CASE STUDY
Reimagining
Jewellery Shopping
with Augmented Reality
A seamless cross-device experience that helps customers visualise custom jewellery in real life before making one of life's biggest purchases
ABOUT
Founded in 1970, Stuller is one of North America's largest manufacturers and distributors of fine jewellery, serving over 40,000 jewellery professionals with more than 200,000 products. Headquartered in Lafayette, the company employs approximately 1,200–1,500 people and is recognized for its rapid manufacturing, next-day delivery network, and industry-leading custom jewellery solutions.
RESPONSIBILITIES
ROLE
Product Designer
DURATION
4-6 Weeks
PROJECT TYPE
Concept Project
PLATFORM
Desktop, Mobile (IOS/Android) and AR
DELIVERABLES
Research, User Flows, Wireframes, UI Design
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Buying fine jewellery online is a leap of faith. Customers can't truly visualise the piece, unsure of how it will look, feel or fit in real life. This uncertainity leads to hesitation, longer descision cycles and higher return rates
Help customers feel confident in their choice by allowing them to visualise customised jewellery in real life before purchasing?
BUSINESS CONTEXT
76%
Of customers want to see products in AR before buying
30%
Of online jewellery purchases are returned unexplained
2.3x
Higher return rates and low confidence directly affect revenue and brand trust
RESEARCH
Discovery and Insights
RESEARCH
-
10 Customer Interviews
-
5 Sales Associates Interviews
-
1 industry expert interview
-
Competetive Analysis
-
Market and Data Research
-
Deep dive into Stuller's current product workflow
KEY INSIGHTS
-
Customers need confidence, not more information
-
Visualizing in real life builds emotional connection
-
People compare multiple designs before deciding
-
Sharing options help in group descisions
-
A seamless cross-device journey is essential
OPPORTUNITY
-
Empower customers to visualise, compare and save their choices in real life
-
Introduce a complementary mobile experience that seamlessly bridges desktop customization with AR visualization
-
Leverage the AR experience as a strategic pilot to evaluate customer adoption, engagement, and commercial viability, generating insights that could inform a future B2C offering.
MARKET RESEARCH
Competitor Analysis
COMPETITOR
STRENGTHS
WHAT'S MISSING
James Allen
Industry-leading 360° diamond visualization makes inspecting stones and craftsmanship feel transparent and trustworthy.
The experience ends at product inspection. Customers still can't visualize the jewellery on themselves or compare designs in a real-world context.
Blue Nile
Clean customization flow with strong educational content helps customers make informed purchasing decisions.
Decision-making relies on imagination rather than visualization
Tiffany & Co.
Premium visual design and luxury brand presentation reinforce trust and elevate perceived product value.
The digital journey focuses on brand experience rather than helping customers confidently evaluate customized products.
Cartier
Elegant product photography and refined interface create an aspirational luxury experience.
Limited product exploration and comparison tools make it difficult to evaluate multiple options digitally.
Brilliant Earth
Beautiful storytelling around sustainability and an intuitive ring builder create a premium shopping experience.
Product personalization is strong, but customers lack immersive tools to validate how a design looks before buying.
MARKET RESEARCH
User Persona
Emily, 28
First Time Buyer
Shops for Jewellery
Once every 3–5 years (special occasions)
Goals
-
Find the perfect engagement ring within budget
-
Feel confident before making a significant purchase
-
Ensure the ring looks beautiful in real life
Frustrations
-
Unsure whether the ring will suit her hand
-
Difficult to judge the actual size and proportions online
-
Hesitates to spend thousands based only on product photos
Technology Usage : HIGH
Comfortable shopping online, uses mobile apps daily, frequently researches purchases across multiple devices.
Focus Statement
"I can't picture how the ring will actually look on my hand before I buy it."
Michael, 41
The Detail-Oriented Researcher
Shops for Jewellery
Once every 1-2 years
Goals
-
Compare multiple ring designs before making a final decision
-
Customize every detail to suit his partner's preferences
-
Make a well-informed purchase without visiting multiple stores
Frustrations
-
Switching between browser tabs to compare products
-
Forgetting subtle differences between saved designs
Technology Usage : VERY HIGH
Shops almost exclusively online, compares products extensively, frequently uses desktop for research and mobile for follow-up.
Focus Statement
"I'm never completely sure which design is the right one because I can't compare them in a realistic way."
Shanaya, 34
The Luxury Shopper
Shops for Jewellery
5-6 times a year
Goals
-
Enjoy a luxury shopping experience online
-
Avoid unnecessary trips to physical stores
Frustrations
-
Luxury purchases feel risky without experiencing the piece firsthand
-
Difficult to know whether a necklace or ring complements her personal style
Technology Usage : MEDIUM
Comfortable with premium e-commerce, social media, and mobile shopping, but expects polished digital experiences.
Focus Statement
"Luxury jewellery is too personal to buy unless I know exactly how it will look on me."
IDEATION
Journey Mapping
A Connected experience that let's users design on desktop, visualise in AR on Mobile, compare with ease and purchase with confidence
DESKTOP
MOBILE - AR
CUSTOMISE
Design and customise your ring on Desktop
CONNECT
Scan QR code to send AR link to Phone
VISUALIZE
See your customised product in real life using AR
COMPARE
Save your AR snapshots, compare products
PURCHASE
Complete your purchase with confidence
DESKTOP - MEDIUM FIDELITY
DESKTOP TO MOBILE - AR WORKFLOW
MOBILE - MEDIUM FIDELITY
UI DESIGN
Bringing it to Life
AFTERMATH
Potential Business Impact
INCREASE PURCHASE CONFIDENCE
Immersive AR visualization enables customers to validate their choices before committing to a high-value purchase.
INCREASE CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT
Allowing customers to compare multiple customized designs side-by-side minimizes hesitation during decision-making.
REDUCE PURCHASE UNCERTAIN
A seamless desktop-to-mobile experience encourages deeper exploration and interaction with customized products.
SUPPORT FUTURE GROWTH
A mobile-first AR experience provides a foundation for validating future B2C opportunities while strengthening digital engagement.
Success Metrics
To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed solution, I identified key experience and business metrics that would validate its impact after launch.
USER METRIC
AR activation rate
Completion of desktop to mobile handoff
Comparison feature usage
Saved designs per user
Time spent in AR
BUSINESS METRIC
Conversion rate
Average order value
Return rate
Revenue from customized products
Customer satisfaction (CSAT)
Proposed Future Product Roadmap
PHASE 01
Desktop customization
Mobile AR
Saved snapshots
PHASE 02
-
AI ring sizing
-
Shared collections
-
Partner collaboration
PHASE 03
-
Virtual consultations
-
Live jeweller assistance
-
Appointment booking
PHASE 04
-
Future Vision
-
Personalized recommendations
-
Social shopping
-
Complete B2C ecosystem