For tourists, Hawaii has long held an allure as a romantic destination. The Wedding Ring Shop in Honolulu delivers this romance, but for the local population.
Honolulu--In 50 Jewelers/50 States, National Jeweler interviews one retailer in each of the 50 U.S. states to find out how they are meeting the challenges of the changing retail environment.
The Wedding Ring Shop, located in Honolulu, Hawaii, leaves no question as to its fine jewelry specialty.
Founded by husband-and-wife team Michael and Rebecca Han in 1987, The Wedding Ring Shop capitalizes on the sentimentality of jewelry that marks life events, such as engagements, weddings and anniversaries.
National Jeweler spoke with the Hans about how their customers are like ‘ohana, the Hawaiian word for family.
Michael and Rebecca Han opened The Wedding Ring Shop in the Ala Moana Center in 1987. In 2005, they moved to this freestanding location, which is 7,500 square feet. They employ 11 salespeople and a nine-person “support team,” which includes the accounting, marketing, merchandising and operations departments.
National Jeweler: What’s the biggest challenge your store is facing?
Mike Han: The biggest challenge our store faces is finding qualified, talented salespeople, but we plan to overcome it by continuously recruiting.
NJ: What’s the top-selling category and brand at your store?
Rebecca Han: The top-selling category in our store is bridal, with Hearts On Fire and Tacori being the top brands.
NJ: Describe your regional customer.
MH: We serve the “engage-ables,” men and women ages 25 to 34, who are often repeat customers returning to us for their wedding bands.
We strive to turn them into lifetime customers so that The Wedding Ring Shop is their go-to place for unique and personal gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations and other special moments in life.
RH: We also serve couples celebrating milestone anniversaries with upgraded diamonds, settings or wedding bands, as well as those celebrating their second or third marriage.
NJ: What’s the most popular style of engagement ring with your clientele?
RH: We often personalize existing designs from our designers, as custom-designed rings are the most popular among our customers.
NJ: What’s your social media presence like? What accounts do you have or actively use?
Michael and Rebecca Han
RH: The Wedding Ring Shop is active on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
Because Instagram and Pinterest are powerful visual platforms, we post eye-catching product photos that provide our followers with inspiration and ideas for their dream ring.
Facebook, on the other hand, promotes our monthly in-store events and shows the human side of The Wedding Ring Shop with photos of our staff accomplishments and celebrations.
also feature the engagements and weddings of our #WRSOhana. ‘Ohana is Hawaiian for family. We’ve come to see our clients as more than customers--they are our ‘ohana.
NJ: Does your website have e-commerce?
RH: With the growing share of e-commerce in the jewelry market, we’re in the midst of redesigning our catalog-style website to accommodate e-commerce features so that we can meet more of our target audience where they are.
NJ: What’s the best piece of advice you’d offer to other independent jewelry stores?
MH: Three things.
One: know your KPIs, or key performance indicators.
Two: stay close to your customers.
Three: build a healthy company culture.
NJ: What’s a fun fact about you we can share with our readers?
MH: One spring, we held a contest with several brides-to-be tossing fresh whole carrots into a giant engagement ring box on the lawn fronting our store, in front of heavy drive-by traffic, a play on the words carrot and carat.
RH: The winner received a $1,000 gift certificate.
These brides-to-be participated in The Wedding Ring Shop’s carrot toss. The winner’s prize was a $1,000 gift certificate.
The contest took place on the lawn in front of the store, which is a high-traffic area. The contestants threw carrots into a large engagement ring box.
Ashley Davisis the senior editor, fashion at National Jeweler, covering all things related to design, style and trends.
