio Tara’s team to maintain, even with limited web design knowledge.
PHASE 1
Kickoff & discovery
Our fast and intensive discovery phase involved auditing existing content, understanding competition, and researching user needs. Insights guided us to focus on showcasing the brand, meeting customer expectations, and ensuring a seamless online service experience.
Self-Gift Sarah
“I’d love to add a new set of gold earrings to my workwear collection!”
Age: 37
Expendable Income: $500-$700 per month
Background: Sarah is a child-free woman who is passionate about her career. She likes to “reward” herself for her personal accomplishments by treating herself to spa weekends or jewellery purchases. She loves pairing interesting everyday pieces with classic outfits.
Goals & Ambitions:
- To get further ahead in her career.
- To build a personal brand.
Frustrations:
- Fine jewellery that looks cheap or like costume jewellery.
- Fine jewellery that is either too minimal or too bold.
Favourite Collection(s): Mulino
Bold Bindhya
“I can’t wait to wear my new cocktail ring to ladies night this weekend!”
Age: 52
Expendable Income: $10,000-$12,000 per month
Background: Bindhya is a married NRI socialite who loves making a statement in her social circle. She loves high fashion and pairing bold statement pieces with trendy outfits.
Goals & Ambitions:
- To write a book
- To hold an iconic status
Frustrations:
- Generic fine jewellery pieces
- Low quality jewellery and gemstones
Favourite Collection(s): Dali, Frutti, Bespoke
PHASE 2
Devising strategy
Our vision was to create a simple, clean web app that not only showcased Studio Tara’s brand and products but also offered an intuitive user journey and checkout process.
Recognizing the prevalence of mobile usage, we prioritized a mobile-optimized website, given Studio Tara’s significant Instagram following. After careful consideration, Shopify was chosen for its ease of use, aligning with the client’s needs.
Addressing challenges in user flows, we built an information architecture to guide customers to products and streamline the checkout process. A scalable framework accommodated future growth.
Information architecture for the Studio Tara website (Click to enlarge)
Challenges & solutions
Getting the Homepage Right:
Problem: The homepage’s importance required special attention.
Solution: Utilizing the story-framing method, we rapidly created and tested iterations, ensuring a cohesive and engaging homepage.
Using a story-framing method allowed us to tell a unified, cohesive story
Guiding Customers’ Purchase Journeys:
Problem: Customers needed guidance in their online purchase journey.
Solution: We structured the store to allow customers to shop by product or collection, mirroring the in-store experience.
Guiding customer journeys through structure
“Buy it now” CTA to speed up the purchase process
Designing a Stress-Free Checkout:
Problem: Users experienced stress during checkout.
Solution: A straightforward three-step checkout process ensured trust, security, and ease of use.
Outcomes
The collaboration resulted in a successful transformation, with Studio Tara now positioned to thrive in the digital space. The web app not only showcased their brand and products but also offered an enhanced user experience, catering to a global audience and fulfilling the requirements of the Metal + Smith virtual trade show.
Simple and elegant shop pages that focused on the product
Precise product descriptions and UX copy such as “Tax Included” to help the user make an efficient purchase decision
Collapsible cart which allows customers to view cart and total, increase product quantity, or remove product from cart without having to leave the page they are currently viewing
Creating social media buzz
Capitalizing on Studio Tara’s robust Instagram presence, we strategically designed engaging social media creatives to amplify anticipation and buzz for Studio Tara’s online launch. This tailored approach aimed to resonate with the existing Instagram community, ensuring a seamless transition from the platform to the newly established online presence.
