We were able to double our sales selling internationally.
Elena CastañedaFounder, Bling Jewelry
Elena Castañeda, CEO and Founder of Bling Jewelry, built her jewelry company by selling globally on Amazon. Bling Jewelry sells on Amazon across North America, Europe, Japan, and China. “We were able to double our sales selling internationally,” Elena says. The New York-based entrepreneur began selling on Amazon.com in North America before expanding to other marketplaces. “I was motivated to sell internationally on Amazon because they made it very easy,” she explains. “They have an amazing platform, they give you the information, they give you all the tools.“
As of November 2016, Elena’s business had grown year to date 160% in Japan and 70% in Europe. “We were able to create great brand awareness selling internationally on Amazon,” she explains. “Without [Amazon], we probably would have never ever even tried international sales.”
Today, thousands of Amazon shoppers around the world are familiar with Bling Jewelry, the multimillion-dollar online retailer of affordable, high-quality jewelry. But few would guess the inspiration for the company’s founding came from gingerbread houses.
Back in 2000, Elena Castañeda, Founder and CEO of Bling Jewelry and a serial entrepreneur, was trying her luck in the bakery business. Although she ended up selling the business to return to her lifelong interest in jewelry, one experience would have a major effect on her future business strategy. “With $50 in ad spend, we sold $50,000 worth of gingerbread houses within six weeks,” explains Elena. From that moment on, she was hooked on internet retail.
“I started in my one-bedroom apartment in New York, and I built Bling Jewelry into this amazing company on Amazon,” she gushes. Today, her company sells across 10 Amazon marketplaces spanning North America, Europe, and Asia.