JNA Awards 2020 - Jewellery Industry Best Practices

90 JNA AWARDS • 2020 Shanghai Zbird Co Ltd (Zbird) Known for its online-to-offline (O2O) business model, Shanghai Zbird Co Ltd has successfully amassed at least a million customers in the last 18 years. Still, this respected innovator continues to push the envelope by introducing new and exciting technologies in its retail operations. “Since 2016, domestic shopping centres have developed rapidly across China. The aggressive expansion of Wanda, Parkson and other malls in the country presented an important opportunity for jewellery chain franchising brands,” says Xu Lei, Founder and CEO of Zbird. In a bid to seize the moment, the company officially laid out its franchising concept in 2018. Guided by the O2O model, franchisees easily established their own traffic channels. By 2019, Zbird had more than 100 offline franchisees. Furthermore, it continues to utilise the power of technology in moving its brand forward. From previously using online channels to drive foot traffic to its stores, the company has transformed its existing “new retail business” model into what it calls a “smart retail business” through the introduction of game-changing personalised services. ‘Ring Master’ Guided by the belief that “no wedding ring is more valuable and meaningful than the one you design yourself,” the company launched Zbird Wedding Ring Master in April 2020. This comes on the heels of a three- year development process, which started in 2017. The 3D customisation app attracts customers, especially from the post-90s generation, by allowing them to design their own rings through software that readily Category: Retailer of the Year Country / Region: China 1 2