Go big and go West: With its redesigned and relocated Cupertino, Calif., store, Shane Co. is boosting customer engagement with a selfie station, interactive maps, a greeter station with a coffee bar, and the largest showroom the jeweler has ever created.
Opening its Cupertino store in a new location gave Shane Co. a chance to revamp what customers see when they experience the brand, says Price Blanchard, chief customer officer and a part of the nation’s largest family-owned jewelry company for 34 years. The design highlights the chain’s core values and sets it apart in a “modern, multidimensional way,” he says.
The store, which opened Sept. 13 at 19900 Stevens Creek Blvd., is part of Shane Co.’s efforts to immerse customers in an experience that puts them front and center, Blanchard says. For example, a 3D in-store display highlights Shane Co.’s ethical-sourcing commitment; the store also includes a gemstone experience highlighting the process of creating a piece from start to finish, as well as a viewing area for people to watch jewelers as they work.
“This new store offers customers a hands-on and unique store experience, including a selfie station for guests to share photos of their jewelry, an interactive world map that shows where Shane Co.’s conflict-free diamonds and gemstones are ethically sourced, rough gemstones customers can hold, a welcoming lobby with a coffee bar and greeter station, and so much more,” Blanchard says.
Such an opening is something to celebrate, Blanchard says, especially after the past 18 months. Like many retailers, Shane Co. closed all of its locations for a minimum of six weeks due to the pandemic. Its website became its main way to connect with customers thanks to interactive tools like Virtual Try-On and Image Search.
In September 2020, Shane Co. started a company-wide installation of the Synexis Biodefense System, a patented technology that reduces microbial threats, bringing cleaner air to all its stores. This upgraded air-cleaning system was in addition to the other COVID-19 safety protocols that Shane Co. enacted to ensure it was “continually first to market in retail for best-in-class technology,” Blanchard says.
“We are ‘your friend in the jewelry business,’ so it was important for us to find different ways to allow our customers to shop safely with us in a way that was comfortable for them,” Blanchard says. “We started offering virtual and in-store appointments, curbside service, texting with jewelry consultants, and chatting with our jewelry consultants online.… Our top goal throughout the pandemic continues to be keeping our employees and customers safe.”
To boost staff morale, in July 2020 Shane Co. launched a partnership with Kids in Need Foundation (KINF) that included both a financial donation and volunteer opportunities for employees. Over 2020 and 2021, Shane Co. employees have volunteered more than 2,400 hours, stuffing and donating more than 12,000 backpacks full of supplies and supporting more than 500 classrooms, Blanchard says.
KINF is a national nonprofit organization that supports under-resourced teachers and students by providing school supplies and classroom materials. The Shane Co. + KINF partnership further aims to create equitable learning environments by supporting schools where the demographic primarily comprises students who are Black, Indigenous, and of color.
“Being able to give back to under-resourced teachers and students in our local communities was vital to help build a strong culture internally and support our communities externally,” Blanchard says.
Shane Co. operates 20 stores in 13 states as well as an online store. The company recovered from a Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2010, restructuring with a plan that allowed it to “remain a strong player in the industry,” CEO Tom Shane told JCK at the time.
Top: From left: Hank Inderlied, Shane Co. Cupertino store manager; Rordan Shane, president & CEO; and Tom Shane, owner (all photos courtesy of Shane Co.)
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