The brand is embracing omnichannel retailing
Todd Reed has had a busy year.
The brand shuttered its Southern California location in September and, a month later, opened a shop-in-shop inside fine jewelry store Fox’s Seattle.
And this week the Boulder, Colo.–based jewelry company debuted a brand-new website that features full e-commerce functionality—a first for the brand, which has become a staple in urban and suburban fine jewelry stores in recent years.
“Customers have always shopped the website and completed their buying experience through a retail partner or through the showroom,” said Todd Reed web manager Jennifer Briggs in a company statement. But the launch of an e-comm site represents the opportunity to take the brand “into underdeveloped markets where there is no retail representation.”
The site features searchable product pages grouped by category, videos telling the stories of how pieces are fabricated—while reinforcing the company’s singular mission and brand vibe—and a section titled “Custom” that invites shoppers to work directly with the designer on a special piece (it’s stated that he’ll also gladly repurpose metals or gems they already own).
The company promotes its wholesale partners on the site through a Find a Dealer section—where users can search for a store by state.
The move to introduce e-comm is certainly a savvy one for Todd Reed. The trend among younger jewelry brands with a similar story to tell (that of handmade craftsmanship and vertical manufacturing) is to launch as a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site first, then see if there’s interest for a brick-and-mortar store down the line—a la Vrai & Oro and AUrate. They’re increasingly skipping wholesaling altogether.
Todd Reed’s bread and butter is retail partnerships, so the addition of an e-commerce site at this stage was likely a less simple proposition.
But there’s no doubt that direct-to-consumer channels will play a significant role in the future of retail. And no forward-thinking brand can afford to ignore them.
(All photos courtesy of Todd Reed)
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