The silver jewelry brand, San Saru, was born as an online store in 2015 and managed to create a successful business model over 8 years. It was not until July 2023 that the Spanish company decided to venture into the offline channel, opening its first physical store in Barcelona. The sales success has encouraged it to implement a 2024 expansion plan that includes the opening of between 12 and 15 more stores.
We tell you the story of a registered brand that knew how to create a true community of followers thanks to interaction and engagement on social networks, which has penetrated the younger generations.
Birth and evolution of San Saru
It all started when the founding couple, Borja Pundik and Carolina Álvarez, made a series of trips through Morocco, Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and India, where they found the inspiration and determination to start their own business.
As they tell it on their website, “After discovering these countries, we decided to turn our lives around, we gave up everything and embarked on fulfilling our dream. We started building San Saru full of energy and motivation. Jewelry has always been our passion, so we decided to pour all our inspiration into it”. With this inspiration, they also named their project, San Saru, which represents the Japanese philosophy of the three wise monkeys and refers to “see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil”.
One of the first actions to start San Saru was to create a community on Instagram. Seeing the good reception, Álvarez and Pundik saw a potential business opportunity and began importing products from Asia.
For their production they focused on pieces created in a handmade and versatile way, made from natural materials and 925 sterling silver. Their next collections included gold plated jewelry capsules.
After a while, they began to address their own design and although their pieces are manufactured between Spain, Italy and Asia, they have increasingly achieved more local manufacturing, setting a goal for 90% of production to be done in Mataró, through third parties.
Their marketplace focuses on light colors. As soon as we reach the main page we find all the products they offer us. It also has a drop-down menu that is divided into:
Jewelry where we can find the different types of necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, chains, anklets and jewelers they offer Collections Which apart from being divided by name are also divided by prices, facilitating and improving the customer’s shopping experience by offering a selection adjusted to the price they are willing to pay.
New arrivals, where we can find new San Saru jewelry and collections.
Sales
The files of each product include images of the jewel in question, the price and the detailed characteristics. In addition, they also include a small description of how the product is and how the design was created. One thing to note is that if your purchase is going to be a ring you can choose the size of it, and in case you are going to buy a bracelet or a necklace, you have the option of adding a second chain of 60 cm or 80 cm for 12 or 14 euros respectively.
It also allows the option to pay in installments. As for shipping, they are free for all of Spain on orders over €50 in 3/4 days, which become 24 or 48 hours for one euro more. Returns, which can be made within 30 days, are also free in Spain. To benefit from free shipping, in the rest of Europe you have to reach €100 in purchases, and in the rest of the world €200.
First steps in the physical world
San Saru, which until 2023 had developed its business model exclusively online, decided to diversify its distribution channels and in March opened its first physical store in the city of Barcelona. This establishment meant an investment of 170,000 euros and was expected to contribute between 3% and 4% of the turnover, that is, about 400,000 euros, but its good pace and reception make the forecasts increase to one million euros. A very curious point is that 60% of the customers of the physical store were new customers.
Although they had plans to open a second physical store in Madrid at the end of 2023, the opening finally did not take place. However, the brand’s expansion plan includes opening between 12 and 15 new physical stores in 2024. For the next openings, San Saru expects to invest between 100,000 and 120,000 euros.
The jewelry company has managed to land in other markets, such as Italy, France, Germany, Estonia or Cyprus, thanks to the multi-brand model. In addition, the brand also decided to put its products on sale in the Amazon and Zalando marketplaces and its plans include the option of entering shopping centers in the main cities of the country.
The brand’s target audience is women between 25 and 35, with an average ticket of around 50 euros, but the company expects to launch its capsule collection for men soon.
60% of San Saru’s sales come from Spain, although other markets such as Italy, France and Germany also stand out.
The sustainable side of San Saru
One of the differentiating points of San Saru is its commitment to sustainability with various actions. For example, their products are made with recycled silver and they prioritize nearby production to reduce the carbon footprint. In addition to this, their packaging is ecological, composed mainly of Kraft cardboard and wood from sustainable plantations, and can be reused and recycled. Likewise, the packaging used is sustainable.
San Saru’s strategy on social media
One of San Saru’s strengths has been its social networks. First they bet on Instagram and Facebook, where (at the time of publication of this article) it has accumulated 780,000 and 489,000 followers respectively. In fact, in 2018, the brand was chosen by the Dublin Facebook Department as a success story.
During the Covid-19 health emergency, San Saru launched a campaign on Instagram called the San Saru Home Challenge, a series of challenges each day where participants could win gifts. This action allowed him to increase his followers by more than 46,000.
Later, he bet on entering TikTok, with the aim of connecting with the younger generation. In 2021, San Saru teamed up with Shopify to launch a campaign on TikTok, with which they managed to promote brand content and achieved 346% more sales and 175% ROI. Currently, your account on the Chinese social network has accumulated more than 185,000 followers. It also has a presence on LinkedIn with just over 3,800 followers, where it is shown that its staff is made up of 40 employees.
On the occasion of the opening of its physical store in Barcelona, San Saru carried out a fun action with a Question or Test dynamic, which they uploaded to their YouTube channel, where they have more than 2,300 followers. In addition to posting it on other social media like TikTok.
Most of their videos show how their products are, but they also share tips and tutorials to connect with their customers, such as showing tips to wrap your Christmas gifts. They also often show the creation process of their jewelry, which are usually very successful among the most curious.
San Saru also bets on its loyalty program, San Saru Club, with which it rewards its users with points that can be exchanged for discounts on products. Points can be obtained through various digital actions, such as registering on the eCommerce, following them on social networks, or recommending it to other people; but also for every purchase made.
It is a clear example of how to make good use of social networks to promote an eCommerce. Which has allowed them to continue growing year after year and move from the online world to physical stores. San Saru joins the list of digital businesses that are committed to an omnichannel strategy, such as jewelry, also Spanish, PdPaola. )
