Thoughts, articles and case studies for the Retail Jewellery trade
Marketing, data, stock management, business analysis and retail trends for the jewellery trade
Use the menu to choose from our jewellery blogs, guest blogs, reference data such as Wedding Anniversaries or Stone Sizes, or case studies on some of our customers
Latest Articles
Is your Chip & Pin integrated with your EPoS? - Integrated Payment Solutions save costs, eliminate errors and increase revenue If you've got card payment terminals, you may have them linked to your card services provider by a standard telephone line. While this may have suited you in the past, in the internet age it's not particularly cost-effective or efficient. It costs you money every time it dials the bank for a transaction. Dialing over… ...read more...
Have you got a formal Backup Strategy? - We all like to think that our computers are secure, won't break down or catch a virus, but the truth is a failure can hit you when you're least expecting it. A recent survey suggests that over half of us either know someone, or have ourselves lost data through hardware failure or virus attack. Even worse, over 20% of us never back up our data!… ...read more...
Are you getting ready for Digital Tax Submissions? - From April 2019, you'll no longer be able to keep your VAT records or send in your VAT returns purely manually. If you hadn't heard this before, you should look into it as soon as possible! From next April, HMRC expects you to not only keep your VAT records digitally, but also submit them digitally online through software. So, no more written records (well, as… ...read more...
How engaging with customers in-store leads to more sales and more commission for sales staff - How frustrating do you find it in a shop where you have to queue at the counter for assistance, even to ask a simple question about an item? Wouldn't it be great if a staff member were able to approach you and help you where you need it without waiting in line? What if they could instantly look up details and tell you everything you… ...read more...
10 ways you should be managing stock and sales across several jewellery shops (including web-stores) - If you’re running more than one jewellery retail shop or have an online store as well, it’s easy to lose track of where stock is, what needs to be ordered, what stock has been sitting around too long and where stock needs to go when it comes in. Then there’s the problem of entering stock purchases into each store’s system so that you know exactly… ...read more...
How much is your data ACTUALLY worth? - Would you panic if your PC got a virus that couldn’t be fixed? What would happen to your data if you were unlucky enough to have a fire or flood on the premises? What is somebody broke in and stole your computers or tills, or you lost your laptop? What effect would it have on your business? Do you realise your computer will stop working… ...read more...
Email Marketing Tips – #5 Give Them What They Want – And How To Find Out What That Is - Effective marketing boils down to this: Find an audience, figure out what they need or want and then deliver it. Email is one of the best mediums to help you do just that. And it isn’t always about selling them on a product. In fact, that isn’t at all where you want to start. ...read more...
Email Marketing Tips – #4 Keep Them Waiting For More – Using Foreshadowing to Create Anticipation - There’s a pretty neat strategy called foreshadowing that you can use in your email marketing to improve open rates. You may have seen this used on news programs and talk shows. Right before the commercial break, the hosts announces what’s coming up next. The idea is that you’re intrigued enough to sit through the commercial to see the next segment. ...read more...
Email Marketing Tips – #3 Email Frequency – When Should You Mail? - Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a number or a schedule you could follow? While it would be great if there was research that suggested that mailing exactly every 5 days gets you the best results every time, there is no such thing. And there’s a very good reason for it. ...read more...