JWA 2021 Jewellery Industry Best Practices

and augmented reality (AR) powered ‘try-on’ app could help improve online sales,” Chu says. Without missing a beat, the Picup team burnt the midnight oil, created prototypes and utilised various software programs to create an app that would help customers visualise how certain pieces of jewellery would look like when worn — all without having to physically visit the store. The app proved to be quite a success after its launch, attracting over 23,000 users from October 2019 to March 2021. It also amassed over 100 five-star reviews on Trustpilot. Second, Picup discovered that many companies usually send out WhatsApp or Viber pictures to their clients, which result in compressed, low-resolution images that do not do their products justice. It is for this reason that the company created the Jewellery Hub, which automatically stores and synchronises Picup’s extensive databaseof images, thus giving subscribers access to studio- quality jewellery photos and videos that they can share with their customers at the click of a button. Over 35,000 jewellers from around the globe have since accessed the platform, which now hosts over five million files. Furthermore, the company introduced GemLoupe, a custom 5X lens that turns every phone into a professional camera, specifically for purposes of jewellery photography. “Altogether, these tools have helped show our clients that they can continue to sell online and that they need not shut down their businesses completely just because of the pandemic,” says Chu. DIGITAL ECONOMY Unsurprisingly, Picup enjoyed a handsome return on its investments. Sales rose by 200 percent from 2019 to 2021 while revenues went up by 40 percent. The company was featured in various publications alongside industry leaders like De Beers, Sotheby’s, Chow Tai Fook, Venus Jewel and KGK Group, among others. It has also been selected as a photography partner for a number of prestigious industry events. Even as the pandemic starts to wind down, this JWA Honouree predicts that jewellery retail will continue to become a hybrid of offline and online solutions. “We will significantly increase our R&D investment for 2022 to prepare for the inevitable rise of the digital economy. It is, after all, our mission to continuously develop innovative solutions that would help retailers provide an integrated shopping experience for their customers, now and into the future,” says Chu. 1. GemLightbox product range 2. GemLoupe with iPhone 3. AWDC digital photography workshop 4. Augmented reality 5. Jewellery photography books 4 3 5