Jewellery Trunk Show 4 -- Other Trunk Show Practices

Some other jewellery trunk show practices



A number of my friends in the industry have done jewellery trunk shows and practices vary. Here are some of their experiences with jewellery tunk show:

- Many stores don't give discounts off the top

- Some give discounts for items that need to be ordered "delayed gratification discount" of 5% only

- Some jewellery boutiques don't advertise, but most do. Sometimes the jewellery designer pays for part of the advertisement, but this is extremely rare.

- Some jewellery boutiques send out postcards to their mailing list, but some just leave them at the store level if their mailing list is too. large, or the traffic is more transient at the store (e.g. if the boutique is situated in a tourist mall).

- Some jewellery designers have had $15000 (retail) sales for a one-day jewellery trunk show. Some have sold no new jewellery at a show, but have helped sell many pieces of jewellery that the boutique already owned from the jewellery designer. The whole idea of a jewellery trunk show is to create more traffic and a bigger following for the jewellery designer's line of jewellery, and more traffic and sales for the boutique.

- Almost all jewellery designers & stores alike have said that it gets better with time & trial and error

It is important to keep the goals for the jewellery trunk show in mind while planning for and executing it. It is not easy work and takes a great deal of planning. However, a jewellery trunk show is almost always a rewarding experience, and one in which both the jewellery designer and the boutique operators will benefit from.

To read about What are Trunk Shows and Their Benefits click here .

To read more about the Do's and Don'ts of Trunk Shows click here .

To read more about the Experience of an Actual Trunk Show click here.

Jewellery Trunk Show 3 -- An Actual Trunk Show

An example of an actual jewellery trunk show

I've just returned from the jewellery trunk show hosted by a long time customer of mine (over 10 years). They are the most successful and discipline outfit in their city and surrounding area. They have 2 locations ( 1 in a mall, and a street boutique in a nice residential shopping district). They carry designer brands from all over Canada and USA, and some Scandinavian countries. They specialize in sterling silver and focus on higher quality jewellery designs.

It was successful & they were very happy. I helped sell a lot of my jewellery pieces they already had in their store (although I don't have the total amounts for those). Of the new jewellery designs that I had brought to the jewellery trunk show, we sold (retail, net of 10% discount for the event) just over $4000. I had a lot of fun and spent some time to train each of the staff. This particular store does this often, with different designers & has jewellery trunk shows at least every 4 wks. They have created a large following over the years, and use the jewellery trunk shows events to increase store traffic.

This is what happened at the jewellery trunk show:

- The date for the jewellery trunk show was set over 8 wks prior to the event (Friday for Mall, and Saturday for street boutique location)

- The jewellery boutique operators placed a 3"x5" picture ad in local newspaper, printed small flyers & placed them in front the case where my designs are showcased (4 wks before the event), emailed notice to their customer list

- The jewellery boutique told customers about the upcoming event & introduce the flyer as customers are cashing out or leaving the store, so to bring them back again soon

- The jewellery boutique had printed large signs for the event and put it on a large easel for the mall location, and in the window of the street boutique location. They also had the ad on a large flat screen television in the store. The presentation was very impressive, and did draw a great deal of foot traffic attention for the jewellery trunk show.

- I provided the photography of my jewellery designs and the company logo

- I brought new & different jewellery deisgns, some very expensive show pieces, some 14kt gold, but also some others I've designed only for the show

- I ticketed all of the jewellery with retail prices and item codes.

- I worked selling from the cases, and also of regular merchandise, full day from opening, and at the mall location, only until 6pm.

- The boutique supplied extra staff for cashing out and to handle extra traffic created by the jewellery trunk show.

- The boutique emptied some showcases, right at the entrance to the store, for me to put merchandise for the jewellery trunk show.

- I also brought some jewellery displayers, and these were fully utilized because I had brought more jewellery than they had room to contain.

- When new merchandise ("show merchandise") was sold, they kept the tickets and totalled at the end of the day & I invoice later for it at wholesale(in one location, they preferred to enter everything into the computer properly & printed out extra copy of receipts for me for each sale that was for show merchandise).

