In this episode, we cover:

• Who is Sohail Dewani?

• How to dominate online jewelry sales

• E-commerce strategies that actually work

• Tips for branding, marketing & customer engagement

• Who is this Podcast relevant for?

If you aspire to build a successful jewelry brand, strong technical knowledge is essential. Explore our industry-recognized programs:

• Jewelry Design Graduate (Manual)

• Jewelry Design Graduate (CAD)

• Jewelry Engineering

This episode of The Learnathon Podcast features Sohail Dewani.
Who is Sohail Dewani?
He is a jewelry e-commerce expert and founder of Jewellers League, helping jewelry brands grow online through Shopify, digital marketing, scalable e-commerce strategies and common mistakes.

Here's a summary of the key takeaways:

• Starting an Online Jewelry Business

  • For a diamond jeweler or someone new to e-commerce, a strong brand story is crucial to resonate with customers and avoid appearing as a generic catalog (3:36). Jewelry is an emotional purchase, so understanding the user journey and what motivates a buy is essential (2:40).

  • Sohail's journey into jewelry e-commerce began by observing the digital transformation of retailers in the US and realizing the gap in translating the trust of offline jewelry sales to an online platform (5:27). He exclusively works with jewelry brands due to his decade of experience and the specialized knowledge required (8:47).
    
    
    

• Traditional Mindset of Jewelers and Digital Adoption

  • Many traditional jewelers in India still lack a strong online presence, being "10 years behind" in digital adoption (9:48-10:28). While COVID-19 accelerated some changes, a significant portion of the industry is still stuck in a retail-only, word-of-mouth mindset (12:56).

  • However, the new generation entering family businesses is more pro-digital and understands the limitations of traditional methods (13:14). Companies like CaratLane, with 60-70% of their sales facilitated online, demonstrate the immense potential of digital for the jewelry industry (16:41).
    
    
    

• Choosing the Right Platform

  • Shopify is considered the "gold standard" for e-commerce (18:22). Sohail has worked with many platforms (Wix, WordPress, Squarespace) but emphasizes that Shopify is built specifically for selling online, unlike others that offer e-commerce as an add-on module (18:39-19:03).

  • Shopify offers competitive pricing, built-in PCI compliance, and security features that protect both business and customer data, including fraud protection (19:30-21:14). It's compared to an iPhone – an all-in-one package with limitations but ease of use, making it ideal for those who want to focus on making jewelry rather than website development (21:16-23:04).

  • New Shopify themes, like the Horizon set, offer free features and an AI builder, making it even easier for solopreneurs and startups to create their stores (23:31-24:17).
    
    
    

• Must-Have Shopify Features for Jewelers

  • Product photography zoom is crucial to showcase craftsmanship and intricate details (25:01).

  • Vertical video integration adds an interactive and fun vibe to the website, moving beyond reliance on Instagram (25:23).

  • Customer reviews and testimonials are essential for building trust (25:39).

  • Upselling features on product and cart pages help increase the average order value (25:48).

  • Custom product builder apps allow customers to personalize jewelry (e.g., changing gemstones, engraving), which is vital in the jewelry industry (26:07).
    
    
    

• Common Mistakes Jewelers Make Online

  • "Build it and they will come" mentality: Simply having an online store doesn't guarantee sales; marketing and SEO are necessary (27:21).

  • Website-first approach: The brand story should come before building the website, as the website simply translates that story (28:03).

  • Uploading too many products (e.g., 3,000) on day one: This can be overwhelming for customers (28:15). It's better to start with a curated collection (30-50 SKUs for daily wear, 10-15 for bridal) and gradually add more based on data (28:34-30:08).

  • Bad photography: Images should not just be white background studio shots. They need to show the jewelry being worn and provide a sense of scale (30:20-31:00).

  • AI-written descriptions: Generic, templated descriptions sound inauthentic and fail to connect with customers emotionally (31:02-31:56).
    
    
    

• Brand Storytelling and Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) & Lifetime Value (LTV)

  • A unique brand story is essential to stand out in a saturated market (32:44). It doesn't need to be perfect on day one but must be present and can be iterated upon (33:57).

  • The cost of acquiring a customer (CAC) online can be high (e.g., ₹300-₹800 for daily wear, ₹1,500-₹3,000 for demi-fine, ₹3,000-₹6,000 for luxury) (41:50-42:27). However, Lifetime Value (LTV) is more important than CAC (43:34).

  • For jewelry, customer retention is achieved if a customer makes a second purchase within 18 months (43:18). Enhancing the post-purchase and unboxing experience can turn one-time buyers into loyal customers (43:42). Improving conversion rates (from the industry average of 1.46% to 2-3%) can also mitigate high CAC (44:03).
    
    
    

• Winning Online Jewelry Categories

  • Silver jewelry (under ₹5,000) has been performing exceptionally well, especially with rising gold prices (38:10).

  • Lightweight gold jewelry (₹15,000-₹40,000 range) is also doing well, particularly studded designs (38:46).

  • Men's jewelry (bracelets, chains, rings) has seen significant growth in the last two years, as men tend to research online and require fewer options (39:10).

  • Mangalsutras, especially diamond ones, are popular, particularly among NRI audiences (39:51).

  • Spiritual/divinity jewelry (tied to gemstones, affirmations, evil eye, charms) is also performing strongly (40:05).

Who is this podcast relevant for?

This content naturally attracts:

• Jewelry store owners exploring online selling

• Traditional jewelers searching for e-commerce guidance

• D2C jewelry founders and designers

• Shopify jewelry store builders

• Jewelry marketing and branding professionals

• Jewellers looking to expand their business