An Argentine Gem:
The Journey of
Fichí Jewelry
Nicole Franco Churruarín always had that entrepreneurial feeling, ever since she was a little child. It runs in the family, as her mother also had a fashion business and now also works at Fichí Jewelry. In her youth, when Nicole was making a necklace for herself, all of her friends wanted that necklace too! They asked her: “Why don't you sell them?”. At that point she decided to start a little business and sell the jewelry on a big square in the city.
Follow Your Dreams
Nicole started Fichí Jewelry officially in 2015, when she was still in high school. It started off like a hobby, evolving into an online only side business and is currently run as a professional jewelry business. At University, she earned a marketing degree. During those years she started to apply learned strategies to Fichí Jewelry. After University she was able to build Fichí Jewelry into a professional jewelry business. Nicole: “Nowadays, I realize that I have followed my dream, which is starting a business that's related to fashion. I want to make classy, yet trendy, pieces that you can wear every day. Pieces that are with you, to follow your dreams and accomplish your goals. That's what I have in mind with my business and for my community.”
“Ultimately, building trust lies at the core of her strategy ”
Argentinian challenges
Nicole faces considerable challenges as an entrepreneur in Argentina due to the country's longstanding economic instability, high inflation rates, and disadvantageous exchange rate with the dollar. Despite these obstacles, she has devised a proactive approach to surmount these hurdles by building a robust community and offering genuine assistance to her customers. Nicole's philosophy revolves around maintaining reasonable pricing for her products, including special gifts and discounts, enabling her clients to update their accessories without breaking the bank. This customer-centric approach has garnered immense appreciation and loyalty from her clientele. Leveraging Instagram as her primary communication platform, Nicole fosters strong connections with her community. Furthermore, she has extended her marketing efforts to encompass paid advertising, email marketing, and influencer collaborations. A key aspect that sets her apart is her emphasis on user-generated content, recognizing its power to instill trust among her target audience. Ultimately, building trust lies at the core of her strategy.
"I will not expose my customers, and myself, to any hazard. I want to make sure it is a pleasant and exclusive experience!"
Exclusive experience
The past years Nicole felt strongly that she needed a showroom, where people can come and have the full and exclusive experience of trying. And on top of that, building the customer relation by meeting in person. Unfortunately, As Fichí Jewelry is based in Argentina, the risk of robbery is too high to provide showroom access in a public area. Nicole: “We have economic problems and insecurity issues here. So having a store in the street is not an option for us, it's very dangerous. In fact, people do it, but it's dangerous. I will not expose my customers, and myself, to any hazard. I want to make sure it is a pleasant and exclusive experience". Eventually Nicole found a good spot in Buenos Aires and earlier this year opened a secure, physical store, which is actually a studio, with a magnificent showroom!
“For customers that are not able to make an appointment online, I can easily add their appointments manually ”
In Control With Vev
As the showroom is located in a private area, Fichí Jewelry’s customers can only visit by appointment. That made Nicole search for an online platform that was easy to use and also shows who is coming exactly, because of the safety reasons. Eventually she found showroom appointment software that provides just that. Nicole: “That’s when Vev came into my life! For me, it is very important that customers need to fill in their contact details. I really appreciate that! Vev is helping me a lot with my business because it adds to the personal experience of coming to the showroom in an exclusive and eccentric way. For us, I think two or three appointments at the same time is perfect, not more than that simultaneously. With Vev, we have total control over that. For customers that are not able to make an appointment online, I can easily add their appointments manually. Lastly, I find the history function of the customers very insightful.”
“I would love to start selling to Argentinians living abroad! ”
International shipping
Besides serving and expanding her domestic group of customers, in the coming years Nicole would like to start offering international shipping. Just the group of Argentines living abroad, who approach her to make and send jewelry, is huge. It could be an interesting second community to build on. Nicole: "I would love to start selling to Argentinians living abroad! However, setting up a reliable, affordable and quick international shipping service in Argentina will definitely bring some additional challenges."
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