Who Needs to Try it On???

Enough management talk already.  Let’s get back to a sales issue that seems to be cropping up in our tech-savvy, socially inept society (and watch-out because I’m going to be doing some YELLING!)  I just chatted with a jeweller who has had; not one, not two, but THREE recent shoppers who came into his store with a picture of a ring they printed off the internet and believed that their shopping was done.  They didn’t need or want to try any rings on.  WWWWHAAAAT???

In one case, the ring in the photo had a split-shank that flared really wide up to the crown and the customer didn’t see anything in the jewellery store that looked like it.  NO DUH!  The shoulders flared so wide because they were framing a 3 or 4 carat diamond!

If buying without trying-on is making sense to consumers, we’ve got to nip this in the bud.  The jewellery shopping experience has to be … well … AN EXPERIENCE!  It must involve trying things on and modeling them in front of mirrors.  It has to involve discussions about a young lady’s favorite activities so that durability and wearability are taken into account.  It has to involve getting them to open-up their feelings about the relationship or the event.  The internet cant’ do any of that.

Maybe it’s becoming critical to have a children’s jewellery station with fashion rings for kids to try-on so that they become accustomed to trying-on jewellery.  Shane Decker talks about showing a one carat diamond to people who come into the store for repairs and such.  Maybe today we have to say, “Here, try this one carat diamond ring on your hand while I change your watch battery.”

Let’s ENGAGE our clients and give them a mind-blowing experience that no iPad, website or smart-phone could equal!