Jewelry consumers respond to more than just the jewelry on offer when they make purchasing decisions. Jewelry customers respond to the total product offering. Store atmospherics can attract shoppers and encourage customers to become engaged in jewelry presentations and demonstrations. Jewelry store managers need to constantly challenge their approach to store design, interior design, and overall store atmospherics. Jewelry retail merchandising should not stop with the tangible presentation of the products. Store aesthetics have huge influences on purchasing behavior.

Retail jewelers should produce store atmospherics that create effective differentiation. A jewelry store needs purposeful design to create inspiring buying environments that deliver specific emotional effects in buyers. In other words, give your store the right ambience and you’ll boost the number of customers who actually make purchases.

1. What image does your store convey? How does the store’s competitive advantage come through to attract your specific target markets? This is very important in jewelry sales where too often shoppers have a difficult time evaluating quality. Image helps jewelry customers understand why they want to buy from your store.
2. What is your store’s personality? Store design features should reflect the attitude of management and culture of the company. Some examples of jewelry store personalities include fashion forward, friendly neighborhood store, upper-class, elite, family jeweler, destination store, category leader, etc.
3. What emotional components do the store’s atmospherics convey? Selling jewelry is about creating emotional states where the jewelry becomes a symbol for the gift-giver’s feelings. Professional jewelry sales associates benefit from store atmospherics that help shoppers relate jewelry products to their buying motives. Store atmospherics can help shoppers become attuned to buying emotionally.
4. What color is your store? Since jewelry purchases often require more discernment by shoppers and high ticket purchases are often more deliberated, cool store colors like blue and green can have a calming effect on many shoppers. Reds and yellows are great for window displays because they are high energy, playful, and attract attention. However, they may not be desirable for in-store jewelry colors.
5. How does the store keep shoppers engaged? Final purchase decisions are often dependent on the desire of the shopper to stay engaged in actively considering a jewelry purchase. Consider how “be back” shoppers decide not to continue the purchasing decision process. How might a store’s environment further encourage shoppers to continue considering a purchase? Is the presentation area private enough for shoppers? Would the shopper be more comfortable sitting down? Are refreshments offered? Knowing how to prolong a shopper’s ability to continue a purchase decision is very valuable.

We have all experienced walking into a store and having the store atmospherics make us feel excited to be there. We feel like we want to buy something. Jewelry store managers need to constantly challenge their approach to creating the most exciting jewelry buying experiences for shoppers. Store atmospherics will add to a store’s image, enhance the store’s brand, and add to the bottom line.

JCK