Your Silent Sales Partner: Skillful Display

This independent jeweler grosses more than $3 million a year. One reason: painstaking attention to what the customer sees when she walks through the store.

By Rob Murphy -- JCK-Jewelers Circular Keystone, 1/1/2000

A visitor to Brinsmaids in New Canaan, Conn., finds jewelry and fine gifts in creative gallery presentations as well as traditional island-type showcases. That blend of display styles complements the merchandise mix, which includes high-end non-branded goods and collections from top designers. The store, situated on the main thoroughfare of an affluent suburban community, employs eight people and does more than $3 million a year in business.

The look of the store reflects the merchandising strategies and aesthetic sensibilities of Scott Cusson, co-owner and president. It’s a constantly unfolding project. “We fine-tune it every year because the product keeps evolving,” says the 49-year-old jeweler, whose parents bought the 150-year-old business in 1963. “We’ve given different priority to different product depending on the cycle that we’re in and the nature of the clientele—what priority they give to the fashion aspect. And we try to coordinate jewelry and non-jewelry items together to give each point of view its own space.”

The store also is an excellent showcase for the basic principles of merchandise display outlined by retailing consultants Janice Mack Talcott and Kate Peterson in their accompanying article (see p. 200).

Enticements. A passerby on Elm Street sees evidence of Cusson’s coordinated display strategy in the windows of Brinsmaids. Last fall, for example, a Lalique leaf-motif jardiniere shared space with a handmade gold necklace and matching earrings from Orlandini. In another window, jewelry items from John Hardy were arranged amid the designer’s giftware. Displays don’t last for long. “We review the windows weekly,” says Cusson. “Sometimes we leave them two to three weeks if they’re extremely strong. We’ll change them rather quickly if they’re weak.”

One thing he can’t change is the store’s red-brick exterior. It’s part of the town’s décor, and the landlord says it must stay. (Even Cusson’s request to paint over it was turned down.) A common awning beneath a slate roof and consistent design themes from one window to the next create a unified look across what had been two separate storefronts.

The layout of the 2,000-sq.-ft. interior consists of two center islands divided into 4-ft. showcases, with freestanding cases at the front and sides. Two major display spaces occupy the east and west walls at the center aspect of the store. Other sections of wall space are devoted to smaller merchandise displays (mostly giftware) as well as lightboxes showing product- and lifestyle-related images. The rear of the store houses the bridal area, watch display, and repair department.

Traffic flow has been a nagging concern. “It’s been very difficult because that damn door is to the far left of the entry into the store,” says Cusson. “Everybody went from the front door straight through to the repair department on the left.” To encourage a more roundabout tour of the premises, Cusson broke a large central island into two islands and cut diagonal corners to facilitate lateral movement. To the right of the entrance, freestanding cases holding collections from Henry Dunay and David Yurman draw customers in that direction. Visitors must pass a double museum cube to access the back-left aspect of the store. “The combination of all those things has helped a lot,” Cusson says.

Brinsmaids serves a sophisticated clientele with a taste for designer merchandise, and Cusson accordingly attempts to create beguiling display spaces that complement rather than compete with the product. Ample and diverse selections of Robert Lee Morris jewelry, for example, occupy inset wall spaces and a nearby freestanding showcase. “Because Robert has many different points of view and a lot of product, I felt it necessary to build in a coordinated separation, something that would define each collection but also define the entire collection as whole,” says Cusson. Old railroad ties stained black lend a rustic look to the wall displays. Smatterings of river stone complement the more refined product.

A sit-down area for Dunay merchandise encourages customers to relax and enjoy. Before, when the collections were cramped into a 4-ft. case viewed from a standing position, sales were difficult. “We found that as soon as we allowed people to sit down for that particular product, they stayed, they got comfortable, they listened, we talked, and sales were easier,” says Cusson.

Lighting and décor. Years ago, fluorescent lamps dominated the lighting mix. Today, incandescent spots proliferate, even as fluorescents provide balance. It takes trial-and-error and fine-tuning until Cusson achieves the ambience he wants for a particular product. Clear crystal is lit primarily by fluorescents, with spots for highlights to lend extra sparkle. Colored crystal takes all incandescents. Because of the opaque nature of the colored crystal, “it seems to work better that way,” Cusson says. Jewelry is illuminated by halogens in the newer cases, fluorescents in the older ones. Overhead spots offer support lighting.

Color, too, has changed over time. “Years ago we were into the Lily Pulitzer greens and all that stuff,” says Cusson. “We were very gift-oriented. That was before my time. I had something to say about that when I came on board.” The color scheme now consists primarily of various tones of gray tempered by a burgundy carpet and offset by whites and creams. “It’s not stark, but it’s not overly traditional in tone, either,” says Cusson. “The décor is very neutral. The focus is on the jewelry, both in lighting and display. And in color. As the product evolves, we try to plug in something appropriate. Something exciting, yet not overdone. We try to let the product do the talking.”

Cusson may have a clearly defined design sense, but he’s quick to acknowledge that most of his concepts are derivative. “I’m a thief,” he says. “Whether it’s magazines, or Fifth Avenue, or anything, I just look for things that I feel are appropriate and adaptable, and I figure out a way to make it happen.” Whatever the provenance of his ideas, their execution entices the eye and captures the imagination.

Rob Murphy is a former JCK senior copy editor.

Crafting a Winning Look: Basic Principles

By Kate B. Peterson and Janice Mack Talcott

Store design and product display together form an integral element of any successful merchandising strategy. Look at your store objectively from the customer’s perspective. What image do you convey?

