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Merrick, NY—According to the Centurion 2012 Holiday Sales Success Index, jewelers targeting affluent consumers shouldn’t write off traditional advertising media—radio, TV, print—just yet. When asked “which of your marketing efforts do you think was most effective in boosting your holiday business,” almost half (47%) cited traditional media, followed by 31% who cited catalogs and/or other direct mail pieces.

Taken together, social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and digital marketing (e-blasts and newsletters) worked best for another 31% of respondents, but taken individually, slightly more (20%) cited Facebook than other forms of digital marketing (11%).

Outdoor advertising and special events each were the most effective holiday marketing strategies for 6% of respondents, while a surprising 11% of respondents said either that none of their marketing efforts worked—or that they didn’t do any, relying solely on word of mouth and community reputation.

In terms of holiday traffic, prestige jewelers by and large enjoyed fairly steady sales throughout the season. Unlike the general retail picture, where shoppers flocked to stores for Black Friday weekend and again very late in the season—the barbell pattern that is becoming de rigueur—41.7% of respondents to the Centurion Holiday Sales Success Index said their traffic held steady throughout the season. Less than one-third of respondents each reported either an early surge (27.8%) or a late-season surge (30.6%), while 13.9% reported a noticeable increase in online or mobile sales in 2012 vs. holiday 2011.

Like last year, the bulk of respondents reported their holiday business came from an even mix of both old and new customers, indicating that their marketing strategies are working.

Finally, more than 70% of respondents said sales for the year as a whole grew from 2011. 18.9% said their sales and/or profits were down from 2011 figures, and 10.8% said sales were even with last year.

Among those reporting total growth for 2012 over 2011, 42% said that growth was significant. Comments like, “best year ever!” and “awesome!” were common, while another respondent said, “We finished 10% ahead of 2011, which was a record year for us. We are excited about our growth.” 

When asked about holiday sales traffic patterns, the bulk of respondents to the Centurion survey reported business was steady throughout the season (brown bar), and that while traffic may have dropped off in numbers, the tickets were higher (orange bar). Other frequent occurrences were a late-season surge in traffic (green bar) and still a significant percentage of respondents who drew success from higher volume/lower tickets (blue bar). Return customers (aqua bar) are still responsible for many jewelers' best sales, and finally, there was a noticeable increase in online and mobile sales for about 13% of respondents (purple bar).

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