Editor's Note

Overwhelmed by Tech Advances? Try Artificial Intelligence Anyway

AI can seem daunting, but its tantalizing benefits make it worth the effort to understand.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 2, 2025

Trace Shelton Instore April 2025 Issue

IF YOU’RE LIKE ME, the rapidly changing nature of today’s technology can feel overwhelming. No sooner do you start to get a handle on search-engine optimization than Google changes how it ranks websites. You’re just beginning to understand what works on Facebook when TikTok and Instagram Reels become all the rage. And now, you’re supposed to embrace artificial intelligence: That futuristic tech that seemed barely feasible when Arnold Schwarzenegger scared the bejeebers out of us in 1984’s The Terminator.

It can be enough to make you want to give up and slink off into irrelevance with your tail between your legs.

But I’m here to tell you that Eileen McClelland’s article, “Higher Intelligence” (page 30), will pique your interest and make you believe that you can utilize AI in your business after all.

The simple truth is that AI was created to make your life easier and your customer service better. It can handle routine customer questions so that you’re freed up to take on more complicated queries. It can aid you in capturing your client’s imagination in a custom design. It can write your social media posts and product descriptions. It can even analyze all of your customer reviews and tell you what customers love most about your business and where you have room for improvement.

So before you give up on the breakneck pace of technology, make friends with AI — and it can explain tech advances to you as they happen!

Trace Shelton

Editor-in-Chief, INSTORE
trace@smartworkmedia.com

Five Smart Tips You’ll Find in This Issue

Take your packaging to trade shows to get a quote from the companies exhibiting there. (Manager’s To-Do, p. 24)
Use the voice function to talk to AI and ask it questions. (The Big Story, p. 30)
Ask AI to analyze customer behavior in order to suggest relevant products, as in a “complete the look” feature at checkout. (Megan Crabtree, p. 45)
Train your staff on how much gold is used in certain repairs so they can confidently explain pricing changes. (Jonathan Geller, p. 46)
Shape your career goals by thinking about your closest loved ones and asking yourself what you want to do, be and have together. (Kyle Bullock. p. 48)

Family Legacy, New Chapter: How Wilkerson Turns 89 Years of History Into Future Success

After 89 years of serving the Albany community, Harold Finkle Your Jeweler faced a pivotal decision. For third-generation owner Justin Finkle, the demanding hours of running a small business were taking precious time away from his young family. "After 23 years, I decided this was the time for me," Finkle explains. But closing a business with nearly nine decades of inventory and customer relationships isn't something easily managed alone. Wilkerson's comprehensive approach transformed this challenging transition into a remarkable success story. Their strategic planning handled everything from advertising and social media to inventory management and staffing — elements that would overwhelm most jewelers attempting to navigate a closing sale independently. The results speak volumes. "Wilkerson gave us three different tiers of potential goals," Finkle notes. "We've reached that third tier, that highest goal already, and we still have two weeks left of the sale." The partnership didn't just meet financial objectives—it exceeded them ahead of schedule.