Who is Liang Xia?

Meet Liang Xia, the Co-Founder of Little Sky Stone.

About Little Sky Stone

Liang Xia, the co-founder of Little Sky Stone, started the company in 2016 with his partner, Chao Song. The idea developed from Liang’s hobby of collecting gemstones. The company's name, Little Sky Stone, was inspired by the blue hue of turquoise, which is also known as "stones falling from the sky."

"I initially started making them into rings, just like a whole collection of turquoise. We would sell at the local flea market,” Liang says.

Eventually, they expanded their product line based on customer feedback. Liang designs all the jewelry pieces, which feature affordable, high-quality gemstones.

From Side Hustle to Thriving Business

For years, Little Sky Stone was a side project for Liang. His recent transition to full-time entrepreneurship was initially scary but it allowed him to dedicate more time and effort to Little Sky Stone.

Since making the switch, he and his partner have been able to implement many of their ideas that were previously put on hold, exploring different avenues for growth.

Liang recommends that anyone wanting to take a side gig and turn it into a legitimate business should exercise patience and grow at a sustainable rate. “Sometimes, time is your friend,” he advises.

Little Sky Stone Team

The team at Little Sky Stone is currently small, consisting of Liang, his partner, and two part-time employees working in the office with them. There are two more off-shore employees, one in Singapore, and the other in the Philippines.

The offshore employees perform a flexible range of duties. One fulfills the role of a virtual assistant while the other provides CX support while also running the brand's ad. Currently, they are considering hiring a new employee to exclusively focus on their content creation needs.

Little Sky Stone CX Philosophy

Liang believes in the importance of connecting with his customers—even while recognizing that connections are a little harder to make online. 

"Being an e-commerce brand, we connect with other customers individually. It's not like you have a physical shop where you can talk to them in person,” Liang says.

He stresses that every touchpoint with the customer must be well-executed, ensuring that customers feel valued and supported. This includes offering assistance whenever needed, simplifying processes such as returns, and being readily available to help with any issues or concerns.

Above all else, the small team at Little Sky Stone understands that happy customers stick around. “The retention range is what we care for the most,” Liang reflects.

Early on, Liang handled every customer interaction himself, manually. As the company grew, he began automating processes, such as creating a return portal with clear policies and workflows to simplify returns for customers.

Little Sky Stone also partners with third-party services, like package protection plans, to quickly resolve issues customers may face. By promptly addressing concerns and sending replacement packages when necessary, the company aims to keep customers satisfied and encourage positive reviews.

Optimizing Customer Experience with Data

Data leads the way at Little Sky Stone. Liang sends two different sets of surveys to customers: one shortly after they make a purchase, focusing on their online shopping experience, and another after they receive the product, to gauge their satisfaction with the item itself.

By comparing the scores from these surveys, Liang can identify any discrepancies between the online shopping experience and product satisfaction, allowing him to address any issues that may arise.

In addition to these surveys, Liang also sends quarterly surveys to both customers and non-customers to understand their reasons for purchasing or not purchasing from Little Sky Stone. As a self-proclaimed "data person," Liang gathers and analyzes this data to continually improve the customer experience.

Innovation and Adaptability

By observing and listening to customers at flea markets, Liang and his partner realized that many people struggled with finding the perfect ring size due to factors like weight fluctuations or pregnancy.

In response to this feedback, Little Sky Stone developed adjustable rings that can be worn on different fingers, providing a solution to the sizing problem.

This innovation has not only been well-received by customers but has also benefited Little Sky Stone’s wholesale channel, as boutique stores can carry fewer sizes of each style, making the rings more "store friendly."

“Stores just love our adjustable rings,” Liang says. “They can just carry one ring, and then they tell their customers to adjust them."

Liang also prioritizes maintaining a clean and effective website. While Little Sky Stone does not currently rely on much in terms of its tech stack, Liang appreciates how easy it is to modify his website through Shopify.

“[The goal is] to make the overall experience a lot better and then improve the overall speed as well,” Liang says.

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