v8 13th Oct with toc

How to retain customers at aJewellery Showroom
● Ask them about their shopping experience and how

you can improve, if something did not meet their
expectations
● Remember their birthdays, anniversaries etc and
send them greetings or small gifts to show you care.
● If the customer has not been to your store for a while,
send a " We miss you " card with an offer.
● Do not lose touch with the customer but keep them
engaged throughout the year at all costs.

Customer retention is where most of the income lies for
jewellery retailers these days. It is the driver of your
jewellery retailing.
So hold on to your customers securely by following these
tips from Retail Gurukul to make customers your strength.

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Chapter – 16
Ways to welcome customers to the Jewellery
Showroom

"Hi, Hello, Welcome, Good Morning, Namaste,
Namaskaram, Salaam alaikum and Sat Sri Akal" - all these
are greetings that you use to welcome customers. But will
this do? Just a cursory smile and a greeting - is it enough to
make the customer who is "just looking” to actually select a
jewellery item for purchase?
What is that 5 Star Service, that is required to make the
customer feel valued and welcome in your jewellery
showroom?
Retail Gurukul gives us some tips on the ways to welcome
customers in the jewellery showroom.

In India, every guest is treated as God. Inculcate the habit
through training that customers in the store are like Guests
at home. And Guest is God in our culture.
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Ways to welcome customers to the Jewellery Showroom

How to welcome customers in the jewellery showroom?
- The dos and don'ts.

Money is the fuel for your jewellery business and it is the
customer who is providing it for you. So the Customer is
King - normally, the man has to pay :(…or Queen -
normally, she decides what to buy :). Bear this in mind while
welcoming the customer taking care to see that the
customer feels privileged and happy to come to the
showroom. Remember, that she had plenty of options.

● No plastic smile please

Customer relations has become a routine part of sales and
welcoming customers is just the beginning of this process.
Most retail staff become so used to handling dozens of
customers every day that they think of this as a mundane
and boring task. This is why they wear a "plastic smile" on
their face and greet customers with disinterest. This is
absolutely “poisonous” to your jewellery business.

Customers will enter the showroom only, if they feel valued
and respected. Every customer wants the jewellery store
staff or owner to acknowledge his/her presence and honour
it. Only then will she feel inclined to enter the jewellery
showroom.

So train your retail staff to greet customers genuinely and
warmly and make them feel welcome in a wholesome way.
How would you check if the smile is genuine or not? When
they welcome customers, like they welcome guests at
home, the smile will be genuine.

● Respect the customer

Here again it is important to emphasize that the customer is
supreme for you. Treat the customers with utmost respect

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for their age and gender, without any prejudice about their
physical appearance or clothing.

In India, some of the wealthiest gold purchasers are humble
villagers. Looking at their appearance, retail staff often
underestimate their buying capacity and treat them
indifferently. This kind of behaviour is going to harm your
jewellery store's reputation and business.

Train your staff to welcome each customer individually and
specially and treat one and all alike. Even the slightest hint
of disrespect might prove too costly for your jewellery store.
So remember that every customer who enters your jewellery
store is special and must be given the respect due to
him/her. Atithi Devo Bhava.

● Relate to the customer

In order to interact with the customer, it is very important
that you strike an instant rapport and relate to the customer.
You must communicate with the customer and be on the
same wavelength to make him/her feel welcome at your
store.

To do this, study the customer's persona and try to start a
conversation of common interest. And then slowly move on
to the sales pitch. Some sales staff start ranting off about
products like an automated robot the moment the customer
steps into the showroom. This makes the customer feel
edgy and uncomfortable.

Ask your retail staff to first put the customer at ease, make
them feel "at home" in your jewellery shop and then move
on to talking sales stuff.

● Be hospitable

It might be a hot sunny day or cold rainy day. Whatever the
season, your customer has still made an effort to come to

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Ways to welcome customers to the Jewellery Showroom

your jewellery shop. Appreciate this gesture and be
hospitable to the customer. Invite the customer in and seat
them in comfortable chairs under sufficient lighting and air-
conditioning. Offer the customer cool drinks on a hot day or
warm beverages on a cool day. If you cannot do both, offer
them a glass of water instead. Hospitality is the main
harbinger of business for retailers. Please don't forget that.

● Act professionally

As a jewellery store owner or staff, you have to act
professionally. Whether the customer responds rightly or
not, it is your duty to greet, welcome and serve customers
with a smile. Do not allow your personal likes, dislikes,
opinions or prejudice to enter your line of duty. Frankly,
there are hardly any TP - Time Pass customers these days.
Customers are hard pressed for time. So make sure that
you make their time spent in the shop in a professional
manner.

Ways to greet and welcome customers

● Greet customers with a salutation that matches their
age, gender and profile like Good afternoon Madam
or Sir or Good evening ladies Namaskar or Hi etc.
depending upon the culture of the store and the
profile of the customer.

● Be casual and friendly with youngsters and
reverential and respectful to elders.

● Try to judge the taste, availability of time and need or
motive of the customer in coming to the shop.

● Try to learn the name of the customer and use it in
the conversation with them. This makes them feel
valued, after all, most people love the sound of their
names

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A Guide to Jewellery Retailing
● Do not hasten the customers or push them into a
decision in sales. Be gentle and not forceful in your
suggestions.
● If the customer enters the shop seeking an item you
do not have, do not turn the away saying it is
unavailable. Steer them to take a look at your other
jewellery items instead.
● Treat all the members of your customer's family who
accompany them with kindness and respect. Be
polite and patient with children and courteous to even
their domestic help.
● Ensure that the customer has a look around the
whole shop before they leave. This may persuade
them to buy some other items too. If they do not have
time, do not push them.
● Extend your cordiality and respect till they leave the
showroom.

Welcoming customers to your jewellery showroom
means welcoming prosperity to your jewellery store.
Bear this in mind while greeting customers and learn more
from Retail Gurukul.

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Tips for training sales staff for Jewellery Retail

Chapter – 17

Tips for training sales staff for Jewellery Retail

Retailing is just selling, right? What is so different about
jewellery retail? Jewellery retailing is specialised skills
business and the expectations of the customers are very
different compared to say groceries shopping or even
shopping for wedding sarees and dresses. Jewellery
retailing is just one stream that diverges from the ocean
called sales. It has its own individual nuances and
characteristics which have to be learnt by the retail staff.
Retail Gurukul is here to guide you on how to train your staff
for jewellery retail.

Training staff for jewellery retail - some tips

1. Appearance

Let all your staff be smart and well-dressed. Provide your
staff with your store uniform to give a professional look. If
not, let them be dressed in their own attire which is well-
washed and neatly ironed. Both men and women should be
presentable in appearance with their hair well-combed and
clothes in place. Right from their shirt collar to their shoes,
everything should be neat and clean. Make this a strict rule
for all your staff- including your security staff.

