Hint-hint

I hope you all had the opportunity the weekend to properly acknowledge the brave sacrifices of our troops.  Thank you to Ken Fisher and all of you who have served.  Lest we forget…

If you aren’t familiar with them, “hint-hint” cards are designed as a take-home reminder of a favored piece of jewellery that can be given to someone who might need a “nudge” to select the right gift.  Whenever your brand-names and style numbers allow the shopper to acquire a competitive price quote on the exact same thing, these cards will work against you.  In the same way that some stores refuse to allow photography of your designs, some use an in-store “wish-book” in place of hint-hint cards.

I believe that as a retailer I would be inclined to be protectionist about my style numbers and images, but maybe that would be a turn-off to the smart-phone generation.  Maybe we need to echo the level of transparency on the internet.  What do internet retailers have to lose by showing model numbers, gram-weights, gem-weights, qualities and measurements?  Not much.  You see, they want and need their viewers to compare jewellery on its’ measurable and directly comparable attributes.  For them it takes aesthetics (does it look good on me?), service (what’s the benefit of an in-person relationship with your business like?) and follow-up off the table.  Can they beat you on price if they don’t have staff and a ridiculous lease to pay?   Probably.

I suggest that you consider echoing the transparency of the internet as a sell-out.  I further recommend taking every opportunity to espouse the in-person benefits of “membership” in your store.  If you can effectively stand-up for the advantages of bricks-and-mortar jewellery stores, you’re eliminating a large number of competitors from your marketplace.

If you’re a fan of “hint-hint” cards, then consider also documenting each hint in your own in-store wish-book, so that you can choose to be proactive and call Mr. So-and-so before Christmas and give him a hint of your own.