There’s no doubt about it! A great display will help you sell your handmade jewelry. I’ve seen a number of jewelry designers at shows who have beautiful jewelry but have used little attention to detail in designing their display. I can just imagine how much more they might be selling if they could be as creative with their display as they are with their jewelry designs!
A great display has the important function of drawing people into your booth and holding their attention once they get there. If your display lacks originality, potential customers will walk by without giving you a second look. After all, there’s alot to see at craft and jewelry shows and people have limited time.
Your display makes a statement about the quality of your jewelry. If jewelry is carelessly displayed, potential customers will assume that it must not be of particular value and will pass you by. This holds true at craft shows, jewelry shows, home jewelry parties, and even when you display your handmade jewelry in galleries and boutiques.
With display being such an important element in marketingyour handmade jewelry, what can you do to make yours the best it can be? Here are some suggestions:
1. Maximize your lighting. Good lighting is absolutely critical to making handmade jewelry look enticing. Without it, those beautiful gemstones aren’t going to give off their sparkle and your customer is not going to pull out her wallet to purchase. This is probably the most important element to consider when displaying your jewelry. This really can make or break you!
2. Make sure your jewelry items are displayed at eye level. Studies have shown that customers buy items that are displayed at eye level while ignoring items they have to make an effort to see. Make it easy for them by displaying your most important pieces in their line of vision. Also, please remember jewelry should never be displayed on a completely flat surface.A flat surface equals flat sales!
3. Make sure your jewelry display compliments your handmade jewelry. If you sell natural stone jewelry, it will create confusion in your customer’s mind if your display is glitzy and loud. Make sure you have CONSISTENCY in both your jewelry line and your display.
4. Group similar jewelry pieces together as a group or family. This is a great way to encourage your customer to purchase multiple items from you. If they like one piece in the group, chances are they’ll like them all and will end up buying more than one piece.
5. Consider having attractive signs displayed beside your jewelry telling your customer a little about your jewelry and why it’s special. This can go a long way towards increasing the perceived value of your handmade jewelry.
6. Avoid clutter at all costs! Clutter creates confusion in the mind of your customer which will decrease your chance of making a sale. Keep your display as streamlined as possible without sacrificing interest and originality.
7. Don’t forget the mirrors! Customers need to know how your jewelry is going to look on them. I would recommend having multiple mirrors as a customers don’t like to wait and will often vacate your booth if they aren’t given immediate gratification. How do you feel when you have to wait in line for a dressing room in a clothing store?
8. Make your booth easy to navigate. Be sure customers can easily access your handmade jewelry even if there’s a crowd.
9. Consider the “touch” factor when designing your display. This is a sticky situation since many jewelry designers are hesitant to encourage touching due to the potential for shoplifting. Keep in mind that previous studies have shown that customers are 4 times more likely to buy something they have touched or tryed on. You may want to consider having additional help at your booth to keep an eye on people as they handle your jewelry.
10. Regularly assess and reevaluate your display to make sure that it’s still effective and consistent with your theme. It may be a good idea to do periodic updates to maintain consistency and to compliment any changes in your jewelry line. Freshness sells! Don’t let a poorly designed display keep you from maximizing your jewelry sales.
Give those jewelry displays as much attention as you give your jewelry designs and you have a great recipe for jewelry business success!
