How Material Good does three-months-worth of inventory management in a couple of hours.
Background
It wasn’t that long ago that Daniel Londono was offered a job at a brand new jewelry store—Material Good. The owners, Rob Ronen and Michael Herman were good friends and they were trying something new, pioneering a sophisticated take on the outdated jewelry store concept. It was an exciting time, according to Daniel. “Everything was brand new.” He believed in Rob, accepted his offer, and quickly caught the vision of Material Good.
Problem
Daniel wasn’t the only one to appreciate Rob’s new concept. Athletes, celebrities, and high-end clientele flocked to their flagship location in SoHo. Material Good’s signature design, modern craftsmanship, and hand-curated selection created unprecedented demand.
The boutique quickly became, “A must-visit in SoHo.” according to one customer. As you step off the busy downtown street and into Material Good, you immediately feel the vibe. The lighting is turned down, subtle, and modern. Thick, expansive rugs rest neatly under hand stitched Italian leather couches. Colorful modern artwork hangs above spotless glass cases. Each one filled with expertly curated, perfectly organized fine jewelry. Reviewers agreed, “There’s really nothing like Material Good.”
While customers admired MG’s selection of handbags, timepieces and fine jewelry, not everything behind the scenes was as on-trend. “We were using paper and spreadsheets to keep track of everything.” Daniel recalled. “It was all really manual.”
As the business grew, so did demand, but the inventory management and point-of-sale processes couldn’t keep up. “It was a pain. We were looking for something to replace it for about a year.” Daniel admitted.
Solution
By now, Daniel had done everything from logistics to timepiece sales, so he understood deeply the need for a new system. Rob and Michael, MG’s founders, recommended Daniel and team take a look at Crystal, a new jewelry store management platform.
From the very beginning Daniel was onboard. “When we asked other companies difficult questions, they’d never get back to us, but with you guys it was just, ‘Yes, we can do that, and that, and that.’ It seemed too good to be true.”
Results
With the founders’ blessings, Material Good went all-in on Crystal. “So far it’s just exceeded our every expectation. We’ve been really pleased.” said Daniel. But it wasn’t just the product that was winning over Daniel’s team.
“You’ve been really responsive with everything that we’ve thrown at you. We were testing another platform before and had a full week of training, 10 hours a day and we’d still have to ask questions. With Crystal everything is where you’d expect it to be. In just a few hours of training with your team we were up to speed.”
The bet on Crystal has paid off for Material Good. “We used to do inventory once a quarter,” Daniel recalled, “now we can do it monthly in just an hour or so.”
Daniel shared his advice for other jewelry stores on the fence about new software. “It’s going to save you so much time, just do it. I use it all the time, every single day for reporting, inventory management, you name it. If you took away Crystal, I’d have a panic attack.”
Today, Material Good uses Crystal to manage inventory, commissions, reporting, and sales. Their customer base has exploded with more than 150,000 followers online and word-of-mouth spreading every day. One reviewer summed it up perfectly.
“What can I say? There's really nothing like Material Good. I love the selection, the aesthetic, and most importantly the quality of the product.”