Over the years, as an agency that specialises in the luxury retail space, we’ve worked with a number of jewellery brands on their ecommerce strategies. Working with these beautiful products, all of which are positioned at higher-price points, comes with a unique set of challenges which we have grown accustomed to solving. As an agency, luxury jewellers come to us when they want to improve and modernise their online strategy without compromising on their rich brand heritage and strong family values.
Therefore, when Partridge Jewellers contacted us all the way from New Zealand, we were thrilled to be able to join forces with yet another wonderful luxury brand, this time on the other side of the world!
Partridge is not unlike many of the British heritage brands we have worked with. They have a beautiful and rich history and hold the noble title of being the oldest Jewellers in New Zealand. So, we wanted to share what we have learnt about the future ambitions of this wonderful brand and why they chose to work with an agency on the other side of the world! We interviewed their talented Digital & Creative Manager, Brianna Kirkham, to reveal all…
When and where was Partridge jewellers founded?
“We were founded in 1864. It’s our 160th Birthday this year which is a pretty incredible feat considering New Zealand was discovered less than 400 years ago! It makes us one of the oldest jewellers across New Zealand and Australia - so we’re a pretty unique brand for our region.”
“The business was established in the small town of Timaru, before moving to Wellington which acts as a sort of spiritual home for Partridge. In early 2023, our HQ shifted to Auckland which was a really exciting move for the business however many of our team members are frequently travelling across the country to check in with our stores.”
Tell us about your growth story to this point?
“I am very lucky to have joined the company in a really exciting time. In the past few years we’ve gone through somewhat of a transformation phase, especially with the increase in demand for the watches we specialise in. We are very proud of the long-term relationships we have with some of the world’s most sought-after brands including Rolex and Patek Philippe amongst many others. The increased interest in these timepieces has impacted the business positively and has allowed us to expand as well as bring in some more recent additions to our range such as H. Moser & Cie. and Vacheron Constantin. We remain a family business and are now ready to grow further into a thriving, international market through the expansion of our online channels.''
Partridge Jewellers Store in Auckland, NZ.
What does your demographic and target audience look like?
“It’s pretty broad to be honest. I think this is mostly due to the age of our brand which means we have been servicing many clients for years and years. They may have bought an engagement ring from us 30 or 40 years ago and are still coming back to purchase their pieces which is a really lovely part of the business. Although our main customer base is slightly more mature, we are hoping we can start to see a shift in this pattern with the work we’re doing with Unified, and attract a younger demographic with a high-purchasing power.”
“This younger demographic is also a really exciting opportunity for us to further develop our own brand of jewellery. We have an amazing team of designers, goldsmiths and stone specialists who have been working tirelessly to create some really exciting pieces. It’s certainly something I am really looking forward to seeing grow and I can’t wait to see how the response from our clients - both new and existing.”
When did Partridge Jewellers first launch their ecommerce store?
“We’ve been online for a few years now, but the online channel hasn’t been a priority for us until now. We have 7 stores across New Zealand, which is where the majority of our sales are made. However, New Zealand can be a little behind the trends given its location - so we are lagging when it comes to future-proofing the business through digital and online channels. When we look at larger jewellery brands that are operating overseas, we’re seeing a very different story. We are committed to improving our site in order to open Partridge Jewellers up to new audiences and markets.”
What countries do Partridge Jewellers currently trade in online?
“It really depends on the product, with some of the watch brands, we can only sell within the NZ market but others are really keen to have the ability to sell online so that will be an exciting development for Partridge. The appetite for clients researching both watches and jewellery online before coming into store has also meant that I am really focused on providing an amazing initial experience for those customers and trying to somewhat replicate the experience they would receive in store. With our own jewellery, we are able to ship worldwide. Interestingly, we’ve had a fair few online sales from overseas, I think this is most likely due to the rarity of the products we sell and the exchange rate which can sometimes work in their favour. We know there’s ample opportunity in this area once we improve our ecommerce capabilities.”
Why did you decide to work with Unified, considering we’re on the other side of the world?!
“Quite simply - because we wanted to take things to the next level! We wanted to work with an agency who understands luxury jewellery. It was really hard to find an agency in New Zealand who specialises in luxury heritage brands because there’s not that much of a market for it over here.”
“But working with Unified has been such a smooth process. A lot of developers do tend to be based overseas anyway, and with a UK based team it means we can gain double the amount of hours in the day as work is being done whilst we’re sleeping!”
What are your plans for 2024?
“Transformation is the best word to describe our plans for 2024! With the support of Unified, we will be performing a full gut and overhaul of the website. At the moment, we are currently working with the Unified team on a full redesign of the site, so that’s our top priority for now. Afterwards, the next step will be developing this on Magento and implementing Hyva. Once the new site goes live, we’ll be looking to grow our brand and tap into new demographics - it’s a really exciting time for us!”
