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Designer Brands And A Charity Connection Make Weston Jewelers An Ongoing Success | May 22, 2013 (0 comments)
Weston, FL--Weston Jewelers started in business in 2001 with just over a thousand square feet of space and no prestige brands. Today, they have twice as much space, an impressive roster of brands, and have been named by Harper's Bazaar as one of the "Best Jewelry and Watch Retailers in America."
Ed Dikes, CEO/owner along with wife Tracey, have watched the business grow at a quick pace. "We've seen some good growth throughout the years, 15-20% a year, even through the tough times. It's been more like 10% a year for the last three years."
The customers and the customer service. Dikes credits part of the growth to his wealthy market area. "We have South Americans, Brazilians, many from outside the country that have brought wealth into Weston." When Dikes first moved to the area 19 years ago, the population was around 9,000. Today it's 72,000. With that population increase came the customers. "We have customers with big homes (not vacation homes), lots of CEOs and ballplayers."
Unlike some other jewelers in destination areas, summer at Weston Jewelers is a quieter time. "Most of our customers have homes in other areas like Colorado or North Carolina, or perhaps they travel to Europe for a few months. We ramp up from mid-October the end of May," says Dikes, but the store is fully staffed and open all year around.
Weston Jewelers is known for its outstanding customer service. The company's website boasts sales specialists that speak English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. According to the company's website, "It's not uncommon for our staff to accommodate clients with personal delivery of fine timepieces or exceptional jewelry at hotels, airports, home or wherever it is convenient for them. As a family owned business, we take pride in providing our customers the quality, selection and service they deserve."
Edward Dikes with wife Tracey behind the Weston Jewelers counter.
The marketing/advertising outreach. Dikes reaches the Weston Jewelers' customer through various traditional methods along with a good dose of referrals. For traditional media, Dikes uses billboards in the Ft. Lauderdale area, including the airport, newspapers, and lifestyle magazines, along with partnerships with sports and entertainment venues to keep the Weston Jewelers name out in the market constantly.
While those methods work for Dikes, he knows and appreciates the value of a referral. "We believe in one-on-one type of client approach. We nurture our clients so they refer their friends. The trust factor is there. That's everything."
The Internet and social media. While Weston Jewelers doesn't sell over the web, they do maintain a robust website as well as a well-populated Facebook page. "We prefer to talk to our customers and communicate that luxury feeling. We're about selling luxury goods and we need to have a personal connection with the client," says Dikes.
Weston Jewelers posts daily on Facebook, reaching his target market aged 38-68, with the help of a marketing/advertising agency. "I work with Kip Hunter, who has a crew of young people who are incredible," says Dikes. "They understand the luxury market and how to best target them." Dikes says that along with their social media skills, they also helped him develop email blasts that work very well for Weston Jewelers. "The email blasts introduce the customer to what's next at Weston, what we're featuring, etc."
Dikes credits the email blasts for a recent excellent Mother's Day with record-breaking sales. "No printing needed, these get directly to the client."
Dikes and his staff of 11 make sure that they ask each customer for their email address as well as permission to email them when they come by the store. It's not a hard sell. "Most people want the emails," he says.
The watches and brands. Today Weston Jewelers carries a number of fine jewelry and watch brands. Among them: Aaron Basha, A.Link, Baume & Mercier, Breitling, Bvlgari, Burberry, Cartier, Chopard, IWC, Hublot, Kwiat, Marco Bicego, Michele, Montblanc, Nanis, Philip Stein, Roberto Coin, Scott Kay, TW Steel, Vacheron Constantin, Wolf Designs and Zodiac. Weston Jewelers has an in-house shop with jewelers and watchmakers and does a good amount of custom work.
Dikes admits his customers are still buying but on a different scale. "The client that was buying $100,000 pieces are now buying $75,000 pieces. And the $25,000 customer is now spending $15,000."
Advertising big: a variety of Weston Jewelers watch and jewelry interior billboards.
Jewelry for children. In a category that most jewelers don't promote, jewelry for children sells well at Weston Jewelers. "We do well with children's jewelry," says Dikes. "Our Latin customers especially spend money on their children. We don't want them shopping elsewhere, so we have a small selection that does well." Dikes says the average children's sale is $300.
The charities. As part of his community outreach, Dikes is very involved in a good number of charities. A few of the company's favorite charities are Make-A-Wish, Young At Art, Conine's Clubhouse (part of Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital), the American Cancer Society, the Jewish National Fund and the Mario Chalmers Foundation. "We always have something going on."
A photo from Weston Jewelers Facebook page: As the official jeweler to the BB&T Center and the Florida Panthers, Ed Dikes, owner of Weston Jewelers was awarded the honor of dropping the ceremonial puck at a Panthers home game in Sunrise, Florida.
Dikes has a long history in the business, even before he began Weston Jewelers. "I started off as upscale pawnbroker, with an accounting background, and moved into high-end jewelry, which was my dream. I learned about diamonds and estate buying. I have a love for watches and a love for designer jewelry. It's a perfect match," says Dikes with a smile.