Calendar for Jewelers: December 2015

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’Tis the season of giving, to the person customers love most: themselves! Last year, 57 percent of holiday shoppers bought something for themselves, spending an average of $127, according to NRF data. These shoppers basically fall into two types: those looking to take advantage of doorbuster sales, and those making impulse buys. It’s the latter you should target. A marketing message that says something along the lines of “From us to you,” “Go ahead, reward yourself” or maybe “One for them, two for you,” always goes down well at this time of year. Play it up on your bulletins, website and in-store signs.

This article originally appeared in the November 2015 edition of INSTORE.

5 There’s something to be said for outrageous marketing; just ask the industry’s enfant terrible, Steven Singer. But it is possible to celebrate Bathtub Party Day without beers, suds and girls in bikinis. How so? A bathtub party for your customers’ jewels! Yes, we’re thinking your ulstrasonic. Invite customers to bring in their favorite old rings for a tub. (This is the perfect week to get them in the store before the action reaches its peak.)

6 If you live for the salesfloor action, you’ll love where you are right now. Only two and a bit weeks to go until Christmas, and there’s a constant flow of customers looking to spend, spend, spend. As demanding and unreasonable as those shoppers can sometimes be, keep your spirits high and keep an eye on your profession’s noble goal: To help people find what they are looking for. And don’t forget to give yourself a pat on the back today: It’s National Salesperson’s Day.

7 If there’s a sizeable Jewish community in your area, consider ways to honor and observe HANUKKAH, which starts today.

19 Another December date to add to an already crowded month: Super Saturday, the last Saturday before Christmas and on average the second- or third-busiest shopping day of the year. This year it falls a full six days before Christmas, but expect it to be as busy as ever, as customers, especially men, wake up to the realization that time is running out. Prep your employees with sure-thing gift suggestions.

21 There’s an old joke that the best way to shorten WINTER is to borrow some money due in spring. As the year’s shortest day signals chilly days ahead, remind customers of the financing options you offer. Consumer credit has never been cheaper.

25 CHRISTMAS DAY and peace, if not for all mankind then at least — for one day — for you. If you don’t have kids, sleep in and enjoy a long, well-earned rest. If you do, it’s going to be an early start as they come bursting into your bedroom before the sun’s up, keen to swap the clay mug they made for you in art class for that $400 Xbox that Santa promised. It’s a great trade. Enjoy.

26 The day after Christmas is a lot of things — boxing day, Thank-you day and the beginning of returns week — which probably has something to do with the fact that, according to ShopperTrak, it’s regularly the seventh busiest day of the year.

S T O R E    A N N I V E R S A R I E S

60 Years: Nash Jewelry

West Palm Beach, FL

➤ The tale of Nash Jewelry has a touch of Doctor Zhivago about it, with a backstory that includes war, revolution and flight from the Bolshevik army. Owner Greg Nash says that escape, via Israel, was funded by diamonds hidden in the lining of his then young grandmother’s dress. As his store marks its 60th anniversary, Nash credits its longevity to lessons passed down by his father and grandfather — always treat customers like family, and never throw anything out of the shop: there could be gold in those paper towels, tiles or dust. Given that the store has always operated from a fifth-floor office in a historical building overlooking downtown West Palm Beach, its focus on providing top customer service — and generating word-of-mouth traffic — has been crucial. “I have learned service and quality are the gold standards to a durable success in business,” says Nash.

B I R T H S T O N E S

Tanzanite

Tanzanite is the new kid on the birthstone block, having been admitted to the AGL-overseen club only in 2002. With the help of a hefty marketing push from Tiffany’s (which came up with the name), this blue variety of zoisite has done well as a precious stone since its discovery in the foothills of Kilimanjaro in 1967. Connections or not, it’s hard to argue with its often stunning (and OK, yes, usually enhanced) violet-blue color.