2. Disposition

A pleasing disposition with a smile is a winning combination.
Make the effort to motivate them, and they would be bright
and cheerful throughout the day. Train your staff to always
greet customers with a smile (atithi devo bhava) and a
helpful attitude.

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Your staff must put all their personal issues, opinions, likes
or dislikes aside and always greet the customer with a smile
even if the customer does not respond.

3. Speech

● Train your staff to be polite, courteous and respectful

at all times.
● They should address all gentlemen as "Sir" and

ladies as "Mam" or in the local language used in the

store but always with respect
● They should be taught to use the right kind of

pleasantries while making conversation with the

customers.
● An indifferent or disinterested attitude cannot be

tolerated from your staff at any point of time.
● Staff with multilingual ability are an asset to your

organization.
● The staff must always adopt a respectful attitude to

elderly customers and treat them with kindness and

patience
● Children accompanying the customer must be

greeted in a friendly manner and engaged in some

activity while the customer makes the selection.
● All customers, irrespective of their dressing and

appearance, must be accorded the same respect.

4. Hospitality

Hospitality is part of retail training.

● Welcoming customers, seating them comfortably,
● offering them water or beverages, are all a part of
customer engagement.
98 No one is so superior in cadre that they will not
attend o the customer's needs. Every member of the
staff on the store floor must be ready to serve the
customer. Even if you are the owner of the business,

Tips for training sales staff for Jewellery Retail

and you no longer serve customers on a regular
basis, it is still a good idea to make it a habit of
servicing customers on a specific time and day each
week.
● A helping-serving attitude is vital for successful
retailing.

5. Product Knowledge

● Ample product knowledge is required to serve the
customers of the jewellery trade.

● Teach the staff to provide the information that is
required. It is always a fine balance between what all
the staff knows, what all they should be sharing as
well as what they should not be saying.

● Let the staff be forthcoming with information
regarding designs, workmanship etc.

● Educating the customer is a part of retailing.
● Every person at the sales counter must be competent

enough to answer all the customer's questions.
● The "I don't know' should not exist as a an answer in

the sales staff dictionary. If the employee is new, he
must know to tactfully lead the customer to his
superior to answer the questions.

6. Questioning and Listening

● Every retail staff must be trained to observe the
customer's persona and ask the right questions to
gauge their needs.

● They must also have the patience to listen to all that
the customer says as this is going to form the
foundation of your sales pitch.

7. Negotiation

The art of negotiation is a challenging one but it is a must
for all retailers.

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● Train your staff to negotiate within the price
bandwidth.

● Every jewellery customer wants to bargain, but, your
staff must know how much to yield and how much to
resist.

● All negotiation must be done politely and courteously.
● Reveal to the customer the reasons why you cannot

offer more discount in order to convince him of your
pricing.
● All negotiations should end profitably for your store
without draining the profit margins.

8. Upselling and cross-selling

Upselling and cross-selling are two significant aspects of
retail that must be taught to the retail staff.

● Upselling is convincing the customer to move from
one level of purchase to a higher level. For instance,
like recommending a gold buyer to purchase
diamond or platinum.

● Cross- selling is asking the customer who buys a
necklace to buy matching earrings or finger rings.

● Retail staff must have the knack of widening the
customer's interest to span other items as well.
Evoking the interest of one customer to explore other
items is an art which has to be taught compulsorily to
retail staff.

9. Schemes, campaigns and promotions

Engaging the customer in your jewellery store is a once-in-
a-lifetime opportunity. Make the most of it by enlightening
the customers about all discounts, saving schemes,
campaigns and promotions.

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Tips for training sales staff for Jewellery Retail

● Retail staff must inform the customer about all
promotional campaigns and offers to extend the best
benefit to the customer.

● Inform the customer about your loyalty programs and
referral schemes before they leave the showroom.

● Even if a customer is not purchasing, try to get them
to enrol in your saving schemes by highlighting its
benefits.

10. Closing the sale
Closing the sale is very crucial as it forms the basis for
futuristic repeat sales.

● Train your staff to close the sales amicably offering
the best of delivery and service.

● Ask them to seek a commitment from the customer
on their next visit.

● The staff must be trained gather information about
the customer's family details so as to extend the
service to them also.

● Make sure the customer leaves the showroom with
an intention to visit again.

At a jewellery store, your staff is your asset. Make them
your strength and not your weakness by following the
above tips from Retail Gurukul

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Chapter - 18
Why is OOH advertising an absolute must for Jewellery
Retail

Haven't you seen people walking past, staring at an eye-
catching jewellery design on a billboard? Most prominent
jewellery brands showcase their best designs on attractive
hoardings and place them at important locales around town.
Out-of-home advertising (OOH) has a powerful impact on
jewellery customers and is an absolute must for jewellery
retail.

OOH advertising's impact on jewellery retail
Statistics reveal that

● 83% of the customers know jewellery brands only
through out-of-home advertising.

● 28% of the customers feel that outdoor advertising is
effective in creating recall

● 25% of the customers feel that OOH advertising
increases sales for a jewellery showroom

● 24% feel that OOH advertising enhances brand
loyalty

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Why is OOH advertising an absolute must for Jewellery Retail

Types of OOH Advertising a Jewellery Retailer can use
1. Billboard Advertising

The huge hoardings or display boards with eye-catching
visuals you see on top of buildings or erected on stands
along highways and motorways. For daily commuters by
car or bus, hoardings are the biggest advertisements they
see every day. One look at a billboard and the impact is
intense that the customer will not easily forget it. The
gigantic size of the billboard is hard to miss and makes a
lasting impact on the consumer.
This is why big jewellery brands prefer billboards to
showcase their best designs. Hoardings are big -budget
outdoor advertising with high visibility and good ROI.

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2. Mobile Billboards
Mobile Billboards are small billboards mounted on top of
small vans and trucks to offer "advertising in motion" to
commuters and pedestrians. While regular billboards are
static and rooted to a spot, the advantage of mobile
billboards is that they can be seen by audiences in different
areas.
Tanishq has frequently used mobile billboards to its
advantage while promoting its campaigns.

3. Street Furniture
A cost-effective form of OOH advertising that has wide
reach and good visibility is through street furniture. This
form of advertising involves placing display boards at

● Bus shelters
● Telephone booths

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Why is OOH advertising an absolute must for Jewellery Retail
● Kiosks

Small and medium jewellery retailers can take advantage of
this type of advertising for their major campaigns as it has
good ROI. Even major players like Malabar Gold &
Diamonds are using street furniture to achieve market
penetration for their jewellery brand.

4. Transit Advertising

Advertising on vehicles in transit like auto rickshaws, taxis,
buses, trains and in subways is called Transit advertising.
This type of OOH advertising is ideal as you can choose a
specific route near the store to display your ads in vehicles
circulating in that area. Kalyan jewellers have made much
use of transit ads to their advantage.

