Facebook and Google+ are common apps on smartphones. They allow all of us to interact with our friends and family throughout the day with photos, shared memories, and trivial banter. Sometimes we also ask friends for advice on what to do, where to go, or what to buy. This social behavior has evolved quickly because of fast cell phone networks and smartphone speeds.
For those who own one, a smartphone is a daily part of their life. You see customers interacting with it while browsing your showcases. Embrace this behavior. It’s about to make you some money by helping you tap into the emotions of the buyer and decrease buyer remorse.
During a Mobile Marketing Summit I attended recently, a statistic was revealed that 33% of all in-store consumer activity included photo sharing and friend feedback as a purchase decision maker. “Should I buy this?” “Do you think Grandma would like this ceramic frog?” Although customers may want to snap a photo through your showcase, a retail jewelry store can be intimidating and they wouldn’t without asking.
The next time you see someone “playing on their phone” you could offer to show them a few pieces of jewelry so they can take photos to post to Facebook or Google+. Tell them “to choose the right one based on the opinions of their friends and family.” The customer will be very surprised at the suggestion and they will probably take you up on the offer.
This unexpected level of customer service is also an opportunity for long-term marketing. The ultimate purchase will have a lower level of buyer remorse because they received the approval of their social network.
Let’s go over exactly how to do this …
- Before you try, you need to have a mat, tray, or a special display that will allow you to easily hold the jewelry. I suggest that you get a set of plastic jewelry display trays that you would typically use inside of a photo light box. These trays have cutouts that are designed to hold jewelry, and they usually have a matte finish to prevent glare and reflection.
- Next, print out your website address three times with the letters A, B, and C next to it. For example you would print “perosijewelers.com A.” then “perosijewelers.com B.” then “perosijewelers.com C”. Use an easy to read font and print them about 2.5 inches (63 mm) wide. These will be quite flimsy when cut out so consider printing them on cardstock. These will now be your photo ID markers.
- Take some test photos of earrings, necklaces, pendants, charms, bracelets, and rings using your own smartphone to figure out exactly how to position the jewelry with the ID markers. Make sure you train your entire staff on this process.
Tell the customer that you will hold the items on the side until the end of the day or for however long you agree. You need to allow enough time for the customer to get their friend’s feedback. The customer simply has to call, or even contact you through Facebook/Google+ and you will gift wrap it and set it aside for pickup or shipment.
The customer will probably never delete the photos from their social account and that means your jewelry photos and domain name will be out there for future people to see. This might not bring tons of new customers to you, but every little bit counts. This tactic might look unprofessional with the printed ID markers, but that’s the point. You don’t want your customers to realize this is a real marketing campaign while they are telling their friends in person how “cool” a jeweler you are.
Matthew Perosi is the Founder of the Jeweler Website Advisory Group (jWAG), a research team devoted to reporting how jewelers can use websites, mobile technology, and marketing trends to further personal and
jewelry store goals. A library of articles, videos, and an archive of jWAG daily email “Nuggets”is freely available at www.jwag.biz. Matthew invites your feedback at .
