Nela Gems began as a personal creative pursuit and gradually evolved into a well-known jewellery brand in Latvia. What started as a small hobby in 2014 grew steadily, eventually rebranding as Nela Gems in 2018 – a shift that reflected a clearer vision and a growing audience.

At its core, the brand is built around the idea that jewellery doesn’t need to be luxurious to feel meaningful. Nela Gems designs feminine, playful, and everyday-elegant pieces made with carefully selected materials, including natural stones, crystals, pearls, and hypoallergenic metals. The collections range from minimalist everyday jewellery to personalised pieces created to mark specific moments.

For founder and director Nela, the emotional side of jewellery has always mattered as much as the design itself.

From day one, the mission has been the same: to create jewellery that people don’t just wear, but emotionally connect with.‍

- Nela, Director, Nela Gems

That focus extends beyond the product. Nela Gems puts significant thought into how customers experience the brand – from aesthetic, gift-ready packaging to fast delivery and frequent new drops. Rather than positioning itself as a traditional jewellery retailer, the brand aims to create moments that feel personal and uplifting.

We don’t just sell jewellery; we curate moments.‍

- Nela

As the brand has grown across Latvia and prepared for its next stage of expansion, maintaining that sense of ease and delight – at every touchpoint – has become increasingly important.

The challenge

As Nela Gems grew, the gap between the brand’s carefully crafted customer experience and its checkout process became harder to ignore. While the products, packaging, and communication felt modern and personal, the final step of the purchase journey lagged behind.

Before switching to Montonio, Nela Gems relied on a payment service provider that no longer matched how its customers preferred to pay. The checkout involved too many steps, lacked familiar local bank payment options, and required manual work behind the scenes. Customers frequently reached out with the same question: why was their preferred bank not available at checkout?

We used a different payment provider, and the experience felt old-school. It wasn’t terrible, but it definitely didn’t match the brand we were building.‍

- Nela

The friction showed up in subtle but persistent ways – slower checkouts, abandoned carts, and unnecessary back-and-forth with customers who were ready to buy but couldn’t complete their payment smoothly. For a brand built around ease, joy, and emotional connection, the checkout experience started to feel like a weak link.

We realised that if the checkout doesn’t vibe with your customers, you’re basically leaving money on the table.‍

- Nela

As order volume increased, it became clear that the payment flow needed to evolve alongside the brand – not only to reduce friction, but to ensure the final touchpoint felt just as considered as everything that came before it.

The solution

Montonio wasn’t an unfamiliar name when Nela Gems started looking for a better checkout experience. The team had seen other Baltic merchants adopt it and had also encountered Montonio firsthand as customers.

We had experienced the Montonio checkout ourselves and immediately noticed how clean and effortless it felt.‍

- Nela

What stood out wasn’t just the interface, but how naturally it aligned with local payment habits. For a brand whose customer base relied heavily on bank payments, this felt like a practical and intuitive fit rather than a technical upgrade.

Implementation turned out to be simpler than expected. Montonio was integrated into the Nela Gems Shopify store with minimal setup, and the onboarding process required little back-and-forth. Support was responsive, and the system worked as intended from day one.

It felt more like plug-and-play than a complex integration. A few clicks, everything was set up, and it worked on the first try.‍

- Nela

The impact was visible almost immediately. Customers moved through checkout more smoothly, questions about payment options dropped, and the team no longer had to manage the same manual work that had previously slowed things down. Rather than forcing customers to adapt, the payment flow now reflected how they already preferred to pay.

For Nela Gems, Montonio didn’t change the brand’s direction – it removed friction that had been holding it back.

The results

The impact of switching to Montonio showed up quickly in both customer behaviour and internal workflows. With fewer steps and familiar bank payment options available at checkout, customers were able to complete their purchases more smoothly and with less hesitation.

Customers finish their orders faster, with fewer clicks, and more people choose the payment method that works best for them.‍

- Nela

The change also reduced friction behind the scenes. Support messages related to payment issues dropped, and the team no longer had to spend time manually following up on failed or incomplete payments. As a result, day-to-day order processing became cleaner and easier to manage.

We immediately noticed fewer abandoned carts, which translates to more completed purchases.‍

- Nela

Beyond efficiency, the updated checkout helped bring consistency to the overall brand experience. The payment flow now felt aligned with the rest of the customer journey – smooth, considered, and customer-first – rather than a functional necessity at odds with the brand’s values.

Basically, the checkout finally matches the Nela Gems brand energy.

- Nela

While Nela Gems doesn’t measure success by a single metric alone, the overall uplift was clear – not just in conversions, but in how confidently the team could scale operations without adding unnecessary complexity.

Looking ahead

Nela Gems continues to grow, with new collections, a widening audience, and plans to expand beyond Latvia. As the brand scales, maintaining a buying experience that feels seamless, trustworthy, and locally relevant remains a priority.

For Nela, the checkout is no longer just a functional step, but a critical part of how customers experience the brand.

As we grow, it’s important that the buying process stays simple and familiar for our customers, even as order volume increases.‍

- Nela

Montonio plays a supporting role in that journey, helping Nela Gems stay flexible as it enters new markets and introduces additional local payment options – without adding complexity to the checkout or internal workflows.

Looking ahead, Nela Gems sees Montonio as a long-term partner in building a frictionless shopping experience – one that supports the brand’s broader mission of making beautiful jewellery accessible, joyful, and easy to shop for.

Montonio helps us stay agile and focus on what matters most: creating jewellery people love and making it easy for them to buy it.

- Nela