The first step in devising a winning merchandising strategy is to decide who you are. Once you’ve defined your basic image, you can begin to modify the components to suit your vision. Every element must fit the big picture.

Luring customers in. The merchandising message begins with your windows. Your window displays should be both eye-catching and powerful enough to lure customers across your threshold. If your windows are long, linear display arenas, divide them into visual stories that will induce passersby to stop and study your merchandise. For example, if you have 6 ft. of windows, create three merchandise groupings with space between each group. Merchandise that runs continuously along linear space will be swept with the eye and not carefully examined. Arrange each grouping in a three-dimensional pattern. The eye tends to focus on items arranged in a vertical and diagonal pattern with an odd number of pieces.

Holding the customer’s eye. The same principle applies to merchandise displayed in the store. If the merchandise in your cases is lined up in rows with no spacing between groups, the eye will tend to sweep over the jewelry. Even the most magnificent piece or unusual design can be lost in the crowd. Display elements that hold multiple items, such as ring trays or earring ramps, should be interspersed with grouped ensembles. Rows of boxes cannot highlight the unique qualities of specific merchandise.

The arrangement of merchandise categories in your cases can modify your traffic patterns. The heaviest traffic in most stores is from the front door to the service counter. Merchandise placed along this path can trigger a stop-and-look reaction. For example, new arrivals, the latest fashion, or a key watch line can grab attention and stop customers in their tracks. At Brinsmaids in New Canaan, Conn., featured in the accompanying article, two freestanding showcases to the right of the entrance display collections by Henry Dunay and David Yurman. The cases draw people away from a direct route to the back of the store and set them on a path that winds through a full circuit of the premises.

Some jewelers feel that high-traffic categories should be placed at the farthest point from the door. An engagement ring selection that’s well inside the door draws candidates farther into the store even as it offers greater security. Destination items displayed at the rear of the store ensure double exposure for other merchandise placed along the busy traffic path.

The organization of your merchandise should be obvious to browsers. Choose from two basic approaches. Organize your merchandise either by jewelry type (earrings, rings, bracelets, watches) or product category (diamonds, colored gems, pearls, gold). Most jewelers choose the latter, since it encourages add-on sales. Include several merchandise groupings to suggest that customers obtain an ensemble and not just a single item. When it comes to colored gems, most jewelers group the precious three—ruby, emerald, and sapphire—and display the others either by stone type or color. Here too it’s useful to have a few groupings to suggest a wardrobe.

The color and type of fabric can either complement or compete with your jewelry. In recent years many jewelers have turned to white vinyl. Everything looks good on it. Display elements from different vendors can be used together. Moreover, vinyl is easy to clean. As a result, however, many jewelry stores look alike. That’s why newer decorating schemes are making use of subtle colors.

Color in display props is a key element in the overall mood of the store. Greens foster serenity, beige and taupe are nurturing, blues are cool and intellectual, bright or primary colors playful. Your cases should anchor your décor. The fabric should be a desaturated form of your key colors, with just the faintest suggestion of a hue. This way the fabric doesn’t compete with your jewelry. Besides, everything looks good on a neutral fabric. Keep it simple. The more colors in your display elements, the busier your cases will look and the more the elements will compete with your jewelry. Brinsmaids uses shades of gray with dabs of white and cream throughout the store. The neutral décor keeps the focus on the jewelry and allows for flexibility as new products are displayed.

Using the right lighting. Few design elements have changed as much over the years as the types of lighting available for jewelry stores. Each year brings new options for color, lamp life, heat generation, and styles of fixtures. The best lighting is color-balanced, not too yellow and not too blue. Use a combination of floods and spots, with floods over your walkways and spots and narrow-spots over your cases.

The positioning of the lamps above your cases makes a big difference in how your merchandise looks. If the lights are too far out in front of cases, the shopper creates a shadow over the merchandise. Lighting directly over the cases causes distracting reflections off the case glass. If it’s too far behind the case, it shines into the customer’s eyes and creates shadows from the salesperson. Trial-and-error is often the only way to get it right.

In-case lighting likewise creates dilemmas. Lighting strips along the front of cases are the most effective means of lighting jewelry, but they’re arguably less attractive than a glass-to-glass juncture. Lighting only at the back of the case does no justice to jewelry sloped to the customer’s view. It also tends to backlight colored gems and make them appear washed-out. If your cases have lighting only at the back of cases, make sure your overhead lighting complements it.

The intensity of your in-case lighting should be consistent from end to end. Some tracks cause hot spots. If that’s the case in your store, place your merchandise in groups in the hot spots and not in the dead areas. Use the color of light to your advantage too. Ruby, garnet, and peridot look better in warmer lighting, while cooler lighting works best with emerald, sapphire, aquamarine, and tanzanite.

Painting the big picture. Pay close attention to every detail of how your merchandise is presented. Use your windows to catch the eye of those passing by and offer them a taste of what’s inside. Arrange your in-store layout to draw customers from case to case. Arrange groupings that encourage vertical and diagonal eye movements. Facilitate comparisons of similar-type merchandise with linear display. Review your lighting to make sure you’re using the right lamps in the right places. It all counts, and it all conveys a message. Make sure that message shows your merchandise at its best.

Arrange your store’s layout to draw customers from case to case and groupings that encourage vertical and diagonal eye movements.

Kate B. Peterson and Janice Mack Talcott are the principals of Performance Concepts, which trains and provides consulting to specialty retailers.