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5. Guerilla Advertising

Guerilla advertising refers to the unconventional type of
advertising adopted to create a hype among the audience.
This type of OOH ranges from doing street performances for
the sake of advertising to distributing sudden offers by
surprise. All these tactics creates a stir and draws attention
to the jewellery brand. Abharan jewellers have used Guerilla
marketing to their best advantage.

Major Jewellery brands and the type of OOH Advertising
they have used

JEWELLERY TYPE OF OOH
BRAND
TANISHQ MOBILE BOARD, INTERACTIVE
BILLBOARD, 3D BILLBOARD, MOVIE
GITANJALI & TRAVEL POSTERS
MALABAR DIGITAL ADS, BILLBOARD
JOY ALUKKAS DIGITAL ADS, STREET FURNITURE
KALYAN MOVIE & TRAVEL POSTERS
ABHARAN TRANSIT ADS
GUERILLA ADS

OOH advertising can be done on a big or small scale
but it is an essential part of jewellery retailing and
advertising. Harness the power of outdoor advertising
using the above tips.

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Making the most of Festivals for Jewellery Retailing

Chapter – 19

Making the most of Festivals for Jewellery Retailing

India is a land of many cultures, each with its own traditions
and festivals. Indians celebrate some festive occasion or the
other almost every month. This occasion is a celebration of
the joy of life with a promise for the future.
Indians consider gold to be a divine metal, the offering of
the Gods with the highest purity and prosperity. This is why
each Indian festival or family occasion involves the use of
gold in some form or the other. Recognizing this fact fully,
Indian jewellers make the most of these festivals by large
marketing campaigns, offering generous discounts and
benefits to encourage customers to buy gold in plenty.

Festivals normally show a boost in sales by at least 20-30%

It is up to you, the jewellery retailer to make the most of
festival sales. How to do this?. Remember, your competition
in the trade, is certainly working to make the most of the
festival demand. Jewellery Retail experts Retail Gurukul
have some valuable pointers for this.

How to make most of festivals for jewellery sales?
1. List all the festivals

First, make a list of all the Indian festivals starting from say
this year’s Diwali to the next year’s Durga Puja, . When you
do this, keep in mind the nature of the audience you cater to
and the locality where you have your shop or store.

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Here is a compiled State-wise List of Festivals/Fairs in India

Andhra Pradesh :
Pitr-Paksha- Mahalaya Amavasya, Noopuraraavam ,All
India Industrial Exhibition (Numaish), Bhishma Ekadasi,
Deccan Festival, Telugu New Year, Ugadi (Gudi Padwa),
Sri Rama Navami Festival, Vinayaka Chaturthi, Durga
Festival, Nagula Chavithi.
Assam :
Magh or Bhogali Bihu, Dehing Patkai Festival, Elephant
Festival, Pragjyothi International Dance Festival, Bohag
Bihu, Bihu.
Andaman and Nicobar :
Island Tourism Festival, Swami Vivekananda Jayanti, Reh –
Idu Festival.
Arunachal Pradesh :
Boori Boot – Nyishi, Hill Miris Festival, Losar – Monpa
Festival, Tamladu – Idu-Mishmi tribe, Oriah – Wancho tribe,
Ali-Aye Ligang – Mishing tribe, Nyokum – Nishi Festival,
Mopin – Adi Festival, Pongtu -Tutsa tribe, Sanken –
Khampti and Singhpo tribe, Moh or Mol – Tangsa tribe,
Dree – Apatani Festival, Solung – Adi Festival, Chalo Loku
– Nocte tribe.
Bihar :
Rajgir Dance Festival, Chhath Puja, Sonepur Cattle Fair.
Daman and Diu :
National Tribal art & Food Festival, Monsoon Magic
Festival, Heritage Festival, Nariyela Poornima.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli :
Holika Dahan.
Delhi :
Delhi Book Fair, Taj Mahotsav, Garden Tourism Festival,
Mango Festival.
Gujarat :
Kutch Festival / Kutch Rann Utsav, Paragliding Festival,
Saptak Music Festival, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Vibrant

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Making the most of Festivals for Jewellery Retailing

Gujarat Global Summit, Uttarayan Kite Festival, Modhera
Dance Festival(Uttarardh Mahotsav), Vad Fest, Global Bird
Watchers Conference, Bhavnath Fair, Great Indian Heritage
Fest, Dangs Darbar, Kavant Fair, Chaitra Navratri, Chitra
Vichitra Fair, Mango Festival, Monsoon Festival, Tarnetar
Fair (Temple of Shiva or Trinetreshwar), Bhadrapada
Purnima (Ambaji), Beach Festival, Shamlaji Fair, Vautha
Fair.
Goa :
Sunburn Festival, Zatra at Cansaulin, Goa Carnival, Feast
of Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sao Joao, Feast of Assumption of
our Lady, Feast of Three Kings, Gokulashtami, Chovoth,
Ladainha or Ladin, Feast of St Francis Xavier, Feast of
Immaculate Conception, Goa Liberation Day.
Haryana :
Surajkund Craft Mela, Guru Ravidas’s Birthday, Shaheedi
Diwas of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru & Sukhedev, Baisakhi
Festival, Maharana Pratap Jayanthi, Sant Kabir Jayanthi,
Haryana Heroes Martyrdom Day, Maharaja Agrasen
Jayanti, Haryana Day, Shaheed Udham Singh’s Birthday.
Himachal Pradesh :
Losar, Himachal Day, Rakhadumni – Rakhi.
Jammu and Kashmir :
Leh Sindhu Darshan, Kashmir Lavender Festival, 33rd
Kalachakra, Guru Tse-Chu, Vikram Samvat, Wanchuk,
Galdan Namchot, Lohri, Spitok Gustor Zanskar, Spituk
Gustor, Basant Panchmi, Dosmochey Festival, Yargon
Tungshak, Guru Tse-Chu, Stok Guru Tsechu, Matho
Nagrang, Nagrang, Shab-e-Miraj, Yuru Kabgyat, Hemis
Festival, Shachukul Gustor, Zanskar Karsha Gustor,
Phyang Tsedup, Korzok Gustor, Dak-Thok Tse-Chu, Sakti
Tse-Chu, Naszal, Ladakh Festival, Navratri, Thiksay
Gustor,Chemrey Angchok, Galdan Namchot, Losar (New
Year).
Karnataka :

