Sep. 4-10
MERCHANDISING Set up a birthstone case to let everyone know September is sapphire’s moment in the spotlight and “so customers coming in for a birthday gift can be shown one specific case with all the gift options,” says consultant Megan Crabtree.
MARKETING Below your email signature, place a call to action that rotates monthly: “Click here for a $50 gift certificate”; “Don’t miss our annual Ladies Night Oct. 3”; “Shop our Mother’s Day sale and save 20%.” But don’t forget to update it.
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Sep. 11-17
INVENTORY Start a log for staff to list items that customers ask for but you don’t carry or that weren’t in stock. Review the list with staff every week and decide whether you should stock these items.
ONLINE Your store should show up in top three results for a Google search of “jewelry store near me.” If not, get busy working on your SEO.
MERCHANDISING Review client-purchase histories so you’re ready to make recommendations once the holiday season begins. Pay particular attention to your “heavy owners” — they typically number only one in five customers but account for more than half of diamond-jewelry sales.
Sep. 18-24
MANAGEMENT Create a “Spark File” and never let a great idea get away. A spark file need be nothing more than a notepad you keep in your top pocket, a running Word file or a note-taking app on your phone. Set it up this month so you’ll be in position to capture all those smart thoughts you have as the season gets busy.
MANAGEMENT If you haven’t already, set dates for any in-store events you plan to have in the fourth quarter. Inform your team as soon as possible. Everyone is busy during the holidays, and this will be greatly appreciated by your team.
PLANNING Have a strategy meeting with staff to brainstorm how you can make this the best October ever. The repair department can help draw great traffic, so be sure to have them call about all repairs that are ready for pickup.
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Sep. 25-Oct. 1
CASES Need to refurbish or repaint your old cases but don’t have a huge budget? Hire fine arts students from a local college to help you add special finishes and even to repair cases. “They have the eye, the updated vision and often the building skills. Work with them to explain what you’d like to accomplish,” says Sarah Yates, director of marketing at interior design firm GRID/3 International.
INVENTORY Run a quick check to make sure your inventory is balanced. Calculate sales percentage by category of total store sales, then inventory percentage by category of total store inventory to see if they align. Meaning, if peridot jewelry is 5 percent of total sales but makes up 33 percent of total inventory, you need to reduce your peridot inventory to bring it in line with its sales contribution to total sales.