As Marilyn Monroe said, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” Now they can be for an affordable price. Paparazzi Jewelry is an accessories company that offers trendy costume jewelry at an affordable price: $5. Paparazzi has accessory pieces from earrings, rings and bracelets, to necklaces and hair pieces. There is a large variety of different styles to meet different customers’ preferences. The company even offers men’s jewelry. Paparazzi also has children’s products that are only a dollar a piece.
Angie Theriault started selling Paparazzi at the end of January. Angie was first a customer of Paparazzi Jewelry from a local friend. “I was buying about $100 worth of jewelry a week,” she said, laughing. Angie noted people at work would compliment her jewelry. “I loved it so much. It was always in the back of my head to join,” Angie said. She is currently recovering from her second knee surgery and growing her Paparazzi business in Fort Kent, Maine. “What I truly love is helping people and making them happy. That is a reason I joined the Paparazzi team. When I was buying Paparazzi from a consultant, it gave me so much joy. That is what I want everyone to feel,” Angie said.
To join Paparazzi, Angie bought a starter kit. The company offers three different starter kits, from a range of $100 to $500. The biggest difference within the packages is the amount of jewelry included. To purchase more jewelry, she then uses her consultant ID. Being a consultant, she purchases her pieces for $2.75 each plus tax. This gives Angie about $2 per sale for her profit. Currently her income is from commission of selling Paparazzi. She also earns free pieces of jewelry, known as “hostess rewards,” after purchasing 10 pieces. Angie uses her hostess rewards as a marketing technique to give away free jewelry to her customers.
Paparazzi releases new jewelry every weekday at 3 p.m. ET. About 10 new pieces are released a day that can range in any jewelry type. “The stuff sells out fast. Sometimes you get to the checkout and it’s not even available anymore,” Angie said. The company is adding new merchandise, but also products become discontinued to stay trendy. “I had a customer that her necklace broke. So I contacted another consultant, because the piece was no longer available. I bought it with my own money and then paid shipping. I lost money, but it meant a happy customer,” Angie said.
The public can buy Paparazzi Jewelry from the website for the same price of $5, plus a $5.95 shipping fee. Perks of buying from a consultant are being able to pick up directly from the consultant and supporting a local entrepreneur such as Angie. A consultant can ship to their customers as well at the consultant’s own cost, but some add a shipping cost.
Angie is primarily selling online through social media. Her most success comes from Facebook and Messenger. Angie is putting on an event every day of the week, sometimes even two a night. On Facebook, Angie posts pictures of the jewelry for customers to see and hosts Facebook live parties. Her Facebook page is public, so anyone can join, view or buy. She encourages word of mouth sharing through inviting others to her page or sharing the content.
To keep customers involved, Angie plays games and does drawings to win free jewelry with her rewards or own purchases. “At the start, it’s hard to give away free jewelry because the business is small. It’s hard to compete with other sellers because they give out a lot of free jewelry,” Angie said.
“She does a nice job. It seems like a lot of work to do but she makes it enjoyable and makes the customers feel they’re a part of it. She has a lot of different types of jewelry to make everyone happy. The variety is nice, because I can buy it for my mom, sister or girlfriend. My favorite part is the games because it’s so interactive,” Matthew Gagne said.
Selling on live allows Angie to focus on what her audience is interested in, displaying it and selling directly. Being a small business has allowed her to become more personal with her customers through her active engagement on live. Angie learns her customers very well, which helps her select her merchandise to know what will sell. Her best sellers are silver jewelry and long necklaces.
The process of creating Angie’s business has been a learning process. She is learning the best platforms to sell, hot merchandise and time to sell. “It’s a learning process of learning how to stay organized and the tips and tricks,” Angie said. She’s currently trying to increase her viewers in hopes of selling more jewelry. She is also making a website for her business. Angie’s merchandise is available on her Facebook public group: Gigi’s $5 Bling Paparazzi accessories.
Paparazzi consultant Angie Theriault, pictured in Paparazzi accessories.
