“Ten years ago, you wouldn’t think to have your customer’s cell phone number, but now you do,” she explains. “I’ve had people text images from my booth. You’re building on that relationship. Not only is this an instant sale, but you can upsell your customer by sending them a photo of a matching piece.”
Mary Milan, vice-president of sales and marketing for PAJ Canada ELLE, says the company is putting a slightly different spin on its ‘gift with purchase’ program. Rather than a makeup or tote bag, ELLE is gifting a specially designed promotional pendant retailing for $79 with the sale of $150 or more. It’s an incentive that offers consumers more bang for their buck and goes a long way to building brand loyalty.
“We found a consumer may hesitate at the $150 price point, but this way, they’re getting something extra and can justify it,” Milan explains. “We’re hoping this will help people buy the more expensive pieces, plus they get the extra value of the gift.”
Giving back was at the heart of a new national design competition co-sponsored by Beverly Hills Jewellers. The Giovanni Vaccaro Family Scholarship will bestow a $3000 grant to a student enrolled in a Canadian college offering a jewellery program, while the school will receive a $1000 gift. Attendees at next year’s CJ Expos Edmonton and Toronto will vote on the best student design with a retail value of no more than $1500. The winner will be flown to Toronto for the 2014 Jewellers Vigilance Canada Ball where the winning design will be presented.
Vaccaro, co-owner of Beverly Hills Jewellers, says there was no question he wanted to give back, particularly with so much jewellery manufacturing happening overseas and local graduates having a hard time breaking into the industry.
“A scholarship is a motivator to help students present designs and also a platform in which to present a piece they feel very passionate about,” he says.
Vaccaro knows a thing or two about the difficulties of getting a start in the jewellery industry. Fresh from his studies at George Brown, he was willing to work as a stone setter for less than minimum wage at A&A Jewellers to gain experience. His enthusiasm got him the job at the going rate.
“And now I want to help a young person get their foot in the door,” he adds.
Greg Merrall, co-ordinator of Georgian College’s jewellery program, says graduates in general tend to have a difficult time breaking into the industry. Although they are skilled in their respective disciplines, many are unprepared for the demands imposed by commercial manufacturers.
“They’re not used to designing to price points,” Merrall says. “They’re used to designing one-of-a-kind pieces that maybe don’t have a particular market. If all the programs offered students set projects with defined parameters, such as the piece needs to retail for less than $100 or the gold can’t weigh more than 5 gr., that would help because it gives them an idea of what would be expected of them.”
Away from the chatter of stone sizes and price points, security experts like Simon Thomas, president of CJB Insurance Services, offered retailers advice on how to stay safe. He says smash and grabs—also known as the ‘three-minute’ burglary—are the biggest security concern for jewellers at the moment.
Although this particular type of crime happens very quickly and usually without warning, Thomas recommends the use of laminated showcases to slow thieves down while police are en route. Another is to display high-end jewellery or watches among several showcases, rather than having a lot of it in one spot where it can be easily scooped up.
“The idea is to make it so that thieves take as long as possible in the store,” Thomas explains. “Time is not their friend.”
In addition to smash and grabs, South American gangs continue to be a threat, particularly to travelling salesmen. They’ve been known to puncture tires or radiators to get jewellers to stop, but a GPS tracking device placed under a wheel well or some other place on the car where it can’t be seen is not unheard of.
