We’ll take it on consignment
With all the challenges retailers face in today’s economy, consignment comes up a lot. “If you want, you can leave your work on consignment and we’ll see how it does,” is a phrase often heard. To me, that sounds rather passive and non-committal, like the retailer might not put in the necessary effort to sell your work. This is different from a retailer saying, “We are a gallery and work on consignment with a number of successful designers. We have a great following on social media and get a lot of foot traffic all year round.”
You need to decide if consignment is right for you and for your business’ viability. Frank Stankus, president of Jewelers Resource Bureau, suggests, “asking your accountant if you can afford to tie up inventory on speculation before you make any consignment commitments.”
Walk the walk
Yippie! You met with a retailer and the partnership looks very promising. Make sure you discuss your next steps. Be specific about how you intend to follow up—when you say you will e-mail tomorrow, do it. Make sure you go into your retailer meetings prepared so you can fulfil the promises you make when you leave.
Your marketing materials
Whether you are creating collections to sell wholesale or direct to consumer, you need a few marketing materials. At the very least, prepare beautiful photos of your pieces you and your retailers can use on your websites and social media. Have different formats available for the various banner sizes. Create a Dropbox, Google Drive or some other sharable link so retailers can get what they need when they need it.
Of course, you want to accommodate your retailers who may ask for other collateral—which will come at a cost of time or money. “You should only accept to do so if the dollar value of the retailer’s orders can justify the investment you have to make,” advises Matthew Perosi, jewellery marketing consultant and analyst at Sapphire Collaborative.
Your online footprint
These days, it is imperative to be active on social media. You don’t necessarily need legions of followers, but your online presence gives the world a sense of who you are as a designer. It helps tell your brand story because retailers will surely be checking you out on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
“Get over the mindset of it being work. Make it part of the fun,” Perosi says. “Just like you enjoy creating your jewellery, you should enjoy sharing your visions online.”
Ready, set, go
I am still new to the wholesale-retail world myself and sometimes get a mild case of the jitters when I think of how much beyond-the-bench work I do. If all of this is new information, you may be feeling a little overwhelmed. Take a deep breath and prioritize. I suggest starting with awesome photos and your brand story—since these two elements will flow through all your communications—then, write out your terms of sale (your business policies), followed by your wholesale order form and line sheets.
Once you finalize these items, you will feel confident and ready to be retail’s best designer-partner. As Matthews suggests to those she helps, “This is a journey, move forward one step at a time and have fun.”
Kate Hubley is owner of Montreal design house, K8 Jewelry Concepts Bijoux. She is also a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (FGA) and a 2015 Saul Bell Award recipient. Hubley can be reached at kate@k8jewelry.com.