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Makar Sankramana, Pattadakal Dance Festival, Ugadi,
Naga Panchami, Ganesha and Gowri, Diwali
Kerala :
Swathi Sangeethotsavam, Arthunkal Perunnal, Sabarimala
Makaravilakku, Kanjiramattom Nercha, Nishagandhi
Festival, Ernakulathappan Utsavam, Pattambi Nercha,
Thaipooyam, Thaipooya Mahotsavam, Maramon
Convention, Machattu Mamangam, Pariyanampetta
Pooram, Adoor Gajamela, Kuttikkol Thampuratty Theyyam,
Uthralikavu Pooram, Chettikulangara Bharani, Guruvayoor
Utsavam, Chittur Kongan Pada, Chinakkathoor Pooram,
Attukal Pongala, Parippally Gajamela, Thirunakkara Arattu,
Attuvela Mahotsavam, Kodungalloor Bharani, Malanada
Kettukazhcha, Arattupuzha Pooram, Nenmara Vallangi
Vela, Feast Malayattoor Church, Kadammanitta Padayani,
Vishu, Feast at Edathua Church, Thrissur Pooram, Kottiyoor
Utsavam, Champakulam Boat Race, Nehru Trophy Boat
Race, Thripunithura Athachamayam, Onam, Payippad Boat
Race, Aranmula Boat Race, Pulikali, Feast at Manarcad,
Neelamperoor Padayani, Vallarpadam Thirunal, Sree
Narayana Guru Samadhi, Amrithanandamayi Birthday, Sree
Narayana Guru Jayanthi, Soorya Music Festival, Soorya
Dance Festival, Mannarasala Ayilyam, Feast at Parumala,
Chembai Sangeetholsavam, Kalpathi Ratholsavam,
Vaikathashtami Festival, Perumthitta Tharavad
Kottamkuzhy, Kochi Biennale, Cochin Carnival, Theyyam at
Kanathoor.
Madhya Pradesh :
Tejaji Fair, Khajuraho Dance Festival.
Maharashtra :
Kalidas Festival, Bird fest, Chikoo Utsav, Nag Panchami.
Meghalaya :
Bob Dylan Festival, Ahaia Festival.
Manipur :
Chavang Kut.
Mizoram :
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Making the most of Festivals for Jewellery Retailing

Chapchar Kut.
Nagaland :
Moatsu Festival, Hornbill Festival.
Orissa :
Savitri Amavasya, Mukteswar Dance Festival, Sattila
Ekadasi, Rajarani Music Festival, Bhaimi Ekadasi, Magha
Purnima, Puri Beach Festival, Kumbha Sankranti,
Pankoddhar Ekadasi, Konark Dance Festival, Phagu
Dasami, Papanasini Ekadasi, Dola Purnima, Meena
Sankranti, Papamochani Ekadasi, Chaitra Amavasya, Rama
Navami, Kamada Ekadasi, Pana Sankranti, Baruthini
Ekadasi, Chandan Yatra, Akshaya Tritiya, Mohini Ekadasi,
Jala Krida Ekadasi, Brusha Sankranti, Sudasha Brata, Raja
Sankranti, Rath Yatra, Bada Ekadasi, Bahuda Yatra, Singha
Sankranti, Khudurukuni Osha, Gamha Purnima, Bali
Trutiya, Kanya Sankranti, Rushi Panchami, Saraswati Puja,
Garbhana Sankranti, Mahastami, Kumarotstaba Purnima,
Kartik Purnima, Bichha Sankranti, Awala Navami, Konark
Festival, International Sand Art Festival, Prathamastami,
Manabasa – Gurubar Osha, Dhanu Sankranti.
Punjab :
Muktsar Fair, Lohri, Pracheen Kala Kendra Nritya and
Sangeet Sammelan, Baisakhi, Guru Parab- Guru Nanak’s
Birthday.
Puducherry :
International Yoga festival.
Rajasthan :
Bikaner Camel Festival, Jaipur Literature Festival, Nagaur
Fair/Ramdeoji cattle fair, Beneshwar Fair, Desert Festival,
Braj Festival, Shekhawati Festival, Jambheshwar Fair,
Elephant Festival, Gangaur Festival, Mewar Spring Festival,
Rajasthan Day Celebration, Mahaveerji Fair, Jodhpur
Flamenco and Gypsy Festival (JFG), Summer Festival,
Urs Fair, Teej Festival, Kajli Teej Festival, Kota Dussehra,
Marwar Festival, Galiyakot Urs, Pushkar Camel Fair,

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Kolayat Fair (Kapil Muni Fair), Chandrabhaga Fair, Matasya
Festival, Bundi Utsav, Winter Festival.
Sikkim :
Saga Dawa, Drupka Tseshi, Lakshmi Puja, Lhabab
Duechen, Kagyat Dance, Losoong Sikkimese, Maghe
Sankranti Sanhamole,
Losar Tibetan, International Flower Festival, Guru
Rimpoche’s Birthday, Pang Lhabsol.
Tamil Nadu :
Kambam Festival, Chennai Dance Festival (December
Season), Chennai Music Festival (December Season),
Arudra Darisanam / Thiruvathirai, Thyagaraja Aradhana,
Bhogi Pongal, Surya Pongal, Mattu Pongal, Jallikattu
Festival, Thiruvalluvar day, India International Leather Fair,
Thaipusam, Natyanjali Festival, Tamil New Year,
Velankanni Church Festival, Mamallapuram Dance Festival.
Tripura :
Rabindra / Nazrul Jayanthi, Kharchi Puja, Ker Puja, Diwali
Festival.
Uttaranchal :
Magh Mela, Uttarayani Mela, International Yoga Week.
Uttar Pradesh :
Ayurveda Jhansi Mahotsav, Kailash Fair, Ayudha Puja, Nag
Nathaiya, Deva Mela Ramayan Mela Ayodhya, Kumbh
Mela, Magh Mela, Dhrupad Mela, Lathmar Holi, Sheetala
Ashtami, Sankat Mochan Music Festival, Ganga Dussehras,
Sri Krishna Janmashtami, Ram Leela, Matki Leela, Ganga
Mahotsav, Dev Deepavali.
West Bengal :
Kenduli Mela, Gangasagar Mela, Dover Lane Music
Conference, Birthday of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose,
Vasant Panchami, Birthday of Sri Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa, Bengali Nava Barsha, Rabindra Jayanti,
Durga Puja, Nandikar National Theatre Festival, Vishnupur
(Bishnupur Festival).

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Courtesy:www.govrecruitment.in

The competition will typically focus on major festivals like
Akshaya Tritiya, Diwali etc, and you will need to focus your
major campaigns on these festivals too. However, if you are
able to “market” a non- traditional festival, then you are
likely to reap much better benefits as well. For Example, you
are a retailer in Puducherry, then obviously, the Akshaya
Tritiya will be a major festival. But can you turn around the
International Yoga Festival, with say a Meditation inspired
collection? Make a note of the associated rituals and
reasons behind the festival, train our staff accordingly too.
This will help you in evolving your marketing campaigns.

After preparing the list, select the festivals that cater to your
audience and which might bring in customers to your store.
Decide which festivals you want to concentrate on in your
marketing by offering discounts or schemes. Earmark a
budget also for these festival campaigns ahead of time. Too
often, retailers decide too late, and end up offering
“discounts and offers” as the only means of business
promotion.

2. Study your competitors

Take a look at what your competitors are doing or have

done in the past during these festivals. Which campaign or

schemes have been most popular in terms of marketing?

