Eagerness to please makes Rita go the extra mile
Rita Schalkwyk is the owner of Blossom Accessories, which sells handmade jewellery online
Tell me about the work you do.
It consists of mainly two parts. One is customer service, which includes the sending out of orders and answering of customers’ questions, and the other half of my work is designing new products, which includes visiting markets for raw materials, making the new products, photographing the accessories and then putting the pictures online.
I consider customer service my most important task each day, especially the experience people have when purchasing something on our online store. When a customer receives a parcel from us, I want it to feel like they are receiving a gift, even if it is something they have bought for themselves.
I’d say my favourite parts of the job are dreaming up new designs and receiving emails from satisfied customers.
Where do you get your inspiration from when creating your jewellery?
The usual places like Pinterest and Instagram, but I often find inspiration in the movies or series I’m watching.
I went through a phase where I was obsessed with the jewellery of the character Nancy Botwin in Weeds and then I fell in love with the jewellery in Gilmore Girls. I always notice people’s jewellery, whether it is in real life, a movie or a music video.
What are the benefits of an online store over a bricks-and-mortar one?
Jewellery is easier to buy online than clothes, because the sizing isn’t as tricky. Presenting customers with an accurate image of the item with as much information as possible is essential, because we all fear we will receive something different to the picture we saw online.
Being able to buy products from the comfort of your own home is a luxury many of us are discovering only now, and with fast and reliable courier services, the wait doesn’t have to be so long either. And there’s the extra benefit of the suspense you feel when you receive the parcel at your front door. It feels like you are opening a present, even if you already know what is inside.
What did you want to be when you were a child?
I wanted to do something artistic. To create something. Unfortunately, I’m terrible at drawing, but with jewellery design I’ve managed to skip that part.
What led to you setting up your business?
I studied at the LISOF fashion design school, but in my third year of working in fashion wholesale I travelled to the UK, where I was amazed by the amount of online shopping people did there.
I came back feeling that online shopping was still going to boom in South Africa. With jewellery being a natural passion of mine and since I felt it would be easier to sell online than clothing, I decided to start an online accessories store in South Africa, featuring products that are handmade in this country.
What makes you good at your work?
I’m not someone who can say: “I don’t care what people think of me.” I care a lot about what people think and that extends to my brand. I want people to be happy and satisfied when they receive their order and I want them to tell their friends about it.
That means I put a lot of time into personal touches when sending out orders, like a personal note and a nice gift box.
I’m also creative, so I’m good at dreaming up new designs and products.