December has traditionally been the month all jewelers wait for. The year-end sales rush, accompanied by all the seasonal trimmings, creates an environment that’s both high-stress and, potentially, high-reward. But the build-up for the annual sales events begins before the leaves even begin turning. Rapaport Magazine checked in with retailers across the US to find out what kinds of preparations they were making to guarantee a season full of cheer and delight.
Long before the holidays shift into high gear, stores prepare their teams for the season.
“We hold two meetings outside of the store, with great educational information and food,” says Tonia Leitzel Ulsh, president and COO of Mountz Jewelers in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. “This gives our employees the opportunity to bond while learning in a fun environment, and it gets their head in the game for the holidays. We also set goals to help the teams know what is expected, with rewards if achieved.”
Perry Sporn, owner of Perrywinkle’s — which has one store in Vermont, two stores in New York, and 16 Pandora boutiques in the US northeast and Canada — says consistency is at the heart of his team’s preparations. “[It’s the] same as always,” he comments. “We produce great products, tell a story about them, and create great experiences for clients.”
Although he sees shifts from year to year in terms of price point and style, the basics of his holiday promotions remain unchanged, he says. “The essentials are no different for this year.”
It’s also important to combine the preparations with fun, according to Bill Jones, president of Sissy’s Log Cabin, which has three stores in Arkansas and one in Tennessee. “To get fired up for the holidays is one thing, but to have your team in place to do it day in, day out for 45 days during the holidays is another thing,” he says. “So we’re kicking off [in late September] with a manager’s camp, where we take all the store managers down to my cabin and play games and go over our non-negotiables.”
Once the sales team is excited about the season, retailers can focus on the stores themselves. Getting the right look is important. Sporn creates a holiday feel in his boutiques in multiple ways.
“We have themes within the stores,” he says. “There’s a committee within the company that handles that. They always make it fun, because that’s the point. We don’t have traditional exterior windows, but we do have video screens with holiday scenes, and we do many special shopping events, so it’s fun for clients.”
Bob Moeller, president and director of sales at R.F. Moeller, believes it’s not just about making the holidays feel special, but also about guaranteeing a good brick-and-mortar retail experience. “You hear about Toys ‘R’ Us closing, and it didn’t surprise me,” says Moeller, whose company has three stores in Minnesota. “They just never evolved. So we started talking about that, and this year, we’re ramping it up.”
To that end, his stores will feature more exterior lights and painted window displays. In addition, he’s doubled the budget for interiors, adding more lights, garlands, a bigger tree, and even scents. “It’s a simple step to have scented candles, cookies, coffee and cider,” he says.
Making sure inventory is on point is also crucial.
“I try to bring on a new line every year to generate excitement,” says Steve Samaras, president and owner of Zachary’s Jewelers, with two stores in Maryland. “This year, we partnered with Forevermark, and we just went through training. Everyone came home from the two-day session very charged.”
Marketing is another essential client-facing element of December preparations. Ulsh says she advertises throughout the year, but ramps up when the holiday season rolls around.
“During the holidays, we do more mailings showing specific products to generate interest for gift-giving and gift-wanting,” she explains. “We also reach out to our clients and their significant others to share wish lists created throughout the year and during the events [we offer] leading up to the holidays.”
Sporn, meanwhile, builds his holiday marketing around his in-store themes for each season. “The story is told with our social media, digital, and traditional advertising, and within the stores with visual displays,” he says.
For Jones, the holidays will be the culmination of an advertising campaign he has based specifically around gift-giving. “This year, we’re implementing a campaign that connects fine jewelry to personal milestones, like when you first said I love you, or the first time you met your wife, or when your child was born,” he relates. “Gifts should be about how you make customers feel. Price is not important then. It’s about relationships and feelings.”
In-store events are another way to bring the holidays to life. Moeller says this year, his stores will host happenings such as trunk shows and wish-list events.
“All year long, we have clients filling out their wish lists,” he says. “Our customers talk about what they might like. The wish list is a fun way for clients to dream and look, and it’s an easy way for people to keep track of things, without having to buy it right away. It also helps us get an idea of what someone might like in general.”
Jones also finds creative ways to get customers in the holiday spirit. “In Memphis, we have Santa Claus in for a day,” he says. “And we rent a golf cart to carry shoppers back and forth to their cars on busy days, when they have to park further away. I even get a horse and carriage for the kids.”
One thing stores won’t do, though, is offer deep sale prices. “We don’t do special discounts, because sales are like drugs,” says Moeller. “They feel great at first, but then you think you need them, and then you condition your clients to ask for them.” Instead, he and his team offer interest-free financing, send out coupons for Black Friday, and waive the sales tax at certain special events.
While it’s never possible to predict holiday outcomes, some stores have invested in technology to help them drive sales.
“We try to answer the question of what the holidays will be like every year,” says Samaras. “We’re always optimistic, and we try to prepare ourselves.” His website has been a big boon for his business, and is one of the reasons he’s confident about his December numbers, he continues. “We’re optimistic because we invested in redesigning our website and bringing on a staff person for that. We’re focused on how the website drives into the store.”
Ultimately, positivity seems to be the characteristic jewelers have in common when looking ahead toward the end of the year. “I am always an optimist,” says Ulsh. “Because we’re a family business, I have lived retail sales my entire life. My father used to tell my brother, who now tells me, ‘We work hard all year and the business will come.’ This [business] is usually in the first week of December, after coming off our events, which are busy, and prior to the crazy weeks right before Christmas.”
But, she continues, it’s not just about December. “Having a successful holiday doesn’t start in the fourth quarter. It starts with building trust with your employees and clients throughout the entire year.”
Image: ShutterstockArticle from the Rapaport Magazine - November 2017. To subscribe click here.