When did they start such a campaign? You may want to
keep a “scrap book” of the advertisements of your
competitors to track their activities. Is it

● heavy discount on making charges or wastage
● discount on diamond rates
● offering silver free with gold purchase
● gold coin offer
● old gold exchange
● free gifts

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● prize scheme

Analyze the options and decide which one is best and most
importantly, profitable for you. Small jewellery stores cannot
offer big discounts but they can offer gifts along with the
festival purchase.
3. Think different
As a jeweller, you have to have your own identity in the
market. Create your own identity by evolving unique festival
offers and schemes.
Take for instance these offers for the Aadi season from
prominent jewellers in Chennai

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4. What do you wish to offer?

Make up your mind - what do you wish to offer?

● a discount
● a free gift
● waived charges- making or wastage

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Some jewellers decided to act differently. Instead of linking
festival sales to profit, they linked it to loyalty and visits.
They awarded

● festival gifts to regular customers
● loyalty reward to long-standing customers on the

festive day
● a small gift to every person who visited/ purchased

on the festival day.

This kind of "stand - apart" thinking paid off in the long run
with increased customer loyalty and visits.

5. Launch new collections

Festivals are the best time to launch new collections.
Customers look for new designs during festivals as they
want to wear the best for festivals. This is the time to
launch big designs in antique, temple or diamond collections
as people use their festival bonuses to invest in gold.

6. Liquidate old stock

With the use of clever marketing campaigns and pricing
strategies, you can try to liquidate your dead stock by
attractive incentive schemes for them during festival sales.
You must, however offer some genuine advantage to the
customer to buy these items. Festivals are the best time to
clear out old stock with discounts.

7. Spread the word through social media.

Whatever campaign or scheme you launch, make sure you
spread the word on social media. Social media has a
powerful presence in the customer's festival shopping. So
try to establish a strong presence in social media to get
maximum mileage during festivals.

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8. Use outdoor, print and all offline media
Festivals are the best time to gain attention and visibility.
Make use of print, outdoor and all offline media to boost
your market presence.

● Newspaper advertisements are suitable if you are
looking at a large catchment area in the city. Give an
interview on your local FM or Cable TV channel on "
how to buy gold for festivals".

● Write a column for the local newspapers on " festival
gold purchases"

● Have an event or stall at a local mall promoting your
jewellery brand

There are many other ways to make the most of
festivals for jewellery sales and these are just a few of
them.
Learn more at Retail Gurukul's workshops and make the
most of festival sales.

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Chapter – 20

How to promote jewellery gifting to get better returns?

Today's landscape of jewellery retailing is different from
what it used to be years ago. Earlier, jewellery used to be
gifted only for weddings or on child birth. Nowadays,
customs have changed to include new occasions and
celebrations like Valentine's Day, Father's Day, Mother's
Day etc. Yes, today customers are looking out for "jewellery
in the gifting genre". This means "affordable jewellery that is
ideal for gifting".

What makes jewellery the ideal gift?

1. Who wouldn’t like to receive gold jewellery as a gift?
Jewellery is a precious commodity and is highly valued
and appreciated, especially if received as a gift.

2. Jewellery leaves a lasting impression when people gift it
and the gift is remembered for ages.

3. Jewellery evokes a touching response as it moves
people, when people gift and receive them.

4. Jewellery to suit any age, gender, or style is easily
available

5. Jewellery is available in different options to suit a
consumer’s budget.

How to make jewellery the ideal gift?

To make jewellery the ideal gift, a jewellery retailer has to
do some careful planning. First, line up jewellery collections
in your store that are

1. Suitable for every occasion.

Every festive occasion has its own individuality. The
assortment of jewellery collections or designs that will suit

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the occasion must be in the store, days or even weeks
before the event.

For instance, Valentine's Day has everything to do with love
and hearts. Get an assortment of heart-shaped earrings,
finger rings, pendants and bracelets for the occasion for
both men and women. When is Valentine’s Day? It is a fixed
day every year. Feb 14th. So, preparation for the right
merchandise can be planned accordingly.

2. Suitable for every budget

One assumption about jewellery that has been disproved in
the recent years is that "jewellery is costly". Nowadays,
jewellery designs are available in lightweight and trendy
collections to suit everyone's budget. Get a series of
jewellery designs in the low cost, light-weight range to
match the customer's need.

3. Suitable for every style

Today's Indian population is an eclectic mix of both the
tradition and the trendy. Yes, the same woman might wear
saris for an ethnic occasion and a western dress for another
with equal elegance. Create a line of jewellery that will go
with every style and occasion- Increasingly, brands have
different lines - a bridal line, a Party line, A 9 to 5 line and so
on.

Women prefer to wear jewellery that is matching their outfit.
They also prefer to swap outfits in order to suit the occasion.
In the process, changing jewellery should not become a
pain for them. Instead, offer unique jewellery designs that
match both the convention and couture. This kind of “suit-all
jewellery" really appeals to women.

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4. Suitable for every age

When a customer comes to your jewellery store, she must
have no reason to turn back due to non-availability of items.
Line up jewellery to match every age- right from the
newborn boy or girl to the well-wizened grandpa or granny.

How to promote jewellery gifting to get better returns?

1. Spread the word

Make it known to all your customers and the public that "
your jewellery store has gift collections." Customers might
be under the impression that you deal only with heavy or
traditional gold ornaments. After all, most jewellery brands
are so focussed on the wedding segment, that all their
advertising is so focused on that wedding market, and in
that too on the bridal wear. So it is important to spread the
word that you offer jewellery gift collections. You can do this
by

● sending emails or SMS to your customers latest
● newspaper advertisements about your

jewellery gift collections
● social media marketing
● advertise on radio, TV or paper channels.

2. Offer special discounts or schemes during the gifting
occasions

One way to promote better returns for your jewellery gifting
collections is to push their sales through discount offers or
schemes during the gifting occasion. Exclusive offers for
your gift collections on Valentine's Day, Diwali or Christmas
really boost sales for your jewellery gifts.

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3. Revamp your stock

Once you start dealing with gift collections, you should know
how to build stock to include gifting items. For this, you
should

● include gifting items among your jewellery stock
● plan your gifting stock according to your budget
● keep in mind the total revenue from gifting occasions

in the past, while allotting your funds for gift stock or
keep gift jewellery in limited quantity.
● repurpose your stock and include certain items of
your old or dead stock among the gift collections.
● bundle your existing collections as "gift collections'"
with a new look.

Quick tips for lining up gifting jewellery

● Diamonds are a girl's best friends. Offer gift
collections with small diamonds of low carat value to
suit the customer's budget.

● Heart, flower, star and butterfly motifs fly fast among
the young crowd.

● Complete sets- ear studs, chain, bracelet and ring- at
affordable value make a huge sell. If this is not
possible, pair at least earrings and pendant.

● Valentine's day is mostly about finger rings and
chains. So concentrate on them.

● Mix and match jewellery is also preferred by youth
where they can interchange the stone in the ear ring
or pendant according to their attire.

