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At London Jewelers, It’s A Hands-On Brand Experience | May 14, 2014 (0 comments)
Manhasset, NY--London Jewelers is a name synonymous with quality, brands, and a great customer experience. Founded by watchmaker Charles London in 1926, today London Jewelers boasts five Long Island, NY locations (Southampton is shown left) along with the TWO by London location. TWO by London was a special bridal boutique created in 2011 by fourth-generation jeweler Scott Udell along with his wife Jessica.
Third generation Mark and Candy Udell (Scott's parents) are renowned for their success and are familiar faces around the industry, but long-timers will remember Mark's parents, Fran and Mayer Udell. Mark Udell literally grew up in the industry: his mother was Charles London's daughter, while his father, Mayer, started out as a successful textile merchant but sold his mill and invested in the jewelry store shortly after marrying Fran. As a child, Mark would accompany his father on trips to visit suppliers, and he had a fascination and passion for jewelry and watches even then. In time, Mark's own wife, Candy, did the same as her father-in-law before her: she joined the business as well as the family.
Scott Udell, vice president of London Jewelers, sums up his family's business succinctly: "We are a full service jewelry, watch and diamond boutique; a purveyor of luxury items."
London's luxury items come in all shapes and sizes. Along with jewelry, watches, and diamonds, London Jewelers also carries gift items such as picture frames, baby gifts, cigars and accessories, vintage Chanel belts and scarves, other giftware and accessories for men and women, he says.
Scott Udell, vice president of London Jewelers, above left, and the TWO By London bridal concept store he created in 2011. TWO By London has a hip, contemporary vibe to appeal to today's bridal customer. It has its own website, featuring a monthly "VIC" (Very Important Couple) and it offers a permanent 20% discount to all U.S. military service members and first responders.
And then there are the brands. Brands became a part of London Jewelers in 1960, according to the company's website: "The store in Glen Cove is booming. London Jewelers expands to include a vast selection of jewelry. Prominence and reputation allow Mayer and Fran [the second generation] to begin carrying renowned brands in their store."
And carry them they did. "That's part of the London experience," says Udell. "We make sure that you find whatever brand you are looking for that's under our roof."
Today there are 150+ brands listed on the London Jewelers' website, along with their in-house brand, the London Jewelers Collection. But the London brand experience is much more than a wide selection. "We have stand alone boutiques for Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, David Yurman, and Chanel Fine Jewelry. We're redesigning our watch salon in the next six months. The space will feature an expanded Rolex and Patek Philippe selection," says Udell.
London Jewelers also offers a wide selection of merchandise online. Udell finds it another way to reach his customers. "It's the place where people start," he says. "We do sell online where we are allowed by our brands. We do a few orders a day. Our customer service department stays busy getting additional information for customers online or locating something in particular. Online allows for a lot of conversation and leads. They interact with our customer service department and we help them find what they are looking for." Along with the website, London has a robust presence on social media sites Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
London Jewelers works hard to be innovative and stay involved with their customers. One example is their offerings to cigar lovers. The company sells cigars and all the trimmings -- and has a walk-in humidor. "We have private keeps for customers," says Udell. "Lockers for customers where they can keep their cigar collection. We offered this concept to get the men back in the stores on the weekends. They can come by and restock cigars at their houses."
Below left, the watch boutique interior at the Americana Manhasset. Below right, interior of the East Hampton location.
Above, the interior of the London location at the Americana Manhasset, one of the nation's leading super-luxury shopping centers. Below, the interior of the East Hampton store is sunny and light to reflect its seaside-resort surroundings.
The London Jewelers customer is diverse, according to Udell. "We have members of the local Long Island community and many customers from New York City," he says. Reaching that diverse customer base requires a multi-faceted approach."We keep up with local advertising," says Udell. "We do more digital marketing now and we have great events through the London Club."
The London Club is open to customers of London Jewelers. "It's easy to qualify," says Udell. "We tell people about it and whoever is interested and is a customer can join. We offer them exposure to events first, such as restaurant tasting and trips."
Other events of the London Club include events such as dinners with brand presidents. For the reopening of the David Yurman boutique, London Club members were invited to a meet and greet and have private design appointments with David and Sybil Yurman. "We like to bring the luxury to the people here," says Udell.
The London Club not only has events, but it offers trips as well. "Two years ago we took our 20 best Patek Philippe customers to the factory in Switzerland," says Udell. "It was a six-day trip. Three days at the Patek factory, one day at the museum and one day for leisure."
Great customer service requires great sales associates. While clearly the company has an outstanding sales force, it was not easy to build. "It's hit or miss sometimes," admits Udell. "Not everyone works out. We have plenty of hands-on training. It's important that new sales associates not just learn from a book. If they are trying to sell a ten carat diamond, it's important that they try it out, feel it, work with it. You can't work with one carat to sell a ten carat. When you play with it, touch it every day, you become an expert. It allows sales associates to feel more confident with those pieces."
That hands-on philosophy trickles down into each location to the 220 employees that London employs. "Each store has a customer service department," says Udell. "And the three largest stores have watchmakers and jewelers on site. The other stores are not more than ten minutes away from a store, allowing us to have a much better lead time on our services for customers. We're certified by many watch and jewelry brands, allowing us to better serve our customers."
Along with the continual hands on training, London Jewelers works hard to make sure their associates are customer ready. "We have a great trainer on staff here," says Udell. "We also have specialists that head each brand, appointed our sales people to a particular brand. It allows them to own their brand a bit." London Jewelers began its business by putting the customer first and upholds its success today by continuing that tradition.
The Udell family, both two- and four-legged. Back row, left to right: Zachary, Mark, Mayer, Randi, and Allyn Udell. Front row, left to right: Scott, Jessica, Candy, and Fran Udell. Canine: Zoey, Chloe, Bailey, and Harley.