Direct-to-Consumer Brand Now Has US Showroom

New York—Online jewelry seller Mejuri has opened a U.S. space where customers can try on product in person.

The company opened a showroom in New York City’s Nolita neighborhood in December. It is Mejuri’s first U.S. location and second outside of Toronto.

Consumers can slip on the karat gold, sterling silver, diamond and gemstone jewels they’ve seen online in person and place orders that are shipped next day.

The reverse-retail omnichannel approach, in which digitally native companies create brick-and-mortar retail spaces or physical showrooms, has been employed by companies like Amazon and Blue Nile, and most recently, James Allen.

Mejuri employs a number of disruptive retail methods.

First, even though it is a jewelry brand it doesn’t have a wholesale business, instead selling directly to consumers at what it says is “a fraction of the price of traditional retail.”

Second, it utilizes a weekly drop method, seen more in streetwear than fine jewelry (think clothing company Supreme), launching new limited-edition collections each week. This creates a sense of scarcity, encouraging consumers to buy before items sell out.

For instance, Mejuri recently advertised its newest pieces, the “Oversize Collection” to its hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers in a post on the platform that read: “Oversized Collection is officially here. This is a one-time, no restock + limited piece collection. So, don’t say we didn’t warn you. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

The Toronto-based company says its methods are working. The brand’s target consumer, women buying jewelry for themselves, represents 80 percent of its market.

It also says it is maintaining 400 percent year-over-year growth, selling more in one week in 2018 than it did in all of 2017.

Felix Capital, which has invested in Goop and FarFetch, recently sunk money into Mejuri, which was founded in 2015 by CEO Noura Sakkijha.

The New York City “customer activation space” will host various events, from piercing parties to panels.

It’s located at 43 Spring St.