● Customers look for "fresh look" . So evolve your
gifting collections keeping this in mind.

Jewellery gifting has a huge market potential provided
you tap it rightly.

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Chapter – 21

How to ensure that the customer visits your jewellery
showroom again?

Did you know that 43% of the retailers today plan to focus
more on customer retention? Yes and customer retention is
measured only by the repeat visits and sales from the
existing customers. Jewellery retailers have realized today
that focussing on existing customer is more worthwhile than
chasing new ones. So, how to ensure that the customer
visits your jewellery showroom again? Let us ask Retail
Gurukul.

Ways to ensure that your customer visits your jewellery
showroom again

1. Personal attention and service

Every customer likes to be treated specially and demand
the best of your attention and service. Train your
employees to give undivided attention to your customers,
keeping in mind their every detail and need. Here are some
ways to do this.

● Remembering the customer's name and greeting
them respectfully using it.

● Inquiring about their family as a courtesy.
● Recalling the details of their last purchase and

getting feedback about it. Reminding them of what
they looked for earlier. It is now possible to use
technology to list the purchases or even, items
shortlisted by them for purchase. Ask Retail Gurukul
for details
● Informing them of special benefits like loyalty
programs or eligible discounts.

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How to ensure that the customer visits your Showroom again

Attending to every detail and need of the customer must be
of top priority in your customer service and this will lure the
customer to visit your jewellery showroom again and again.

2. Product Knowledge

The jewellery business has a lot of intricacies and the
customer may not have full knowledge of the same. . What
he/she looks for is for someone to guide them rightly,
someone whom she can trust. Here is where you step in as
their jewellery advisor.

Always share your product knowledge with the customer as
special tips and gain their confidence and trust. Next time
they think of buying jewellery, they will reach out to you first.

But remember one thing, when you are educating the
customer on how to buy jewellery, do not make it “a sales
pitch” as you will lose their trust and respect if you do so.
Earn the awe and admiration of the customer on the wealth
of knowledge you carry and they are sure to appreciate that.
They may buy from you at this item, or visit you again to
take your advice. This will also earn you their trust and
loyalty which is of supreme value for your business.

3. Value Range

Whatever may be the “positioning” of your store- ,i.e. Value
for money, Premium, Budget or Luxury etc., there is a
always a segment of customers who are value conscious.
Such customers often have price as their most important
criteria before they make a purchase. For some of them, the
aspirational brands regular products are too highly priced,
but with an “economy” range, they might find “value” in
them. With a value range offering for them that is either
seasonal or “best buy” counters that are always there, it is
possible to entice such customers to come to the store to

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check you out often. Many such customers might step into
the store, to check out any value deals.

4. In certain markets, many customers are not necessarily
seeking lowest price products, but are open to a value
purchase for many reasons. It could be a “mandatory gift
purchase” or in many a case, a urge to get “the best
bargain” from every purchase. For such a customer, good
products at competitive prices could entice them to make a
“value purchase” or Full Paisa Vasool ie Got full value for
my money, buy.

In both the cases, you the retailer has to evaluate and offer
a merchandise mix, that offers a good financial benefit to
the customer? This value offering is the key element that is
going to decide the frequency of the customer's visits to
your showroom.

Provide an irresistible value offering to the customer in the
form of

● Reduced prices of gold or diamond
● Discounts in making charge and wastage
● Better exchange value for old gold
● Facility for hedging the gold price through chit

schemes
● Extra gift offerings on jewellery purchase

Customers always look for "quality at the best price" when it
comes to jewellery. It is up to you to assure them that they
can get it from you.

Repeat visits from customers lead to better business,
profitability and expansion.

Gain more tips on customer retention strategies by enrolling
in Retail Gurukul Programs.

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Inventory Management tips for Jewellery Retailers

Chapter – 22

Inventory Management tips for Jewellery Retailers

As a jewellery retailer, you know you have a lot of your hard
earned money invested in your gold and diamond jewellery,
but, do you know each one by appearance? How do you
stock your jewellery at your store? Do you have any system
of inventory management? We offer some simple tips on
inventory management for your jewellery retail business.
Take a look.

Need for Inventory Management for Jewellery Retailers

1. Every single jewellery item has to be listed, stocked and
accounted for, to calculate profitability and net assets.

2. Due to high value of the items, loss of a single piece is a
significant loss. Now, there are technology solutions from
Retail Gurukul Partners, which help to identify the loss right
at the counter itself. Whether they are misplaced at the
counter or flicked by an outsider.

3. Maintaining a track of the purchase date of the item is
highly essential to enable ageing analysis and its liquidation
from the system.

4. Computerised stock maintenance becomes critical in
case of insurance claims in the event of theft or loss of
product too.

5. Inventory Management helps a jeweller to assess how
the Quality and Quantity of stock he has at the moment.
This helps in planning stock to avoid shortage or excesses.
The tendency to over buy is also avoided by proper
planning.

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6. With inventory management, the jeweller can calculate
the inventory turnover ratio to determine which are his
dead stock and sluggish stock which eat up not just his
working capital @ 11 % but also opportunity cost at 24 %. In
a small margin business, these can be very high if left
unchecked.

7. A good inventory management system helps you gain
loyal customers as this ensures the stock required by
customers ready in hand when they arrive at the store. This
avoids the "out -of-stock" situation at your jewellery store
which might prove to be a great disappointment for your
valued customers.

8. Accurate planning and matching demand with supply
is possible with efficient inventory management. It helps
you meet the market's demand and plan well ahead for the
seasonal changes.

9. Efficient warehousing is possible with proper inventory
management. Inventory management helps you to evaluate
the list of frequently ordered jewellery pieces and place
them near each other for easy access. this helps in speedy
delivery and invoicing.

10. Cost-savings are huge with efficient inventory
management as it avoids unnecessary offtake and
investments of capital.

11. Time-saving is possible as inventory listing helps you
to maintain your stock situation at your fingertips always.

12. Smarter ordering and decision making is possible
with effective inventory management as you know what to
order, when and how much.

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13. IF you operate a multi-branch jewellery chain, then
inventory management is highly crucial in maintaining stock
across the different branches.

Ways to maintain a list of stocks for your jewellery
store.

1. Excel Sheet

An Excel Sheet is a handy tool in maintaining a stock list at
your jewellery store. You can include the following details in
the sheet like

● Name of Jewellery Item
● SKU Number
● UPC Number
● Description
● Colour
● Size
● Price
● Weight
● Dimensions
● Quality- 18K, 22K, DE, EF, IF,VVS,VS1, etc.

SKU- Stock Keeping Unit- This number is noted on the
product to differentiate between similar-looking jewellery
items and locate it easily. Other product details that can be
“tagged” to the SKU details, such a gross wt, net weight,
stone weight, types of stones, making charges etc. It also
gives an indication as to when the stock was purchased and
helps to know the age of the stock and its supplier details.
This code can be used a serial no of purchases from a
starting date or it can be an alpha numeric code, which can

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identify the full details of the product by breaking down each
alpha and numeric to a specific attribute.
UPC- Universal Product code -This number is represented
as a 12 digit barcode to identify the product individually.
This can be scanned and is used for quick invoicing.

