By Ellen Fruchtman, President It's hard to believe the holidays are literally here. You’re making sure everything is in place to have a successful season. And while the days will hopefully be busy, it’s easy to forget some important fundamentals to ensure the success carries into 2023 and beyond. Here are a few: Staff Training and Incentives. Over...
By Angie Ash, EVP I’m the kind of gal who likes to enjoy seasons and holidays as they come. You know, take a nice hike in a park to breathe in that fresh fall air, hear the crunchy leaves under my boots, and sip some hot cider, possibly with a little something *extra* in it. So when...
As we venture our way into the start of the holiday season, all spectrums of retailers are wondering how to tackle marketing in the current economic environment that will appeal to consumers. First, be aware of today’s challenges. The past couple of years have brought their own obstacles, thanks to a global pandemic and re-learning how to...
by Angie Ash, EVP Yes, you, meaning even though we’re not quite halfway into September, your store needs to be thinking about the holidays NOW. To save you from overwhelm, I made a list and you can check it twice. It’s a 5-Step Plan you can incorporate into your next staff meeting. You have those, right? RIGHT??! Step...
By Ellen Fruchtman This isn’t an article about creating an over-used promotion in July, but rather a notification to everyone who thinks July is way too early to be prepping for your holiday marketing plans. July you say? Yes, July. First and foremost, the summer isn’t a crazy busy time for fine jewelry. Your staff is not...
By Ellen Fruchtman, President We set some high bars this holiday season and all expectations indicate it’s going to be a good one (again) for the world of fine jewelry. Short-term gains should always be leading to long-term strategies. So even though your eye is on the immediate prize, 2022 is just around the corner and the...
by Ellen Fruchtman, President By now you should be sick of polls, but here’s a study you may want to pay attention to. A company called AKI recently did a study of 3,000 U.S consumers called Four Things Every Advertiser Needs to Know This Holiday Season. If you are a fine jeweler (which you are), you’ll be...
by Ellen Fruchtman, President Many major retailers are struggling to stay afloat. And if you care to read an updated list of who’s exiting the landscape or looking at serious reorganization, feel free to look at the running list updated frequently on Retail Dive at https://www.retaildive.com/news/the-running-list-of-2020-retail-bankruptcies/571159/ It’s sobering. And certainly, unhealthy business practices are equally to blame versus...
by Angie Ash, Executive Vice President Engage the Five Senses in Your Store This Holiday Season As the song goes, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year.” This year we can only hope, right? For many people, possibly you included, it’s also the most stressful time of the year. Before you’re in the thick of it, make...
There’s a local restaurant in the little town I call home that does a big Christmas in July celebration over a weekend. There’s a Santa that visits, the restaurant is all-out decorated, the menu features holiday classic foods, including a fruitcake dessert, and Christmas music floods the space. It’s a sell-out every single year and just...