5 Signs You're Ready to Scale Your Jewelry Brand with Original Designs (OEM)
The Signs You're Ready to Partner with a Jewelry Manufacturer for Sampling and Development
You’ve already launched your brand, found your audience, and now demand is soaring. As an established brand, you’re in a position to take things to the next level, and that often means working with a manufacturer to develop custom, original designs or OEM (original equipment manufacturer). Scaling your business with unique creations is an exciting step, but before diving into it, it’s important to ensure you’re fully prepared for the journey. Here are five key signs that you're ready to partner with a jewelry manufacturer for sampling and development.
1. You’ve Already Launched and Have a Defined Brand & Audience
Your brand isn’t just a concept—it’s a well-established name with a loyal following. You know your customers, their preferences, and what resonates with them. Maybe you’re a well-known influencer with a strong community, or perhaps your brand is recognized for a specific style or niche. Either way, you have a clear identity and a dedicated audience that’s eagerly awaiting what you’ll bring to the market next. You've also learned valuable lessons from your current product lineup and have real data to guide your next steps.
2. You’re a Savvy Business Mind
You’re not just creative; you understand the business of jewelry. You’re already familiar with the jewelry landscape and the operational side of your business—cost of goods sold (COGS), production timelines, marketing spend, and variable costs like shipping and website management. Scaling your business requires balancing creativity with practicality, and you know that working with a manufacturer involves not only artistic vision but also careful planning around budgets, margins, and supply chain management.
3. You’ve Got the Funds
Scaling up means more investment. You’ve budgeted for the costs that come with sampling, mold creation, production runs, and any necessary revisions along the way. You know that to get your original designs to market, you’ll need to have capital set aside for sampling and testing, with a realistic understanding of the potential adjustments that may be required before mass production begins.
4. You’re Organized & Communicative
The partnership between you and a manufacturer can only thrive with clear, consistent communication. You’re prepared to provide detailed design briefs, give timely feedback, and maintain organized records throughout the process. You understand that the success of your custom pieces depends on your ability to convey your vision clearly and work collaboratively with the manufacturer. Every detail matters, from pricing to design functionality, and all of this needs to align with your brand strategy.
5. You’re a Product Launch Pro
You’re experienced in launching products or at least understand the importance of testing and gathering feedback before making major investments. You know that product development isn’t a one-step process—it's iterative. Testing samples, collecting customer feedback, and refining designs are all crucial steps that help ensure your next launch is a success. You’ve built a solid launch strategy, and you're prepared to execute it effectively.
Before You Jump into Original Designs...
Even though you’re ready to scale with custom designs, it’s important to consider the challenges that come with it. Custom jewelry development has its share of risks:
- High Costs: Custom sampling, revisions, and tooling costs can quickly add up, and without the certainty of customer approval, this can eat into your profits.
- Market Uncertainty: How will your unique designs resonate with your audience? The market can be unpredictable, and testing a new design concept is always a gamble.
- Inventory Risk: Producing large quantities of new, untested designs can lead to overstock and financial losses if the designs don’t sell as expected.
Why Loytee’s In-House Catalog (ODM) is a Smart Scaling Strategy
On your way, but not quite there yet? While creating custom designs (OEM) can be a rewarding next step, leveraging Loytee’s in-house catalog (ODM) offers a smart and strategic way to scale your brand before jumping headfirst into full custom development. Here’s why:
1. Reduced Risk
Instead of going all-in on untested designs, our in-house catalog allows you to test the market with proven, trend-forward designs that already resonate with customers. This minimizes the financial risk associated with custom development, allowing you to gather valuable data and feedback on what works.
2. Faster Launch
Custom design development takes time—from creating molds to perfecting samples and finalizing production. By choosing designs from our in-house catalog, you can bring new products to market much faster. This allows you to capitalize on trends and demand without the long lead times associated with creating original pieces from scratch.
3. Built-in Market Insights
Our catalog is continually updated with designs that reflect current market trends and customer preferences. By leveraging our expertise, you can offer your customers fresh, relevant designs while gaining insights into which styles resonate most with your audience. These insights will help inform your future custom creations.
4. Cost-Effectiveness
Custom sampling and tooling costs can significantly impact your budget, especially if multiple revisions are needed. With Loytee’s in-house catalog, you eliminate many of these expenses, allowing you to allocate resources more efficiently—whether that’s investing in marketing, expanding your product lines, or enhancing your customer experience.
5. Focus on Branding, Marketing & Social Media
In today’s competitive landscape, having great products is only part of the equation. The brands that truly succeed are the ones that invest heavily in branding, marketing, and building a strong social media presence. By starting with Loytee’s catalog, you’ll have more time and energy to focus on growing your brand, connecting with your audience, and executing a killer marketing strategy. In the end, that’s what will set your brand apart from competitors.
Read more blog posts on OEM (original equipment manufacturer aka custom designs) and ODM (original design manufacturer aka in-house or catalog design) below:
- What's the difference between OEM and ODM?
- How to utilize our in-house (ODM) catalog
- Why starting with ODM designs can be a game-changer for you
Why Partnering with Loytee is the Right Move
Whether you are working with OEM or ODM, Loytee can be a trusted partner for you. Over the last 40 years, we have been helping brands of all sizes scale their businesses with high-quality jewelry designs. By starting with our in-house catalog, you can test the waters, refine your offerings, and build momentum before fully diving into custom designs. Once you’ve gained valuable experience and market validation, you’ll be in a prime position to take your original concepts to the next level.
Our approach is all about reducing risk, increasing efficiency, and setting you up for long-term success. Partnering with Loytee gives you access to decades of expertise, a wealth of proven designs, and a roadmap for how to scale your business strategically.
Ready to Scale?
If you’re ready to explore how Loytee can help you scale your brand with our in-house designs or take the leap into custom production, get in touch today. We’re here to help you grow and bring your unique vision to life, one step at a time.
Loytee: 40 Years of Expertise, Trusted Worldwide
Let’s build something extraordinary together!