2. Photo album
Maintain photos of all the jewellery pieces, their barcode
tags and certifications. This might come handy when a
particular piece is difficult to trace or goes missing. If you
adapt technology along with product photos, then, it is even
more helpful to monitor the performance of individual or
group of SKUs.

3. Inventory Software
Inventory management software are a big boon to jewellery
retailers. Everything from ordering, stock-listing, invoicing,
accounting and analytics are now available on one
automated single platform with one-click operation. Called
the ERP system, there are many vendors across the
country, who can help you in implementing an end to end
computerisation.

What you can do with your inventory list?
1. Create an End- to- End Order processing system
Every jewellery retailer must have a effective system to
track both purchases and sales orders. This system can be
configured as a process with these steps.

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Inventory Management tips for Jewellery Retailers

1. Start with an inventory of what has sold out in the
past “cycle” of one week or “one month”.

2. Identify, which of these are worth “having them back”
at the store. Are these your good sellers or bad
sellers? If they are good sellers, there is a good
chance that they can sell again. If they are bad
sellers for any reason, there is no reason to want
them again at the store.

3. With this list of what all has sold out, identify which of
these good sellers are already in stock? It is quite
likely, that some of them are already in stock.

4. Identify, if these “replenishments “are sufficient for
sales until the next ordering cycle. This is the sales
“forecast” that should be doing for items that were
sold out from the store.

5. If not, it is a good idea to re-order them. This is the
“Purchase Order” or the “Open to buy” for
replenishment of the “good sellers”.

6. Use your experience and expertise to also identify
new products that are likely to do well and order them
in accordance with the sales plan ahead. Too often,
purchases are made without a “detailed sales plan”,
resulting in huge “dead inventory”.

7. Ensure that the front end billing process is also linked
to the entire inventory system, so that the the latest
stock statement is always available for creating the
next “purchase order”, starting with the step 1

8. Use automated software to do this entire process.
This will update the inventory automatically on
delivery of items and also handle invoicing.

2. Perform daily and monthly audits

While it is a regular practice with most jewellers, it is still
worthwhile repeating that daily audits are absolutely

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essential in the jewellery trade as you are always dealing
with expensive items. Daily audits help to identify if any
items are missing, stolen or sent for repair. Monthly audits
help you to assess the inventory turnover and plan your
marketing or promotional campaigns. One way to improve
the daily audit system is to change the persons who do the
audits, so that a new person might be able to identify
something the earlier person forgot to identify.

All audits are easily done when you have an efficient
inventory management system as this system will be
automatically updated every day and will always have the
current status of stock ready for your view.

3. Analyze your customer's buying behaviour and stock

With an able inventory management system, you can
analyze all your sales data to understand the nature of your
stock movement and the customer's buying behaviour. Try
to understand

● Which jewellery items are your best-sellers?
● Which customers buy the most from your jewellery

store?
● Which are your months when stock moves fast?
● Which are the sluggish months?
● On an average, how many repeat sales you have

within a year?
● What is the profit per customer?

Analytics is the key to understanding your jewellery
business better and the only way to do this is by arming
yourself with a good inventory management system.

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Retail Gurukul's valuable tip for Inventory management-use
RFID systems.
As a jewellery retailer, you have to keep track of small
jewellery items and stones which are of priceless value.
This process is not only time-consuming but error
prone. Instead use technology and systems.
Retail Gurukul and its partners can offer this kind of
technology to your business.
The advantage of this system is

1. Inventory management is now easy as all items are
tagged and hence they will be scanned and updated
on the inventory.

2. Billing and inventory will now be interlinked and
updated simultaneously on delivery of items.

3. It speeds up billing and delivery with quick scanning
4. It helps to locate lost or stolen items by placing tag

readers at specific exit points of the shop that can
trigger alarms.
5. The tag can have the SKU details also which will help
to know the purchase date, supplier details etc.

Seek the help of Retail Gurukul to organize your inventory
efficiently by joining their training programs and master the
art of jewellery inventory management.

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Chapter 23
Best Inventory practices for Jewellers

What is the last thing you do at your jewellery shop every
day? Count your cash balance, lock all the valuables, fasten
the bolts and just go home? Don't you think you are
missing out on something? While inventory check is
common, in terms of daily counting of number of pieces, an
smart inventory check is a good routine practice that any
good jeweller must follow every day.

Smart Inventory procedures for jewellers
Retail Gurukul lists the following procedures that jewellers
must execute as part of their efficient inventory
management.
1. Assign SKUs to your jewellery to identify each individual
piece separately.
2. Use a computerized point-of-sale (POS) system to
maintain records of your inventory and sales.
3. Categorise your jewellery into categories for easy
reference and assign codes for each segment. Bangles,
Earrings are different Categories or Groups or Segments
4. Install RFID tags in all jewellery to keep track of them. It
will more than pay back for your investment in these non-
reusable tags.
5. Perform daily “special” checking to ensure no pilferage
occurs.

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6. Always have a printed list as well as photos of your
weekly/monthly inventory and cross check, if this matches
with the physical stock.

7. Implement quality checks on the items on every shelf or
showcase at least once a month. This will help you to
identify whether any of the jewellery items have been
damaged during handling and send for repairs.

8. Compare each month's stock turnover with the previous
month. This can help you to identify the bottlenecks in stock
rotation.

Procedures for checking the stocks

1. On a daily basis, cross-check the inventory list with the
actual item on display. The items on every showcase or
shelf must be listed and -identified on your system inventory
by their display location.

2. Do random or surprise checks at counters to check
whether the stocks are safe during lean hours.

3. Random case counts should also be done to see if the
items on a particular shelf match with those listed there on
the inventory system.

4. Have a look at the CCTV footage in your shop to check
for malpractices as well as movement of stocks.

5. Get mystery audits done by outsiders to identify any
“weak” practices or implementation issues.

Removing the bottlenecks in stock rotation.

Some of your stock, at least 10%-25% is bound to be dead
stock. Our experience is often, jewellers are not aware of
their dead stock percentage in real time. Keeping dead
stock to a minimum is the prime objective of any jewellery
retailer.

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To achieve this, Retail Gurukul guides you in removing the
bottlenecks in stock rotation.

1. Identify the bottlenecks first

Assess your stock situation and identify your dead stock.
Now analyze the bottlenecks that lead to dead stock
accumulation. Why is the stock not moving? Is it because

● There is no demand for the stock
● The price is not competitive enough
● The designs are old
● The staff at the counter are not competent enough to

push sales.

Having analyzed these, chalk out an action plan to eliminate
them one by one.

2. Focus on these “dead” stock-moving measures

Use any of these methods to move the dead stock.

