Your brand story starts at the door

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Your brand story starts at the door

By Teresa Novellino

February 24, 2009

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Sleek, modern displays hold the designs at Italian jewelry brand Rebecca's freestanding stores, like this one in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Welcome to the results of National Jeweler's first product panel. We brought together jewelers from around the country who have agreed to share details on their stores, as well as their thoughts, strategies and advice on issues that impact their businesses. In January, the panel weighed in on visual merchandising. To see full results, click here.

The interior design of your store is crucial to defining your brand because it creates what experts call a "retail experience," an event that goes beyond the idea of simple shopping to strike at the heart of who consumers are, or--for those aspirational types--who they would like to be.

Design trends: Many jewelers who have renovated their stores in recent years opted for a more open, less cluttered look, and those in larger spaces have added chairs, couches and even playrooms, all designed to create a welcoming vibe that doesn't feel stuffy.

"Light, bright walls are serving us much better than the medium dark paneling originally in the showroom," one jeweler notes. "We have painted over in a cream color, with two accent colors in the same color family."

Whether your clients are bankers who enjoy sitting down to inspect your merchandise, or working moms who seek a spa-like setting as they peruse the showcases, tea in hand, one thing is clear: Looks matter.

The majority of panelists were "very happy" or "somewhat happy" with the overall look of their store interiors, perhaps because more than half (55 percent) designed their stores themselves.

Display tips: Many jewelers on our panel suggest moving jewelry around to different showcases to keep things looking fresh. If you paid money to advertise a piece, don't hide it, they suggest.

"Put a copy of any ads that have run in the paper in the case with the featured jewelry," advises one jeweler.

Another retailer says, "We change our in-store signage monthly to match whatever advertising we are currently running. "We set up cases depending on the season also."

Other suggestions include installing light-emitting diode (L.E.D.) lights on tracks to lend more sparkle to diamonds, changing Duratrans to coincide with inventory, trends or the season, and using picture frames in display cases to highlight special pieces. One jeweler puts every piece of jewelry on forms so that each ring is showcased on a "ring finger" and every bracelet on an "arm."

Traffic patterns: In recent years, many jewelers have opted for curved display cases. Interior designers say that the curvy lines encourage customers to meander, while straight cases tend to make customers move more quickly to find what they want (some watch retailers prefer this). One panelist, who strategically places high-ticket items, writes: "I notice most humans tend to go to the right, so the highest-priced merchandise is placed to the right of entry."

Interactive ideas: Another top trend: providing ways for customers to interact more easily with jewelry, even allowing customers to handle lower price-point merchandise on their own.

Another part of being interactive with customers involves transparent pricing.

"Each case has related merchandise: pearl jewelry, diamond, ruby, sapphire, etc.," said one jeweler. "I have tiny price 'cubes' in front of each piece to make it more comfortable for my clients, to know how much pieces cost."

Another jeweler runs PowerPoint presentations on a flat-panel TV screen, showcasing both custom items made in-house and items that the jeweler wants to move.

Editor's note: This story first appeared in the January 2009 print edition of National Jeweler. To join our product panel, e-mail Executive Editor Teresa Novellino, tnovellino@nationaljeweler.com.

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