AS RETAILERS, WE all have a slower season throughout the year where our traffic decreases. With the outbreak of COVID-19, you could have already started to see a decrease in traffic or could in the near future.
I personally have had multiple retail clients affected with this decrease in traffic who have reached out asking what they should do. I believe we should react as we do during our slower seasons. Yes, a traffic decrease can result in a decrease in sales, but I also don’t believe sales are only generated by actual foot traffic in the showroom. So how do we generate sales without foot traffic? According to Mgage, 49 million people will choose to receive business-related SMS (text) messages in 2020, and believe it or not, SMS messages have a 209 percent higher response rate compared to calls, email, or alerts through social channels.
I am a big believer in taking the SMS approach to providing a personalized concierge service. What does a personalized concierge service entail? Through these messages, you can send photos, videos, and personalized content to make it not only convenient to the client, but easy to say yes.
With that in mind, how do you choose which clients to send this content to or what pieces to show? Generate a focused list of customers based on sales history. How many clients do you have who have purchased from you before and could be candidates for an additional purchase? This could be a client who purchased a sapphire necklace in the past, so you can send them videos and photos of sapphire matching pieces. Or how about how many clients who purchased engagement rings but have yet to purchase a wedding band? You could send this client a picture and video of their exact matching band.
When sending videos, speak in the background as if the client was next to you in store. This will create a personalized experience for the customer, and I promise they will be impressed!
In conclusion, you don’t always have to have the customer in front of you to close a sale. Get creative, think outside of the box, and find ways to create sales!
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Ready to Relocate? Wilkerson Makes Your Move Seamless
When Brockhaus Jewelry decided to leave their longtime West Main Street storefront for a standalone building elsewhere in Norman, Oklahoma, owners John Brockhaus and Brad Shipman faced a familiar challenge: how to efficiently reduce inventory before the big move. Their solution? Partnering with liquidation specialists Wilkerson for a second time.
"We'd already experienced Wilkerson's professionalism during a previous sale," Shipman recalls. "But their approach to our relocation event truly impressed us. They strategically prioritized our existing pieces while tactfully introducing complementary merchandise as inventory levels decreased." The carefully orchestrated sale didn't just meet targets—it shattered them.
Asked if they'd endorse Wilkerson to industry colleagues planning similar transitions—whether relocating, retiring, or refreshing their space—both partners were emphatic in their approval. "The entire process was remarkably straightforward," Shipman notes. "Wilkerson delivered a well-structured program, paired us with a knowledgeable advisor, and managed every detail flawlessly from concept to completion."
