Browsers are the bane of jewellery storeowner’s lives everywhere. If every browsing customer would just buy something, you’d be swimming in cash in no time. These five things can make customers linger longer, and might just nudge them to buy something rather than go home and think about it.
1. A small hi-fi
Size is key here, you really don’t want to go overboard here with twenty speakers and bass that makes the windows rattle. Low-level backing music is relaxing on both sides of the equation – it stops you climbing the walls with boredom behind the counter, and it makes the customer feel more relaxed.
Additionally, the right music can be very effective in communicating the vibe of your brand. Are you a specialist in contemporary jewellery? Consider playing contemporary music to reinforce that brand identity.
Matching music to brand isn’t essential, of course. But do consider the kinds of customers you hope to attract. People who are interested in buying modern jewellery are likely to also be interested in modern music, and hearing music that you like when you’re shopping can make you stay at that store for longer than you would have otherwise – increasing the chance that they might they buy something.
2. Jewellery display stands
Easily overlooked. Laying jewellery out flat on low tables or shelves might seem like a good idea on paper – but determining the correct height for those tables can be difficult. You either prevent diminutive customers from seeing the whole spread of your jewellery, or you force taller customers to bend or kneel down if they want to see anything up close.
Hanging jewellery on racks isn’t the best solution either. What you’ll gain in terms of the sheer volume of pieces you’ll be able to pile onto one rack, you’ll lose in visibility. The more elaborate pieces in your inventory might need to be given their separate shelf space to allow customers to fully appreciate them.
Equally it isn’t always clear how some pieces of jewellery are supposed to be worn without using neck-shaped necklace displays, for example. Luckily manufacturers and suppliers sell displays covering jewellery of all shapes and sizes, in a range of materials.
Don’t let there be any ambiguity in what the customers are seeing, they won’t always ask for help if they have questions, they might just get frustrated and leave – which is the last thing you want.
3. Air fresheners
Like the right musical backing, air fresheners, as long as they aren’t too insistent, stimulate the senses of the customer through another sense entirely. Store scents can even work as fragrant business cards that they carry away in their clothes. Smelling that smell later on might make them recall the store, and might even make your store more central in their memory than the competition’s stores.
I know that was a lot of “mights” and “cans” in quick succession, but air fresheners are such a small investment that they’re worth pursuing on the off-chance that they might contribute to a customer deciding to buy something.
4. Business cards and 5. A physical invoice book
It’s important to leave the customer with something to take away with them. That way, even if they decide not to buy anything, your contact information can be right in front of them in a flash.
A business card in a wallet or purse, like a store’s air freshener carried on clothing, can make customers remember stores that they might have forgotten about. Plus, a business card is another opportunity to communicate what makes your brand unique.
As for the physical invoice book – computers fail us as the worst possible moments. It can’t hurt to have a back-up plan so that a transaction can still go ahead if your computer system lets you down. You can always add the transaction to your system after the fact.