What you really think about AB collections, what you want more of, and what we're taking with us into what's next.
I asked a question on my personal Instagram the other day that I probably should ask more often:
What do you want to see more of from AB? What do you want less of? What are we getting right and what are you kind of over?
And you answered. 😂
Some of it made me really happy. Some of it confirmed things I've already been thinking. And some of it made me stop and think about how we create collections going forward.
Seven years into AB, I know our brand better than I ever have, but I also never want to get so caught up in what we want to make that we stop listening to the people actually wearing it.
So instead of just keeping all of your answers in my screenshots, I thought I'd answer some of the biggest themes here.
Are there too many AB launches?
This one came up more than once.
And...yes. I hear you.
Last year especially, we created A LOT. I love the creative part of this business, so it's very easy for us to get excited about the next idea, the next collection, the next color story. But more isn't always better.
We've already started moving toward smaller, more curated collections, and several of you specifically said you've noticed and liked that.
I want a new AB collection to feel exciting..not like you just finished looking at the last one and suddenly there's another.
That doesn't mean we're going to stop creating. That's quite literally impossible for me. 😂 But I do think there is something really good about giving the pieces we love more room to breathe.
Can we have more everyday pieces?
YES.
One response said they weren't reaching for statement pieces as much anymore, and another asked for more demi-fine/daintier options.
This is something we've been talking about internally too.
I will always love a giant bead and a ridiculous stack. That is AB and I don't want to lose that. But I also want AB to live in your actual closet—not just be something you buy because it looks amazing in a launch photo.
More pieces you never take off. More pieces you can layer. More jewelry that works with the AB you already own.
That balance between special and wearable is something I'm thinking about a lot right now.
As for demi-fine, this is where listening to our customers also means paying attention to what you actually buy.
We've tested a higher-priced demi-fine earring before and, while people told us they wanted more elevated pieces and were willing to spend more on them, when we actually launched one, it didn't perform well for us.
That's one of the tricky parts of running a product-based business. I can love something and you can tell me you love something, but ultimately the sales have to support us making more of it. When a higher-cost product sits in inventory until we have to discount it, we've usually lost money on it.
So never say never, but I've learned to pay just as much attention to how you shop as I do to what you tell me you want.
What about more metal pieces?
You guys REALLY want these.
More metal. More silver. More stretchy gold. More mixed metals.
Noted. 👀
We've already been moving further into metal, and I think there is a lot of room for us to keep exploring what that looks like through the AB lens.
Because I'm not interested in making another basic gold jewelry collection. If we're going to do it, it still needs to feel like us.
Can we get more sizes and more individual pieces outside of stacks?
This feedback was really helpful.
A few of you mentioned wanting more size options in specialties, more 14-inch necklaces, anklets, and the ability to buy pieces individually instead of only within a stack.
These are the kinds of comments that are easy for us to miss from the inside because we're thinking about the collection as a whole. You're thinking about how it actually fits into your life and what you already own.
We're listening, and we're going to start looking for more opportunities to make this possible.
There is a little behind-the-scenes piece of this that I think is worth explaining, though.
Some of our products are handmade locally by our artisans, and sometimes we're working with a very limited quantity of a particular bead. If the same bracelet is sold individually and included in multiple stacks, keeping inventory accurate and keeping all of those options in stock can get complicated very quickly.
Sometimes choosing not to sell something individually isn't because we don't want to—it's because we know we won't be able to keep up with it.
But this feedback tells me it's something worth figuring out where we can.
What specific products are you asking for?
This list made me laugh because some of you were VERY specific.
Tiny/oblong/different-shaped pearls. Silver charm spacers. Christmas charms. Bigger donut-style beads like Italia. More 14-inch necklaces. Anklets. A bracelet version of that creamy beige Valentine's necklace. More gold stretch bracelets.
And one I especially loved: another community/customer-designed collection.
I actually love knowing the exact pieces you remember. Sometimes something we created months—or years—ago sticks with you in a way we wouldn't necessarily know unless you tell us.
Also, consider this your reminder that I screenshot everything. 😂
What happens when you tell us you don't like something?
This might be my favorite part of asking these questions.
Because you don't all agree.
One person loves the statement pieces. Someone else wants dainty. One person loves a collection and another says, “eh, not for me.” Some of you want more launches. Some of you are telling us to slow down.
And that's actually helpful.
Our job isn't to make every single piece appeal to every single person. If we tried to do that, I think AB would lose everything that makes it AB.
But when the same feedback starts showing up again and again? I pay attention.
I don't want AB to chase every trend or change direction every time someone doesn't like something. I do want us to stay curious enough to listen when you're telling us something.
After seven years, I think I've learned there's a big difference between following every opinion and listening to your customer.
We're listening.
And apparently I need to start working on some anklets. 😂
— Allie
Did I miss something? Tell me. I really am reading it all.