- During the jewellery trunk show, when someone wants to special order something, they pay 50% down payment & I deliver it later, with contact name stapled to each item (I made notes & contact info, though they input customer info into their system & generated an order that they later faxed to our office - this is their procedure, but not necessary since I took very good notes)

- During the jewellery trunk show, I tried to encourage special orders and ad-ons, as a perk for them to attend "meet the designer" type of events. I'm willing to make things so that no one else will have it.

- The boutique's policy on jewellery trunk shows is to give 10% off of that jewellery designer's merchandise for that day only, and they absorb this fully. So, I invoiced the boutique at regular wholesale, 50% of the retail price before the 10% jewellery trunk show discount.

For more information on What are Trunk Shows and Their Benefits click here.

For more about the Do's and Don'ts of Trunk Shows click here .

For more about Trunk Show Practices click here .

Jewellery Trunk Show 2 -- Dos and Don'ts

Do's and Don'ts of a Jewellery Trunk Show

There are many secrets to success to a jewellery trunk show. Although they do not guarantee success or failure, some of them are very important to keep in mind when planning a jewellery trunk show.

If you are the Jewellery Designer:

- Do your homework: find out as much about the event and agenda as you can. As the jewellery designer, you have the right and responsibility to know what is going to happen & what you can do to help prepare for the event. Be prepared with questions about how to handle special orders, how invoicing works for pieces that the jewellery designer brings, any discounts given & if they are shared by the boutique and jewellery designer... The fewer unknowns, the less the stress on the day, and the better your performance as the jewellery designer will be. You'll always have unknown variables at jewellery trunk shows, however, the fewer the better.

- Do more homework: as the jewellery designer, it is your duty to ask the boutique what looks you should bring. Be time/season sensitive about the collection. Consider what day your show is: if it is the office crowd & your jewellery trunk show is a weekday, bring jewellery that is appropriate for them. If it is close to Christmas time, bring jewellery in sets, they would become an easier sell. Bring a range, especially if it is your first time there. You need to test the waters & not let any opportunity go by.

- The jewellery designer should always be in control of how his/her jewellery is presented. Find out how much real estate is going to be allocated to the jewellery trunk show and if the designer needs to bring any displays. Always bring some, if you have them. You never know if it will be needed. The boutique management may not always understand how the jewellery designer wants their presentation to be.

- Ask what the retail boutique is doing to spread the word about your jewellery trunk show. Promotion is vital to the success to any business. Make sure they have proper artwork and excellent photographs of your jewellery. Take the initiative to find out what local newspapers in the boutique's area and their contact information for community event coverage. Send them little written press releases, or direct them to the retail boutique.

- Bring extra invoices/note paper to jot down special orders. Bring lots of business cards. You'll be surprised at how many people want a business card with the set they're giving away. Bring extra things that retail stores normally give away because you don't know how prepared the store might be. As the jewellery designer, it is ultimately your responsibility how the jewellery is perceived, from display to the moment the gift is unwrapped by a recipient.

- Wear appropriate attire & bring an extra change, just in case (I've learned this the hard way by spilling coffee on a white blouse within 20 minutes of the show). As the jewellery designer, everything about you that day speaks about your line of jewellery. Bring extra jewellery for the staff to wear for the jewellery trunk show, if you'd like. This is always good, but be prepared to give them away, unless they are too expensive for anyone to make the mistake of thinking it is a gift. Embarrassment & poor handling of them can cause lasting damage. Having everyone wear your merchandise is great and nothing promotes the jewellery than modelling it.

- Remember the names of all of the staff that you work with on the day of the jewellery trunk show. Aside from the politeness of addressing each person by their name, it builds loyalty. You should follow up with a proper thank you note after your jewellery trunk show. A gift of your jewellery, if it is not too expensive, is always appreciated and will help promote your jewellery line for a long time to come.

- As a jewellery designer you should offer to buy the staff coffee if you're going to go out for one yourself. Aside from that being proper etiquette, it shows how much you appreciate their work. You should offer to take them to lunch, if there is time, but be mindful of company policies on that.

