Ross-Simons' redesign throws customers a curve

July 15, 2008

Chandeliers and elevated display cases help draw customers' eyes to higher-price items at Ross-Simons newly designed store in Providence, R.I.

By Michelle Graff

Everyone from a 20-year-old construction worker to a 70-year-old socialite will feel at home shopping at Ross-Simons' newly redesigned store.

And that is exactly what the retailer's executives envisioned when they set out to give the Providence, R.I., store, located in Providence Place Mall, an extreme makeover. The New England city is home to Ross-Simons' first retail store, which opened back in 1952. Today, the jeweler has 13 locations in eight states, but despite its size, cookie-cutter design is simply not its style.

"We were interested in a store that wasn't another boring jewelry store," says Bob Simone, chief operating officer of Ross-Simons. In taking the company's ideas for the store redesign to Columbus, Ohio-based retail design firm Chute Gerdeman, Ross-Simons executives asked Chute to create something appealing and welcoming to all age groups.

"Our charge from them was to present a place that evokes a warm, inviting atmosphere—luxurious in feeling but not unapproachable," says Steve Calhoun, Chute Gerdeman's senior designer.

The design firm also had to create an atmosphere that made people want to shop, taking into account that jewelry
is a luxury, not a necessity.

A taste of chocolate The inviting atmosphere at Ross-Simons begins with the building's exterior. The 2,900-square-foot store is situated on a corner lot in the mall.

To take advantage of this prime placement, Chute Gerdeman made the side of the store that runs along that corner all glass, providing an enticing view to shoppers strolling by. The jewelry display cases placed along the glass wall are higher than the jewelry cases in the store, allowing passers-by to see the merchandise without having to bend down. Another eye-catching element along the glass wall is the cases themselves, which have curvy, "S"-shaped legs. Calhoun says the idea behind the unusually shaped legs was to add a note of playfulness to the store without being too whimsical.

"We struck a nice balance between all of those items," he says.

The exterior of the store, as well as the inside, features a dark wood from Africa called wenge, a type that Calhoun says gives off an air of elegance without looking too heavy or intimidating.

In redesigning the store, Calhoun says, the team at Chute Gerdeman turned to high-end chocolate stores for ideas on how to display the merchandise.

"There are some similar ways of shopping for diamonds and chocolate. Both are luxury items," he says. "You really have to examine some of the psychology of, 'How do you get people to look at them?'"

What the design team discovered was that it really needed to "romance the product" by elevating the high-end merchandise to set it apart and surrounding it with luxurious textures.

"You really have to create an atmosphere around it that makes it special from the minute you walk through the door," Calhoun says.

Located in the front, right-hand corner of the store, the watch bar was designed to help Ross-Simons continue its robust watch sales.

To romance Ross-Simons' special items, Chute Gerdeman surrounded the merchandise with lighting fixtures that varied slightly from those used elsewhere in the store.

For instance, the placement of the chandeliers that hang from the ceiling is not random. The high-end light fixtures are purposefully affixed above the high-dollar items to which Ross-Simons wants to call attention.

Calhoun says rotating turntables with LED (light-emitting diode) lights bring focus to the more expensive merchandise.

Paco Underhill, chief executive officer of market research firm Envirosell, says retailers selling luxury items need to be sure to get customers seated—as Ross-Simons does at its bridal and watch bars. Luxury purveyors also need to find ways to keep the customers, and anyone accompanying the customer, happy. This includes spouses, pets or children, who can be satisfied with a bench outside, seating inside the store or even a play area.

"That 7-year-old is either your friend or your enemy," Underhill says.

Examples of retail stores that he says succeed with this idea include Ikea, which has a supervised play area and ball room for children, and Victoria's Secret, which almost always places benches outside the store where men can sit while women shop.

As part of the Ross-Simons redesign, Chute Gerdeman added a lounge area consisting of two lounge chairs and a coffee table. While there is no specific play area, children are not discouraged from using the lounge area, Calhoun says.

Female buyers call for romance At Ross-Simons, the typical customer is a woman between 45 and 70 years old, with a household income of $100,000 or more. She is primarily a self-purchaser who sometimes buys gifts, Simone says.

This type of shopper is increasingly common, but is a bit of a change for many jewelers. Underhill says for years, jewelry stores were designed to sell to men who were looking to say one of three things: "I love you," "I want to be with you" or "I'm sorry."

Now that women are buying for themselves, the tone of stores has changed.

"There has to be more romance, the nature of the store has to be softer, you have to have better mirrors," Underhill says.

In addition to addressing the needs of its most typical demographic, the redesign focused on two other important segments of Ross-Simons' business: watches and first-time engagement ring buyers. The latter comprises 20 percent of Ross-Simons' overall business.

To appeal to these customers, Chute Gerdeman created a special area in the middle of the store for bridal, featuring plenty of comfortable seating and pictures on the wall of happy couples.

"They really want to win in the area of diamond sales," Calhoun says.

Ross-Simons' newly redesigned bridal bar features plenty of seating for bridal customers, who constitute 20 percent of Ross-Simons' business.

For watch customers, Chute Gerdeman created a sit-down watch bar in the front, right-hand portion of the store, featuring the Rolex logo on the wall framed by luxurious curtains.

A customer-centric design philosophy No matter who the buyer or the product, Simone says, Ross-Simons always kept the customer in the forefront of redesign discussions.

In fact, when querying employees for input on the redesign, Ross-Simons asked what could be done to make sales easier.

"Everything we did had 'customer' at the end of it," he says.

While the Ross-Simons soundtrack leans toward the traditional from Monday through Friday, on the weekend, the target customer shifts to 24 to 38 year olds, and the dial turns to Top 40 artists, such as Gwen Stefani and Sheryl Crow.

"You won't hear [hard-core] rock 'n' roll, but you will hear things that are aimed toward younger customers," Calhoun says.

In addition, Ross-Simons oversaw the creation of a custom store scent. Like the other redesign components, it walks the line between older and younger customers.

Underhill says scents are becoming more common in all sectors of retail. But, he warns, retailers should be careful of which fragrance they select for their store, as scents can "be an attractant but also a repellent."

Calhoun says the store scent is a very subtle blend of green tea and lemongrass, a fragrance that doesn't put off Ross-Simons' core customers but, at the same time, is not too flowery for younger or male shoppers.

"Customers have noted that it looks so much better than the old store and it smells so much better," Calhoun says. "That is one thing that has not been used extensively in the jewelry industry, a scent."

Ross-Simons shares tips on how to give a jewelry store an extreme makeover.

1) Remember the customer. Don't forget who your core customer is, but don't be afraid to add different elements that could attract a new demographic.
2) Take a deep breath. Giving a store a particular scent is becoming more popular in the world of retailing, and that includes jewelry stores. Pick a scent that appeals to the widest range of customers possible. But remember: When it comes to fragrance, less is more.
3) Sit them down. Providing seating for customers and their companions is extremely important. In addition to making customers feel more at home, having an area for children and pets can cut down on distractions when members of the staff are trying to make a sale.
4) Make them look. Draw the customers' attention to high-dollar items using special lighting, elevated display cases, unique fixtures or any combination thereof. Make high-end items stand out from the rest of the merchandise.

—E-mail: michelle.graff@nationaljeweler.com

Editor's note: This story first appeared in the June 2008 print edition of National Jeweler.