WE ARE LED TO believe that having the “biggest selection” in the market is the best approach when, in fact, that is counterintuitive to evolving retail models. Growing evidence to supports a “less-is-more” strategy across retail, and we should ask ourselves why bridal should be any different.
If having the biggest selection in bridal was the answer, retailers would have a much healthier inventory picture. The data, however, shows that the average retailer is not only seriously over-inventoried, but their current inventory is all too often misaligned with their best-sellers. You want your customers to have choices, but your bridal story should be curated for clarity, and you should closely analyze your data as part of the ongoing process.
Fixing your bridal category doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Here are a few initiatives you can implement immediately:
Set your stock turn and return-on-investment targets. You should expect a minimum of a one-time stock turn, a big improvement on the current overall industry average of 0.47.
Review your data. Identify your fast sellers (items that sell within 180 days) in loose, semi-mounts and bands. There is simply no reason why you would ever be out of stock in these categories. For example, an SI1 G-H 1-carat loose diamond tends to be a fast seller, and yet it is often out of stock when we review retailer inventory levels. Know that any bridal that generates a one-time stock-turn at full margin within 365 days should be replenished.
Pay close attention to your live samples, such as semi-mounts and diamond bands, that generate special orders. Many retailers incorrectly assume that most of their bridal pieces generate orders, when in fact the vast majority of SKUs generate little to no sales at all.
Implement strategies to purge non-performing inventory. This should include stock balancing with your top vendors. Next, you can look at markdowns, spiffs and recycling non-performers into more basic (saleable) styles. Feature your markdowns in your email blasts and, possibly, on your social media platforms. Markdowns should take place starting with the one-year anniversary of receipt of a given item and continue every 30-60 days until the piece is gone. Be aggressive, as your objective is now about recovering your investment. Research shows with each passing year, you will get less and less on the dollar.
Re-merchandise. Clean up your jammed cases. Move your non-performers out of the case and create an organized back stock. This will allow you to display your best performers and strategically highlight your key pieces and collections. Putting your rings into collections such as “by designer” or by styling such as halos, three-stones, solitaires and so forth makes it much easier for your customer to shop.
Recognize that today’s young customer is not interested in navigating your sea of insignificant merchandise. They want to know what your store is about and why they should care. They are much more likely to respond to nicely curated stories than overflowing cases. Even in the case of bridal, more is definitely not more.