- As a smart and respectable jewellery designer you should never do a jewellery trunk show at a boutique that does not regularly carry your jewellery designs. The reasons are:

1. The jewellery trunk show would not be properly advertised & turnout will be likely poor, since the boutique will not even invest in the jewellery, chances are, they will not invest in advertisement.

2. It will be embarrassing at the jewellery trunk show when customers ask what are the designs the boutique normally carries of the jewellery designer, and the answer is that they don't carry the line. Interested customers will almost awalys ask what new designs the jewellery designer is bringing, and why this event would be different from the regular offerings.

3. It is also awkward for the boutique staff, knowing that the buyer/owner isn't impressed enough with the jewellery designer's designs to invest in merchandise. Also, it looks desperate on the part of the jewellery designer. This is never a good situation.

- Lastly, the jewellery designer should bring at least a couple of changes of shoes, and consider flats. Most jewellery designers spend a great deal of time at the studio or office, often time in chairs, and do not know how difficult it is to stand all day (and tradeshows don't count because booths are carpeted). Quite often, the boutique floors are hard surfaces, such as stone or tile. The hardship is usually underestimated!
If you are the Boutique Operator:

- As a boutique operator and host of the jewellery trunk show, it is ultimately your responsibility to spread the word of the show. Here are some (if not all) of the things you should do: get free publicity by contacting the community events columnist in your local newspapers and radio stations, do advertisement in the local papers, call/email/snail mail your regular customers, print cards for walk in customers to pick up (these could be placed right under the designer's show case and at the cash and given to each customer who visits the store, at least 4 wks prior to the jewellery trunk show). The more advertisement you do, the better the turnout and sales result of the event. The results are proportional to the effort!

- As a boutique operator and host of the jewellery trunk show, it is your responsibility to organize and set the agenda for the day. Do let the designer know what to expect, so they can plan accordingly and bring proper jewellery, bring the proper displays and other presentation factors. The jewellery designer wants to help and you should give them as much information as possible for success.

- As the host of the jewellery trunk show, like any good host, it is your responsibility, aside from proper etiquette, to do everything possible to make the guest, the jewellery designer, feel comfortable and appreciated. This would include: training your staff and getting them excited about the jewellery trunk show, they should offer (and company pay for) coffee or any refreshments & lunch.

- For the jewellery trunk show, boutique staff should be properly trained to introduce the jewellery trunk show to every customer who walks into the boutique, as often many jewellery designers are shy and are inexperienced.

- To build loyalty and a better relationship between the boutique and the jewellery designer, the boutique manager should take the jewellery designer out to lunch and get a chance to talk either about business, or just to get to know the jewellery designer better on a personal level, and vice versa. This goes a long ways to help build rapport and motivate staff as well.

- As the host of the jewellery trunk show, it is very important to figure out the logistics, such as payment and ticketing, well in advance. It takes time to train staff, so be prepared on how you want it done. One option is to keep price tags of the designer's jewellery separate, but it is much better to note this on each sales receipt, to avoid any confusion. All staff should be properly trained. Less confusion on the day the better, focus should be on sales!

- Although no discount needs to be given, some boutiques do offer a 5% or 10% discount for the jewellery trunk show (not shared by the jewellery designer). Some boutiques offer a 5% "delayed gratification" discount to special orders, or orders to be picked up later.

To read about What are Trunk shows and their Benefits click here.

To read about Trunk Show Experience click here.

To read about Other Trunk Show Practices click here.

Jewellery Trunk Show - Benefits

What is a jewellery trunk show:

A trunk show is a retail event at which the jewellery designer and or jewellery manufacturer brings in designs that are new or not otherwise available at the boutique. A jewellery trunk show can take place not only in a jewellery specialty boutique, but also in a clothing boutique, gift store, or even gallery. It is an exciting opportunity for the jewellery designer as well as the boutique owners.