● Change the position of the stock to a more visible area
● Assign competent staff at the counter
● Evolve a marketing strategy to push the stock with some

promotional offers
● Offer discounts on this stock
● Repurpose the old stock under a new name with the

help of advertising.
● You can even “re design” the stock by removing or

adding new elements. A necklace can be broken down
to a pair of earrings, pendants etc.

3. Eliminate waste

The “Constraints Management” a concept applied by Retail
Gurukul in inventory management, can be used to
identifying and eliminating waste. It focuses on "identifying
the most important limiting factor (i.e. constraint) that stands

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in the way of achieving a goal and then systematically
improving that constraint until it is no longer the limiting
factor". Try to implement this by these intelligent measures.

● Build an effective replenishment system.
● Avoid over-stocking without a corresponding sales

plan
● Order stock in limited numbers and have an

arrangement with vendors for ready supply on
demand.
● Work out an arrangement of "returning stock" to the
vendor within a specific period with minimal loss.
● See if you can swap stock with your other branches
or any fellow retailers with whom you have a good
business understanding.
● Plan in advance for festive seasons but do not
overstock.
● It is better to be slightly understocked rather than
slightly over stocked. Even if you are “understocked”
for any reason, there is always enough “older stock”
which you can use to sell them off at a discount, offer
combo deals etc.

4. Plan and execute

Plan your inventory and stock rotation. Be flexible and adapt
to the market and customer demands for stock.

Think innovatively of ways to rotate stock using
marketing and promotional measures.

Adhere to the above inventory practices that are best for
jewellery retail and also learn more at any of Retail
Gurukul's learning programs and workshops.

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Chapter – 24

The Do’s and Don'ts of Customer Service for Jewellery
Retailing

Customer service is what makes your jewellery business
tick. Yes, if your product and pricing is good, then the
customers might make the buy at that time, but, they may
not return if the service is not good.

If the product, pricing are good and the service is good too,
customers might come back to your showroom for more
purchases and also recommend you to others. So customer
service is going to be the foundation of your success in the
jewellery trade.

Customer service can make or break your business.

- Nearly 66% of the customers would like to switch
companies due to bad customer service.

- 58% of them wished to continue dealing with the
same company due to good service.

Why customer service is of supreme importance to
jewellery retail?

1. A customer is a person who has to be handled like a
fragile object. Hurting her ego or self-esteem even
unintentionally, might cause huge setbacks as she
would refrain from shopping again at your store.

2. Jewellery customers are usually women who are
both selective and sensitive. Your sales staff must
know to satisfy their needs with impeccable customer
service.

3. Jewellery is a commodity of great sentimental value.
When shopping for an auspicious occasion for

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jewellery, the customer does not want to have
unpleasant memories or experiences.
4. One bad experience is enough to spoil your store's
reputation as the customer shares her bad
experience by word-of-mouth, social messages or
online reviews.

This is why sales staff in a jewellery store have to be doubly
careful while dealing with customers and should know how
to deal with them.

Retail Gurukul guides you with a list of dos and don'ts for
customer service.

Customer Service for jewellery showroom- "to do" tips

1. Always greet
your customer
with a warm
welcome smile. It
is quite easy for
a customer to
know, if the
welcome is a
warm welcome
or a “duty”
performed by the staff.

2. Guide them to the interior of the store.
3. Listen to what they say they are looking for, before

starting your conversation.
4. If the customer is not opening up, gently prompt by

asking open questions. Do not pester them. Some
customers take their own time, in sharing information.
They are more likely to say, “Just looking around”.

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A Guide to Jewellery Retailing

5. Ask the customer to clarify what jewellery item they
actually want if you have any doubts.

6. If the customer has only a budget but no object in mind,
lend your suggestions one-by-one and show them the
jewellery items.

7. Suggest items which are within the buyer's budget
without making them feel "small".

8. Be patient with all customers as some might be
indecisive.

9. Allow customers to take their time in deciding.
10. Be respectful to all customers, irrespective of their outfit

or appearance.
11. Be informative to illiterate or ignorant customers, without

being high-handed.
12. Be helpful to all customers.
13. While attending to a customer, pay undivided attention to

him/her.
14. If another customer is waiting for you, inform them that

you will be with them shortly or assign another fellow
staff to attend to them.
15. Highlight all the unique aspects of each jewellery item to
the customer.
16. Be clear and precise while mentioning the making
charges and wastage.
17. Be patient while clarifying price details to the customer
and avoid confusions. This is especially important, when
you are explaining making charges, polishing charges,
value addition charges, GST etc.
18. Outline all the taxation and sales charges clearly, may
be even writing it or showing a print out, while indicating
the total amount to the customer.
19. Offer intelligent alternatives like chit or discount
schemes.
20. Enlighten the customer on your exchange or return
policies.

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The Do’s and Don’ts of Customer Service for Jewellery Retailing

21. Thank the customer warmly, even if no purchase is
made with a promise of follow-up.

22. Always change your approach according to the nature of
the customer to give personalized service.

23. Be polite, patient and pleasing to all customers.
24. Be transparent in all dealings as this will earn you their

respect.
25. Be helpful to customers in every way possible.

Customer Service for jewellery showroom- "to do" tips

1. Do not ignore any customer.
2. Do not pounce on the customer the moment he/she

enters. Allow them space to get a feel of your store.
3. Do not pester the customer with questions.
4. Do not hover around a customer, as if you are

watching them.
5. Do not assume what the customer wants.
6. Do not flaunt your product knowledge to the

customer by giving overwhelming information.
7. Don’t be pushy. Allow the customer to decide.
8. Do not force your opinions on the customer.
9. Do not compel a customer to buy beyond their

budget.
10. Do not leave a customer stranded while you search

for their required items.
11. Do not mislead a customer on the product quality or

price.
12. Do not look down on rural or ignorant customers.
13. Do not take customers for granted.
14. Do not dismiss a customer impolitely, if they do not

make a purchase.
15. Do not show disinterest to any customer.

Train your sales staff rigorously on all these factors.
Learn more on enhancing customer service from Retail
Gurukul's training programs.

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A Guide to Jewellery Retailing

Chapter – 25
It’s all about execution!

Whether you have gone through each of the chapters or just
skimmed through some and read some chapters, thank you.
You have achieved what many of your competitors might
not have achieved.
You have some ideas, some challenges and even some
successes that you have observed so far.
This book for example, is not perfect. I am sure, if we were
to spend some more effort on it, we could improve it further,
maybe even significantly better. In fact, we are
crowdsourcing improvements with a Rewards and
Recognition program. Do participate and give us your
feedback.

What next?

It is crucial, that you take action now.
The lists of chapters are given below in a table format.
Spend some time, to identify one action point against each
chapter.
It does not matter if you have completed all the chapters or
not. If you have completed even one chapter, identify an
action point. Write down the action point and the due date
next to it.
Then, implement it.

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