FEATURE STORY Making Sales a Sure Thing Selling Jewelry at Boutique Shops

Jewelry is a popular accessory at clothing boutique shops, and while favorites vary, strong display and in-store placement, as well as social media, are all important elements of making jewelry sales into a real store “gem.”

At Tumbleweed in Portland, Ore., Manager Sonja Geisler said that the store’s best-seller is the Austin-based Claire Sommers Buck brand of jewelry. “She’s very globally influenced, and I believe the reason this line is so popular for us is because it is very unique. She also carries many beautiful, special, and unusually designed stud earrings, and there is a real trend right now of little stud earrings being extremely popular.” For Geisler, selling more jewelry in associated with placement of these items within the store. “We have all our jewelry by the check-out desk, and we handwrite our receipts, which is a personal touch that we do, but it also takes a little longer to make a purchase. While that process is happening, people tend to drift through and browse the jewelry items and notice things they might want to add to their purchase.” She added, “We also post some of our jewelry on Instagram, too, although because we are primarily a clothing store, apparel items get more focus on social media.”

At the cutting-edge, independent-label boutique, Geisler’s top display tip is to make displays easy to see. “We put necklaces on our mannequins so customers can see them. But keeping the jewelry near the register is what really works for us. That placement is important, because everyone is going to see it and be able to spend a little time browsing it as well at that location.”

In Seal Beach, Calif., Shara Sales Associate Joselyn Escobar , speaking for owner Meghan Boyce, said that big sterling silver stone rings are trending as a must-buy at the shop. One of six locations for clothing, accessories, and jewelry, the store is known for its fun Tshirts and trendy necklaces. But for now, rings are king. “They sell a lot,” Escobar related. “Everyone seems to be getting into the idea of wearing rings, particularly the bigger, chunkier ones.” According to Escobar, “It’s the fashion trend in jewelry right now. We also do a lot with zodiac necklaces and initial necklaces, and small birth-stone stud earrings. The stud earrings are also a trend.”

To sell more jewelry, Escobar said in-store display and social media are both important. “We do try to promote jewelry items on Instagram, particularly whatever new items are coming in. In the store, display is centered around keeping the jewelry separate from our clothing; and we have mannequins in the window as well as a display case that shows our jewelry.” And when it comes to display, grouping jewelry items by type is a good idea, Escobar stressed. “For example, we have a cabinet with all our sterling silver items in it. We can easily recommend that jewelry to people with more sensitive skin, because sterling can be best for that. Elsewhere in the store we keep our earrings or our necklaces, and within those categories we separate them by the type of jewelry we have.”

At the 1,000-square-foot Treehaus in the Atwater neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif., Co-Owner Michelle Pedersen said, “We sell a lot of jewelry, both