For retailers who specialize in jewelry, visual merchandising is one of the most important keys to success. When someone is considering buying a piece of jewelry, the first thing they consider is its visual appeal. They want jewelry that is presented beautifully and tells a story, and when merchandised properly, each piece can do this on its own with minimal effort from your staff.
Putting just a little bit of effort into your merchandising can make the difference between so-so profits and jewelry that practically sells itself. Here are five easy, effective tips for merchandising jewelry display cases.
Keep Displays Strikingly Clean
The rules of visual merchandising for jewelry are slightly different that other types of retail products. Where props and strategically stacking merchandise might work for other items, jewelry requires a different approach.
To sell a piece of jewelry, the customer needs to fall in love with it. For this to happen, they need to be able to see it as a stand-alone element without the influence of other visual elements. This starts by keeping your jewelry cases sparkling clean. Keep them free of dust, fingerprints and unnecessary clutter that can detract from the beauty of each piece.
Lighting That Adds Sparkle
The right lighting can make all the difference in how a piece of jewelry appears to a customer. For example, a faceted stone is going to radiantly sparkle under the right lights, where it might otherwise appear a little flat and dull.
However, it’s important to use the right type of lights. Harsh lighting can cause unflattering shadows, glares and even alter the color of the stone. Consider jewelry cases with built in lighting that’s designed to highlight your pieces beautifully.
Use Color Strategically
Color can add a wonderful visual contrast that brings out the uniqueness and beauty of each piece. Consider a display centered around a type of gem or metal and then use one or two contrasting color elements to really make the display pop.
One thing to keep in mind is that you don’t want to go overboard with color. Displays that contain too many colors are visually confusing and hard on the eyes.
Maximize Visual Impact with Product Placement
Each jeweler has pieces that grab the attention of their customers. Sometimes, this is a striking display piece while other times it’s the subtler pieces that more of your customers will actually be interested in purchasing. When creating your display, think about what makes your customers stop and look and then build displays around a central piece.
For example, you might showcase a gorgeous high-end watch in the center of the display to grab attention and then surround it with a few pieces including pocket watches, chains and other watches with a simpler design that compliment but don’t compete with the central piece.
Provide Enough Space for the Eye to Move Around
Finally, don’t crowd your jewelry display cases. Many retail locations struggle with the challenge of not having enough space but trying to cram too much in will only take away from the beauty of each piece and inhibit real interest.
Make sure that there is a clean liner of visual separation around each piece. This lets the customer’s eye move smoothly around and inspect it from all angles without the interference of competing pieces.
It All Starts with Beautiful Display Cases
No matter what your merchandising strategy, it’s going to fall flat if you’re not starting with a foundation of beautiful, professionally built display cases. We supply prebuilt and custom cases to beautifully display your jewelry. Contact Jahabow today to learn more about our retail display solutions.