Our work with Helzberg began with technical improvements and quickly grew into something more: A partnership with a mission to reposition Helzberg as an elevated, legacy brand in today’s jewelry market.

To accomplish this mission, we worked with Helzberg to modernize and update their business from the inside out.

Beginning with Helzberg’s foundational digital applications, we focused on consolidating their tech stack and building a foundation that would enable Helzberg to realize the full potential of the Salesforce ecosystem as a means of delivering a better, more personalized customer experience—both online and in-store.

We then introduced our team at BASIC/DEPT® to help Helzberg elevate its brand with a comprehensive identity refresh and customer experience that reimagined the holistic online bridal journey.

Working with a different agency, Helzberg had been in the midst of re-platforming from Magento to Salesforce Commerce Cloud (SFCC).  However, at launch, the project wasn’t delivering the expected conversion improvements, and Helzberg made the decision to reach out to DEPT.

Understanding the urgency of the issue, we jumped in straightaway with our conversion rate optimization services. An iterative, agile approach boosted their site’s experience, and we observed rapid-fire growth that ultimately increased Helzberg’s YoY conversion rate by 10% within eight months.

Having helped Helzberg realize value in SFCC, our mission to help them unlock the full potential of a complete Salesforce ecosystem began in earnest.

To start, we introduced Salesforce Service Cloud (SFSC), which unlocked Salesforce’s set of omnichannel e-commerce solutions for Helzberg to create a more seamless and interconnected online customer experience.

Next, we turned our attention to Helzberg’s email marketing system and Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC). In this case, Helzberg was already starting to see value from a pre-existing partial SFMC setup. However, the behavioral triggers they relied on were still powered by a separate system. 

By migrating these triggers into SFMC, we were able to integrate the full scope of Helzberg’s marketing system under a single umbrella, which unlocked valuable additional tools like profiling (website activity), subscription management, recommendations, and personalization.

With a base of high-consideration, high-value customers, Helzberg has always strived to cultivate a meaningful experience that honors the significance of their purchases. In this way, the foundation that we helped build in Salesforce provided an invaluable source of personalization to Helzberg’s business. 

Service Cloud, for example, provided the tools Helzberg needed to create a seamless online experience and helped improve the in-store experience.

By fully integrating the in-store clienteling application with their e-commerce platform, we helped Helzberg’s team deliver a more seamless customer experience. A unified view of customer IDs and expanding the available stock and options allowed the in-store associate to service customers better.

To further deepen the in-store experience, we also leveraged Salesforce Experience Cloud to build a custom mobile application designed specifically for Helzberg’s gemstone viewing equipment as part of their in-store Diamond Room experience, a highly personalized experience that is a key differentiator within the luxury jewelry market.

The specialized nature of the Diamond Room equipment meant that we could have envisioned the app’s function as purely scientific. However, after discussing the vision for the application with Helzberg, we decided to focus on simplicity.

The final result enabled store associates to share their expertise in an exciting new way, allowing customers to see the craftsmanship and beauty of the pieces up close and personal.

Having built the technical foundation for Helzberg to carry their legacy of service and stories to a new generation of modern consumers, we also wanted to ensure that this transformation was reflected in Helzberg’s brand expression. 

The Helzberg identity was rooted in a rich history of quality products and personalized, best-in-class service. We saw an opportunity to define the Helzberg brand as a new modern classic by leaning into elements of their legacy and bringing them back to life with a fresh, story-driven perspective.  

Using this approach, we developed “A Legacy of Unconditional Care.” A new brand platform that modernized and put renewed emphasis on the care, service, and customer-first ideology that Helzberg’s legacy was built on.

To create a visual identity that felt truly timeless, we created a layered brand expression—including a new logo, fresh color palette, and design system—that combined authenticity with texture and a unique sense of story worthy of Helzberg’s century-old legacy. 

We also crafted a new set of principles around tone of voice and content direction that prioritizes emotional honesty over polished perfection. As a premium brand, Helzberg should feel service-forward, curated & unique—exuding a certain quiet confidence that comes off as real and relatable, not stuffy or high-brow.

The results add clarity and specificity to Helzberg’s approach toward the fine jewelry experience, emphasizing the value of their perspective as one of the last names remaining in legacy jewelers while renewing their brand’s emphasis on the intimacy of human connection expression.

The jewelry industry wasn’t the only thing that changed throughout Helzberg’s history. Modern love had as well—and how people shop for engagement and wedding jewelry. 

We reimagined the online bridal journey for the modern customer with a two-fold strategy spanning Helzberg’s existing Diamond Room experience and a new experience we created together, the Love & Marriage Studio.

Our approach for both experiences sought to further differentiate Helzberg within the jewelry market by incorporating its brand’s unique POV within a seamless, omnichannel customer journey. 

Helzberg could elevate its digital experience beyond a transaction-oriented pathway to one that feels like a natural extension of the brand’s defining trait: Personalized, expert-driven service that fosters every customer’s love story through inspiration, utility, and care. 

With the Love & Marriage Studio, we worked with Helzberg to bring to life a digital hub to help visitors feel inspired, get focused, and access services as needed for all the ways love is celebrated—from engagement to “I do,” anniversaries, and beyond. 

By introducing a hub like this, we built an engaging experience to establish a new vernacular and inspire new behaviors while showcasing Helzberg’s longer-term potential. We were thrilled to learn that, within two months of its launch, Love & Marriage Studio earned 45k unique sessions from users eager to see their story unfold.

We took the Diamond Room, traditionally an in-store experience, and repackaged it as a fully realized digital experience. 

As a digital experience, the Diamond Room offered a closer look and analysis of individual diamonds and pieces. It educated customers on the “4Cs” (cut, color, clarity, and carat) and gave them an up-close and personal sense of their piece.

The 2024 holiday season marked the beginning of a new era for Helzberg, and they wanted to celebrate the occasion by showcasing their newly refreshed brand. 

Our production team was pulled in to develop an omnichannel campaign that reflected the ethos of Helzberg’s new brand platform and their recommitment to authentic storytelling. 

The holiday-inspired campaign—which ran across platforms including CTV/OLV, YouTube, and social—proved to be a big success. On YouTube, people who viewed Helzberg’s video ads were 1.4x more likely to search for the brand, while those exposed to Helzberg’s reach campaign on the platform were 2x more likely to search for Helzberg. 

In addition to a range of holiday-specific themes, our production team included plenty of evergreen bridal storytelling moments. Within the CTV campaign, these bridal spots drove a 42% increase in Omni ROAS YoY for Helzberg. 

Best of all, these evergreen moments have a built-in versatility that ensures Helzberg is well-placed to deliver a range of high-performing placements for key marketing moments throughout the calendar year. 

Like diamonds, Helzberg’s legacy wasn’t created overnight. It was cultivated over a hundred years of meticulous craft and determination to give every couple the perfect testament to their love. 

Throughout our work together, we’ve never sought to change this legacy, only to amplify it. As a modernised, elevated, and refreshed brand, the possibilities for Helzberg’s next hundred years are more exciting than ever—but we’re confident that unconditional care and commitment to craft will remain at the heart of all they do.