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Leslie McGwire: Jewelry Interior Design is Rising to the Challenge of Current Customer Demands | November 04, 2024 (0 comments)
West Bloomfield, MI--Whether owners are building out a new interior or updating an existing one, a primary function of jewelry store design is to convey your brand image and optimize the customer experience. As an owner the design must be attractive, engaging and on-brand, while meeting the expectations of today’s customers.
However, those expectations are very different than they were just a few years ago.
The pandemic accelerated the transition from in-person to online shopping and many consumers say they will continue making online purchases because of the selection and convenience digital channels offer. But not everyone wants to make their purchases of jewelry by clicking a link or tapping on a screen. Jewelry store shopping remains a social activity for many consumers. Plus, the online shopping experience is no substitute for being able to touch, feel and try out a product before making a purchase decision.
Brick and mortar jewelry stores are still an important part of many consumers’ experiences. Some physical stores have even seen a resurgence in traffic as people look for reasons to step outside and seek local jewelry stores for in-person service. That is not to say that the old way of presenting jewelry merchandise is enough to convince modern shoppers to pay your store a visit. More than ever effective interior design drives traffic and sales by embracing four major trends that define the modern shopping experience. Here a review at those trends and why they motivate shoppers to head out to the store.
Prioritizing Customer Convenience
Today’s customers are accustomed to finding what they want when they want it. In the new, on-demand economy, customers go online and order jewelry, and it's delivered to their door. But not everyone wants to wait for a delivery. In recent years, brick and mortar jewelry locations have stepped up to offer customer convenience by improving the store interior design and in the form of buy online.
Innovative Technology to Bridge the Gap Between the Digital and Physical Experience
Full integration of the digital and physical jewelry store experience does even more. The latest jewelry store interior design upgrades include connected video features that allow customers to share their shopping experience with friends online and kiosks that allow them to search for jewelry in-store. The fusion of technology and interior design is shaping the future of a paradigm shift for jewelry stores. Interactive Smart Jewelry Kiosks with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology and their placements in the store are critical to ROI. Another essential technological trend is the Smart Mirrors which displays the customers an immersive jewelry shopping experience. The placement of a Smart Mirror in a jewelry store should be carefully identified by an interior designer. By integrating these technologies, owners can create a modern, engaging environment that attracts tech-savvy customers and enhances overall satisfaction.
Creating Interactive Brand Experiences: Only Happen in a Physical Store
In-person shopping is a multi-sensory experience. Customers visit jewelry physical stores because they want to see, touch, and try the items which they are considering before the purchase. They may also want the advice of expert sales staff or wish to compare in a side-by-side selling setting. New interior designs that add space for product use and demonstrations, VR interactions that give customers a reason to visit their local jewelry stores. Modern showroom designs place the jewelry in their natural setting. Because of these non-traditional technological experiential jewelry approaches are gaining momentum as stores evolve from mere transactional spaces to destinations for unique experiences. Modern jewelry store interiors that can draw traffic and increase sales by offering physical interactions that a traditional storefront cannot.
[Hingham Jewelers before. Photo credit: Leslie McGwire]
Leveraging Temporary Redesigns in a New Customer Experience
A hot new interior design trend is to install a temporary kiosk in the store. These areas may last for a season and transform (holidays) a space into a new, exciting experience for customers. A kiosk activation or “store-within-a-store” enables an owner to build a temporary space to highlight a particular product or promote a specific brand.
Many owners update parts of their interior on a rotating basis. Every six to twelve months, they partition a portion of their floor space and modify the display layout, change fixtures, and add or replace walls or other elements. Color changes, new flooring or lighting fixtures can add a whole new look to a space. This allows the brand to continue operations and gives customers something new to explore at regular intervals.
In other instances, a complete overhaul is in order. A store’s layout may not be suitable for its current inventory, foot traffic or priorities. Others are incorporating the store-within-a-store concept, offering customers more convenience by bringing additional brands into their jewelry store space.
[Hingham Jewelers Chandelier and Round case Completion. Photo credit: Leslie McGwire]
Full remodels may also happen when a location has not been updated for many years or the brand is going through a company-wide rebranding of the store area. A full-scale remodel is usually executed in stages so a jeweler can remain open during most of the renovations. Please view Hingham Jewelers before and after pictures of a complete renovation.
Not every jewelry brand will follow the same timetable. The decision to make a change should be a strategic one that considers the location’s performance, the owners’ available resources, how much disruption the changes will cause, and whether your current retail design is meeting your customers’ expectations.
About the Author: Leslie McGwire™ has over 35 years in tech-business development, interior design, equipment, furniture sales and marketing services in retail and jewelry-based businesses. Leslie has won 25 national design awards, including the prestigious Salon Today and INSTORE Jewelry Store awards. Leslie has a true passion for business, design for the jewelry and retail industries. Visit lesliemcgwire.com for more information.