When Will Jewelers Get With The (Digital) Program?
February 17, 2020 (0 comments)
It's 2020, and I thought by now that every jeweler on the planet would at least have proper social media pages to attract customers. But judging from a recent conversation I observed between jewelers regarding this year's Valentines Day sales, it's clear that many jewelers are still stuck back in ancient times.
I'm a member of a great Facebook group for jewelers. And in this thread, a nice gentleman posted that he made zero sales in his store this year on Valentines Day. Already knowing the answer, I posted "what is your Instagram page?" - and he responded that he doesn't have one.
This thread continued like this, with many jewelers commenting they did horrible during Valentines Day also. However, many jewelers also chimed in that they had a great Valentines this year, and did $10,000-$15,000 that day in sales. Needless to say, those stores had an Instagram page.
I'm not arguing that jewelry sales have changed over the years - but its you'r job, as the person selling the product, to tailor your business to what your customers want and need. If you're not even going to bother having an Instagram, how can you complain that you're not selling on one of the biggest jewelry holidays of the year?
You can't sell anything if you're not where your customers are.
I observed the same issues a couple years ago at the Centurion Jewelry Show, when our friends at Smart Age Solutions brought a rep from Google to speak at the show. The women from Google explained at that time, too that jewelers just aren't where their customers are. She broke down the areas most jewelers are spending their ad dollars, and it showed that its nowhere near where their target customers are. Trying to reach millennials? The women from Google explained she's young and hasn't ever even had cable. She watches her shows on streaming services. Yet jewelers continue to pump money into local TV commercials to attract millennials.
Similarly, theres a jeweler I spoke to 3 years ago about redoing their website and improving their online strategy. Three years later, their website remains the same.
Are you going to be one of the jewelers who lets stubbornness and complacency destroy the jewelry businesses you've spent your life creating?
Jewelry sales have changed. It's more difficult, especially for the smaller stores. But if you're not going to get with the program and begin investing in your online success, then you're not investing in your success period.