Why put on a jewellery trunk show

Jewellery Trunk Shows are great for the jewellery designer because:

- The jewellery designer gets to meet customers and increase brand recognition and customer loyalty - increase demand for her brand of jewellery designs

- The jewellery designer gets to build boutique staff loyalty for her brand of jewellery designs - staff always promote those people they like

- The jewellery designer gets to train store staff about her jewellery designs (how to sell her jewellery, unique selling features, what is the designer's capabilities and possible special orders, answer any burning questions about her jewellery)

- The jewellery designer can display and sell showpieces - test the water for a different look, show off jewellery designing talent, show the retailer she can sell at a higher price point & help persuade the boutique owner and or buyer to expand purchasing. Often retailers don't want to invest in higher ticket items or they started buying from you a certain look of jewellery and don't want to venture out because of risk. A jewellery trunk show is a risk-free way for them to see what other jewellery designs you can make & what other jewellery can sell in their store

- The jewellery designer can get a good view of the jewellery design competition out there [note: don't copy, it won't do the jewellery designer any good because those designs are already in the store. As a designer, you don't want to be considered a follower.] It is one thing to see other jewellery designer's booths at a tradeshow or craft market, it is quite another to see how much retail store real estate is given to the competition. Sometimes it is humbling to see all the jewellery design talent out there, but almost always you get a sense of what is selling. The jewellery boutique staff always knows which look or silhouettes sell best and what jewellery customers are asking for. This feedback is invaluable and it will help the jewellery designer edit her designs and help guide for future jewellery collections.

- The jewellery designer can sell off samples or unsold jewellery. Chances are, it is a new set of customers, and they're seeing these jewellery designs for the first time. A jewellery trunk show is a great event that brings a large concentration of new customers - retail opportunity not otherwise accessible for the jewellery designer, for those designs.

- Jewellery trunk shows are fun! It is a great reason to go out of the studio. Almost always, the customers will have great praise for the jewellery designer's talents. It's wonderful validation.

- The jewellery designer can learn some invaluable lessons about people management, and that's what retail really is: people management. If the jewellery designer pays attention, she/he can learn what makes the store work, and what pitfalls to avoid. The jewellery designer can spend the time to speak to the boutique managers and individual staff. You can learn something new at every store, every time.

Jewellery Trunk Shows are great for the boutiques because:

- A jewellery trunk show is a risk-free trial of new jewellery price points, new looks. They can see what sells and what doesn't, and this would be great before a new jewellery buying season.

- A jewellery trunk show brings in extra foot traffic to the store that would otherwise not be there. It keeps store visits interesting for regular customers, thereby increasing their occurrence. It is also great customer service to bring in the latest goods and allow the customer to interact with the jewellery designer.

- A jewellery trunk show, if well planned, can generate a great deal of press for the store, as well as for the event. This will help the boutique become recognized as a boutique offering designer jewellery, and help enhance its reputation as the place to be.

- Hosting a jewellery trunk show builds loyalty from the jewellery designer. If the boutique brings retail customers and promote the jewellery designer's line, they are less likely to sell to the boutique's competitors. Also, when the jewellery designers form relationships with the store staff, the designer is less likely to say no to the store's requests (such as custom orders for customers, rushed delivery).

Hosting a jewellery trunk show helps boutique managers to train and motivate the store's staff. No one knows more about the jewellery than the jewellery designer. Who best to train the staff than the expert? Some jewellery boutique chains are known to pay a great deal of money to bring in industry professionals to help coach their staff on selling, product knowledge and trends. A jewellery trunk show offers much of this for free. Also, the boutique's staff knows the jewellery designer will be there the entire day and would notice any flaws in the jewellery displays, the staff's product knowledge and their sales approach. Most boutique staff would work hard to brush up and make a good impression on the jewellery designer. An appreciative jewellery designer would also be generous with praise, if not with complimentary jewellery pieces outright. These are great pride builders and motivators which the boutique managers would not be able to easily match, but even if he/she does, it will not be the same.

To read about the Do's and Don'ts of Trunk Shows click here .

To read about what happens during a Trunk Show, click here.

To read about Other Trunk Show Practices click here .