Online shopping is increasingly big business, which means it is more difficult for smaller, medium and even large size jewelry retailers, especially those that do not have much of an online presence to get their market share. The physical shopping experience starts with good design, so take a good, hard look at your jewelry store space, and perhaps, with the help of a jewelry interior design company, you can determine if there is more that you could be offering to your customers as far as your store overall design.

Define your Space: First things first, defining your space is all about your brands and images, how it gets people into your store, and what they do once they are there. This is the big picture: what are you selling, and who are you selling to? These needs to be a consistency of style and function in your store that have different factors to tie with the whole jewelry shopping experience. I advise my store owners to make a specific area(s) in their store(s) which has the highest sales volume and profitability. For example, if you are selling many diamonds jewelry in your store, there needs to be an area that stand out as a “WOW.”

Organizing the Space:  When customers shop online, they have an entire store at their fingertips. The online customers could look at multiple different types of products at the same time. It is essential that the jewelry space is well-organized, and easy to use as possible. A customer who enters a store should have a clear path to follow, with different categories of products clearly understood, and clear product groupings. A well-organized store is one that makes customers feel comfortable and structured so that they can get what they need without wasting time.

Invite Customer Participation: Good visual communication invites customers to participate actively in their shopping experience. With the massive change that online shopping has brought, this part of the store design process is essential about offering experiences that the customer cannot get online; whether it’s one-on-one selling and advising from staff, or the opportunity to try jewelry  before purchasing. For your clients, jewelry store shopping is a personal expression in the strongest form.

About the Author: Leslie McGwire™ has over 35 years in business development, interior design, equipment, furniture sales and marketing services in retail and jewelry-based businesses. Leslie has won over 25 national design awards, including the prestigious Salon Today and INSTORE Jewelry Store ​awards. Leslie has a true passion for business, design for the jewelry and retail industries. Visit lesliemcgwire.com for more information.