1. Choose the right developer. Greenwich Jewelers’ Jennifer Gandia met with six companies before partnering with Dotbox, also in Manhattan. She wanted a firm that could help her maintain a seamless experience between her website and the F Shop.
2. Make the F Shop look good. Some shops can be flat-out ugly. This isn’t the case with Gandia’s, which is simply designed with plenty of white space. “It’s very important for a jewelry brand to present merchandise in a very attractive, on-brand way,” says Dotbox’s Zo Bjorgvinsson.
3. Know that sharing is good for business. Understand that “likes” can influence “buys.” Says Bjorgvinsson: “Seeing what your friends like not only influences your purchases, but also makes it even more fun to shop.”
4. Experiment with price points. Jewelry in Gandia’s F Shop starts at $60 (for Miguel Ases cherry quartz earrings); pieces in Jeffrey Post’s go for $18,100 to $300,000. What they have in common: At press time, nothing had sold in either. Still, says Venpop’s Max Ciccotosto, “F Shops aren’t just for pushing products, but for presenting customers with ideas.”
5. Be open-minded. F Shops show your clients you’re thinking of ways to connect with them, and you’re up on new technologies. “Retailers should expect to be in these for the long term,” says Ciccotosto.