The task of improving the display presentation in a retail jewellery store is actually a multifaceted effort that changes as you walk around the store. There is a different solution for every category of merchandise you offer. What works in your Bridal case will not work in Colored stones and vice versa.
Follow this hopefully logical thought progression for a moment:
- Displays are there to make the merchandise appear more appealing to the potential buyer.
- A piece of jewellery appeals to a buyer when it matches their personal buying motivations.
- Personal buying motivations differ for different categories of the merchandise in a store.
Successful jewellery display strategies are created one showcase at a time so let’s go through a few of the major merchandise categories and provide some ideas you might consider.
The Bridal Case-
Buying motivation: A once in a lifetime (hopefully) experience filled with romance, anticipation and hope for the future. A buying experience which pits the realities of a practical budget against the wishes for a grand symbol of love.
Display Strategy: Make it easy to get from the entire selection of your Bridal case to a tray of less than 5 choices. Start by organizing your inventory by style. Put all the halos together, all the Sols together, etc. Ignore the manufacturer of the ring unless that manufacturer’s name has gravitas with your customer. Only use manufacturers displays if their name is well known. Once all the Halos are in one area, break them down into good, better, best or least expensive, middle priced, highest priced if you prefer. Put the best pieces (20% of the total) on individual elements and place them at the back of the showcase in the center. These are the pieces you want most to sell. Place the mid-priced goods (next 40%)in trays of 3-5 and put them in the middle of the case (front to back). Now put the least expensive (bottom 40%) in trays of 5-12 and put them in the front of the case nearest the customer.
Train your sales team to start a sale by asking if the client has a style in mind. Once the preferred style is determined, go to that area of the showcase for the next step. They then move into the case and begin by showing the best merchandise on individual elements and move deeper into the case if price resistance is met. Once rings are chosen for further consideration, they are placed in a counter pad that unfolds to visually obscure much of the merchandise below it inside the case. This keeps the focus on the semifinalists. Offer a monthly payment of a rather specific amount to the client to make the higher priced merchandise more attainable. The goal of moving the customer from the overwhelming vision of your entire selection to a tray of 3-5 choices has been made successfully and your sales associate just needs to help the customer pull the trigger by removing any barriers to purchase that exist.
Colored Stone Jewellery-
Buying Motivation: The desire for a fashion piece of fine jewellery in a particular shade of a color to add to their wardrobe. It is often, as well, a color determined by the tradition of “ My Months Birthstones.”
Display Strategy: This decision is all about color, so divide up your inventory by color shade. Put all the blue choices in close proximity to each other. With sapphires, tanzanites, spinels, zircons, aquamarines and blue tourmalines all together, your client will see the broad selection you offer to the “Blue” portion of their wardrobe. The reasoning for this arrangement will allow a client that came in looking for a sapphire to walk out with a tanzanite. Don’t differentiate between the limiting artificial terms of “precious” and “semiprecious” stones. They are all precious and worthy of consideration. In addition, this arrangement will make it easier for your sales team to upsell and move that spinel client up to a sapphire. Organize each color section by the same “Good-Better-Best” approach we used in Bridal to make selling seamless.
We will continue our review of merchandise strategies next month with a few more categories for your consideration. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to give me a call or send me your ideas for discussion.
If you will apply the strategies we are proposing, you might find that your cases will silently begin to work harder. In my considerable display experience I have found these ideas increase your sales and in doing so, create happier customers, more successful salespeople and much more satisfied store-owners. Good luck.