Since its launch in 1924, Zales has been recognized as an engagement ring destination. A century later, the brand is looking to revamp its image and diversify its product assortment in an aim to acquire new customers.
For Zales, this year is all about moving away from the notion that customers only want to shop the brand for engagement bands and wedding rings. To do this, the brand is implementing a handful of marketing strategies to increase brand awareness.
In April, as a kickoff for its 100th anniversary, Zales launched a marketing campaign across all of its social media platforms highlighting Zales’s rich history while also unveiling a custom necklace to honor the company’s reputation as a “diamond destination.” The custom necklace features 100 carats of lab-grown diamonds and was first spotted on singer Becky G during her 2024 Oscars performance in March.
In addition to marketing, Kecia Caffie, president of Zales, said the company is also focusing on innovation in a few areas. In January, Zales announced new additions to its Designer Edits, which highlight up-and-coming jewelry designers. Zales is also exploring new creator partnerships and brand activations and refreshing the store experience at 100 select locations across the country. Part of the refresh will include an open sale format, meaning certain products will be removed from behind glass cases to allow consumers to touch and feel the jewelry. In addition, Zales is increasing its social presence through paid and organic influencer content on platforms including TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
“Open sale is going to work, but [we are exploring] other experiences that will get people off the couch and into the store,” Caffie said. She added that Zales will also introduce a more affordable category offering fine jewelry pieces under $1,000.
In May, Signet Jewelers, Zales’s parent company which acquired the brand in 2014 for $690 million, released its fourth-quarter 2024 earnings. The company reported total sales of $2.5 billion, down 6.3% year-over-year.
Glossy spoke with Caffie to discuss the brand’s revamped marketing and retail strategy and its growth plans.
How the brand is moving past its mall-brand status
“We’ve got a very strong e-commerce business. As we developed the [new] strategy, we wanted to lead with digital first. … We’re dealing with a 100-year-old brand, and not every store we have is the freshest. … So we’re focused on how we can make husbands aware of what we’ve got to offer, and e-commerce becomes a critical component of that. I expect e-commerce to continue growing at a faster rate as we reach out to that customer who is more digitally native to start their journey online. We know that, today, more than 80% of our customers will start looking online first to see what they want before going into the stores [to shop]. … Having a strong presence on social is critically important today, and that’s a change for us. If you go back 10 years ago, we were primarily spending our marketing dollars on linear TV. … We probably had a [spot] on a must-see TV show at 8 p.m. or on Thursday night on ABC, NBC or CBS. … We’ve got to make sure we’re prepared to meet the customer where they are, so how we spend our dollars from a streaming standpoint on linear is now very specific to sporting events. … Another real opportunity is leaning into creating authentic relationships with influencers and creators, because we know that the Zillennial consumers, in particular, are so influenced by their friends versus a brand directing them. More and more, what you’re going to see from us in the next year is creator and influencer content over more produced, agency-created assets.”
Zales’s consumer acquisition strategy
“We’ve been staying close to what’s happening in the marketplace by understanding what our customers are attracted to. We’re still a jeweler that is going to offer your two-carat tennis bracelet — that’s never going to change. We’re going to offer it to you in both LCD and natural diamonds. Where we have an opportunity to round out is getting to those price points that are really attractive. That’s $1,000 and below for us — we’re never going to go into pure costume jewelry, that’s not us. We’re going to stay true to our heritage and make sure that whatever we’re offering is of the quality people expect from Zales. What that means is we can offer something at $250, but if you’re on the website, there’s something on there for $70,000, as well. So we’ve got you for a date night but we also have you when it’s time to walk down the aisle. … People are getting married later in life, and some may choose never to get married at all. … So our goal is to make sure that we’re there, from when she’s got that promotion to when she’s buying a little something for herself — so that when it’s time for that engagement, she’s going to direct him to come to [Zales]. That’s where the opportunity is for us.”
