Editor's Note

As A Strange Year Comes To A Close, What Will Holiday Sales Be Like?

There are new strategies to help drive sales.

Published

5 years ago

December 13, 2020

Trace Shelton Instore December 2020 Issue

CAN YOU SPREAD holiday cheer from behind a mask? Will clients buy gifts from you via video conferencing or e-commerce? Will social distancing behaviors reduce foot traffic? Heck, are you even comfortable with a lot of foot traffic, from a health perspective?

We all know this is a weird year, but no one — not store owners, not consumers — really knows how they’ll buy and sell to close out 2020. The silver lining is that we’ve all had nine months to get used to the new rules of social interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic, which would seem to bode well for holiday shopping. And the INSTORE Jewelers Confidence Index continues to do fairly well (see page 54), so jewelry stores’ sales have been strong, despite a troubling economy and a contentious election season.

I hope you’ve been able to shift your own strategies to keep pace with the challenges caused by the coronavirus. During this odd season, a video call can seem even more personal than an in-person appointment, as Shane Decker points out in this month’s column (page 48). Many of you have also changed how you’ll drive sales this year (see “Buzz Session” on page 54).

However you approach this season, I hope Dec. 25 sees you celebrating another successful year in business … or at least relaxing with relief that it’s over without too much distress.

Best wishes for a happy holiday, and we look forward to hearing from you in the new year!

As A Strange Year Comes To A Close, What Will Holiday Sales Be Like?

Trace Shelton

Editor-in-Chief, INSTORE
[email protected]

Five Smart Tips You’ll Find in This Issue

Hire a greeter during the holiday season to help people transition from outside to inside and become comfortable in their surroundings. (Manager’s To-Do, p. 28)
Resend your “Holiday Gift Guide” via email to potential customers one week before Christmas. (Manager’s To-Do, p. 28)
Contact your favorite charity to see if you can produce a customized jewelry piece for them to raise funds. (Tip Sheet, p. 44)
When conducting a video conference sale, be sure to have add-on items ready to suggest. (Shane Decker, p. 48)
Use light greens, yellows and pale blues in your marketing to communicate tranquility during this stressful time. (Andrea Hill, p. 53)

Honoring a Legacy: How Smith & Son Jewelers Exceeded Every Goal With Wilkerson

When Andrew Smith decided to close the Springfield, Massachusetts location of Smith & Son Jewelers, the decision came down to family. His father was retiring after 72 years in the business, and Andrew wanted to spend more time with his children and soon-to-arrive grandchildren. For this fourth-generation jeweler whose great-grandfather founded the company in 1918, closing the 107-year-old Springfield location required the right partner. Smith chose Wilkerson, and the experience exceeded expectations from start to finish. "Everything they told me was 100% true," Smith says. "The ease and use of all their tools was wonderful." The consultants' knowledge and expertise proved invaluable. Smith and his father set their own financial goal, but Wilkerson proposed three more ambitious targets. "We thought we would never make it," Smith explains. "We were dead wrong. We hit our first goal, second goal and third goal. It was amazing." Smith's recommendation is emphatic: "I would never be able to do what they did by myself."