Apr 12, 2023

Behind the scenes of a livestream shopping session in the Ylang 23-Immerss collaboration. [Photo: Ylang 23] All that glitters may be gold—even if it’s virtual. That’s the thinking behind a sparkling new collaboration between two Dallas companies who’ve brought “digital clienteling” and livestream shopping to the world of luxury jewelry. Ylang 23—a designer jewelry store in Preston Center that’s served Dallas for 35 years—has partnered with live-commerce platform Immerss to bridge the gap between in-person and online shopping. By using the latest technology from Immerss, Ylang 23 aims to provide customers with a more personalized and intimate shopping experience. “At Ylang 23 the customer is always top of mind and we identified a gap in the customer service that we were able to provide at the store level versus what we can offer to customers behind a screen,” Alysa Teichman, VP of business development at Ylang 23, said in a statement. “Helping people in person is so much more intimate. To help bridge the gap, we partnered with Immerss.” Leveraging a pandemic trend that’s sticking Here’s what the livestream experience looks like through the camera. L to R: Jen Kboudi and Mackenzie Wright. [Photo: Ylang 23] The world doubled down on digital during the pandemic—with virtual shopping joining virtual meetings, virtual doctor’s appointments, and more in a growing tech trend. And now that the world has emerged, that trend seems to be sticking. So Ylang 23 (pronounced ee-long 23) made the leap into digital clienteling, offering customers a “seamless shopping experience” through personal presentations and live streams of trunk shows with help from Immerss. “We’ve received amazing feedback from our customers who have used this platform,” Teichman said. “Based on personal preference, the customer is able to chat or have a live video call with one of our sales associates. Associates can ‘walk’ our customers through the store showing pieces in real life and send corresponding links to the customer to purchase online. It’s the second most seamless experience to working with a customer in person.” The live-streamed trunk shows have enabled Ylang 23 to connect with its coast-to-coast clientele. “With each trunk show, we procure incredible products in store for these events for a short period of time, which means many of the products do not make it onto our website,” Alysa says. “Immerss’ platform provides us the opportunity to showcase this product via a livestream that we can send to customers who aren’t able to make it in store for our trunk shows.” Immerss enables customers to visit stores virtually—making personal connections along the way L to R: Immerss Co-Founder and CEO Arthur Veytsman; Co-Founder and Head of Business Development Patrick Jacobs. [Background image: Immerss] Founded in Dallas in 2015, Immerss offers technology that enables clients to bring a you-are-there in-store experience to customers online. Using its tech, Ylang 23 sales associates can walk clients through jewelry selections and create curated looks based on customers’ personal preference and style. Immerss’ tools also enable salespeople to develop a personal connection with customers in a virtual, online world. Last September, Dallas Innovates spoke with Immerss co-founder Patrick Jacobs about his company’s pivots since its 2015 launch. Immerss started as a video connection platform, then became a tool connecting brands with influencers to market products online. In 2000, after years of R&D, it hit its stride by focusing on e-commerce shopping experiences, with San Antonio-based bootmaker Lucchese as its first use case. Lucchese was so impressed with the result, it invested $1.1 million in seed funding in Immerss in 2021. Companies like Immerss have evolved clienteling to include the use of customer data including online behavior, purchase history, and preferences. Using digital channels like live video, messaging, and email to engage customers outside physical stores, a more personalized and humanized online shopping experience can result. Brands like Lucchese say they’ve used clienteling to increase their e-commerce sales by up to 35%. The next step for a digital pioneer Inside Ylang 23’s store at Preston Center in Dallas. [Photo: Ylang 23] A multi-generational family business, Ylang 23 is owned by the Teichman family, which has staked a claim of being digital pioneers for decades. According to the company, Ylang 23 (then known as Ylang-Ylang), first launched its online presence in 2002, and began operating an e-commerce platform in 2003. Originally founded by Joanne and Charles Teichman, in 2016 the company was joined by the Teichmans’ daughter, Alysa, who has since grown the brand’s footprint while connecting the company with a new, digital-native generation. Showcasing the collaborative spirit of Dallas’ entrepreneurial culture The partnership between Ylang 23 and Immerss offers a glimpse of how Dallas companies are working together to innovate how business gets done. Ylang 23’s insights into customer preferences and the luxury jewelry market, combined with Immerss’ cutting-edge tech and expertise in digital clienteling, is moving the needle forward—one earring, necklace, and bracelet at a time. Get on the list. Dallas Innovates, every day. Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day. One quick signup, and you’re done. R E A D   N E X T Common Desk, a coworking space company that launched in Deep Ellum and now has nearly two dozen locations in North Texas, Austin, Houston, and North Carolina—has its eyes on The Hill. The Hill Shopping Center, that is—a trendy retail development on Walnut Hill Lane near U.S. 75. Working with San Antonio-based bootmaker Lucchese, Immerss delivered a use case that gave the brand a real kick, with a live e-commerce shopping experience that moved the majority of Lucchese sales to direct-to-consumer. That turned the bootmaker from client to investor through a $1.1 million seeding check. Now Immerss is looking to raise millions more to become the "go-to solution" for live e-commerce. Co-founder Patrick Jacobs told Dallas Innovates an early meeting with Lucchese's president led to a "lightbulb moment"—one that set Immerss on an innovative new path. TAGS: