Diamond jeweller Hearts On Fire has launched a new distribution strategy in Australia, partnering with J Farren Price.
Known for focusing on cutting diamonds precisely, as opposed to cutting for carats, Hearts On Fire has already been in the Australian market for a number of years but is only now honing in on a completely localised strategy.
Hearts On Fire sales and training manager ANZ Bart Ware discussed the brand's new partnership and strategy with ragtrader.com.au.
“Until late last year, we've had a solid presence in Australia, but the desire to expand in this market has always been there.
“The J Farren Price partnership, which was secured in late 2018, is a fantastic opportunity for the brand, primarily due to our aligned values of quality and prioritising customer service.”
Ware said that the distributor was one of the best in Australia, being a founding member of the Diamond Guild of Australia and a member of the Argyle Pink Diamonds Select Atelier.
The high-end jewellery distributor has been in business since 1942 and is the official retailer for Rolex in Australia.
As part of its strategy, Ware said that Hearts On Fire is not currently selling online to Australia as it tries to direct customers to its stockists.
“Our focus is [to] drive consumers to our retail partners.
“Category wise, we're seeing great traction with our new Lorelei Classics collection.
“These pieces are designed with beautiful scalloping details that mimic fabric such as lace, really highlighting our diamond quality and cut.”
Already, it has seen significant traction in WA and Queensland but NSW and Victoria remain its key markets.
Further to its distribution strategy, Ware said Hearts On Fire is also investing in localised marketing to increase brand awareness.
He explained the brand is focusing not only on the bridal customer but also a new emerging market - “the female self-purchaser”.
“Publicity and collaboration opportunities are key to adding to brand interest in the US and we are looking to adapt that in Australia.
“In the US, we see great success with celebrity placements – a recent example is Oscars weekend where we saw the likes of Rita Ora and Fernanda Liz wearing our pieces – to drive publicity and we are hoping to bring that same strategy to Australia.
“We're working with a PR agency and in early stages, we're already seeing traction in the market, so we look forward to seeing this grow and develop.”
Moving forward, Ware said the brand will continue to test the best tactics to reach its Australian consumer.
“From our distribution to our marketing efforts we are going to be testing various tactics to see what is most effective.
“Even if a marketing tactic we've tried in the past hasn't necessarily delivered, there is always insight we can leverage and optimise for best practice moving forward.
“Each region of the globe needs unique strategies and for Australia, marketing and PR has provided lots of data and learning opportunities.”