Week 1 / APR. 4-9
Inventory Show season is almost
upon us. Brainstorm with staff on
ways to clear space in your cases for
your new merchandise purchases.
Events Mother’s Day is early this
year, falling on May 8. Curate an
M’s Day selection and get it up on
your website now. Keep most of the
offerings within a price range of $50
to $250 (although depending on your
store you may want to go as high as
$1,000). Offer steep discounts on a
couple of items to keep people coming
back to look at your offerings.
Shows The SMART Jewelry starts in
Chicago in less than 10 days (education
sessions begin April 16; show
runs from April 17-19). There’s still
time to register. We guarantee you’ll
go home with more than just lovely
new goods.
Week 2 / APR. 11-16
Customer Service Begin training
your staff to give first-time customers
a “tour” of your store. This is a good
way to break the ice and make newcomers
feel welcome. Also establish a
new rule: salespeople must walk customers
who have made purchases to
the door and thank them for coming.
Marketing Not sure what to do for
summer? How about a bead event?
Despite initial expectations, there’s
no sign this trend is fading.
Legal Inspect sidewalks and driveways to identify areas where people
might trip. Call a contractor if repairs
are needed.
Inventory While you’re at the
SMART Show (or any other show this
year), gather pictures and pricing, to
review back at the store. Get information
on potential new vendors. Even
if you don’t have the open-to-buy
dollars this season, start a file for the
next show you will be attending.
Week 3 / APR. 18-23
Management If your typical response
to handling day to day affairs
is, “Let me take care of this,” then try
this experiment: For the next two
weeks free up two hours a day just
to manage. Delegate some admin
work, drop less important meetings
and spend the extra time giving more
guidance to your team. You may find
the extra productivity far outweighs
your “lost” hours.
In-Store In honor of Earth Day on
April 22, install some shrubbery
inside. Living things will literally
add fresh air to your showroom (one
plant for every 100 square feet of
space will be enough to filter the air).
Sales Floor The counter where you
do battery changes is likely to be one
of your store’s most heavily trafficked
areas. Put some promotional material
there (maybe a list of the bench
services you offer) or some lower
priced merchandise ($200-$500) to
encourage impulse buying.
Week 4 / APR. 25-30
Education Go through the notes
you took during all those educational
sessions at Chicago (or check
Instoremag.com) and organize them
into a usable form so that you can
quickly start implementing some of
the “Smarter” ideas.
Marketing There are a string of mini
selling dates coming up including
prom season, communions and
graduation. Draw up a schedule for
case displays and give thought to
potential cross promotions.
Sales Create an education kit with
rhinestones to provide guidance on
how to buy a diamond.
This article originally appeared in the April 2016 edition of INSTORE.