We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Azari Alexander . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Azari below.

Azari, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Has Covid resulted in any major changes to your business model?

At the peak of covid, I was unsure of how to properly rebrand. I didn’t receive a lot consumer traffic during my tenure in college and I wanted to expand my target audience (at this time it was mainly women between the ages of 30 and 50 years old). I discussed with my best friend the goals I wanted to achieve on restructuring my brand and business model. First, I decided to change the business name. In order for me to reach new target audiences, I believed the name change coupled with expanding my product line and services could yield increased revenue. Second, were the brand’s colors. I aimed to keep the colors simple: black, white, purple, and blue. Third, was to create content-friendly social media posts to boost viewer insights. Tik Tok was starting to become more popular in 2020 and my goal was to post more viral videos.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Azari Alexander, the CEO and Founder of Z Gem Collection LLC. My journey began in 2016. I was in search of a hustle in high school and my mom instilled the idea in me to begin designing jewelry. After many YouTube videos and jewelry classes later, I was self-taught in designing beaded jewelry. Its grown from a female-based business to a Christian-based business that caters to men, women, and children. Also, I offer repair services as well. What sets my jewelry business apart from other businesses is the distinction between each product I create. I can think of every time I’ve spotted my jewelry on someone’s wrist; I started to study my designs. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching my business grow over the years. Creating different jewelry designs has become therapeutic and infectious. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Z Gem Collection.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy that’s been my go-to when building my clientele is participating in pop-up shops. I’ve never resorted to solely social media platforms for consumer engagement. Pop-ups have allowed me to connect with customers directly and it’s allowed them to put a face to my products. Also, they’re cost-effective and a useful tactic when trying to clear out inventory. Overall, one benefit behind why I continuously support pop-ups is because it caters to my brand’s identity.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

One retention strategy I use to foster brand loyalty are 6-month follow-ups. Customers are eligible for a free restringing and repair post-purchase after 6 months. This prompts existing customers to reel in new customers. Also, existing customers will start to become repetitive buyers despite other similar or competitive brands.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Instagram.com/zgemcollection