Jewelry & retailers have a lot of decisions to make right now.
Do you stay open? What about staffing or changing your hours?
The good news is that high-end retailers like jewelers don’t necessarily have the crowd concerns to deal with that large retailers (like malls) do.
But the question everyone seems to be asking is: should we be posting about how we’re handling the COVID-19 virus in our store?
My suggestion: Don’t do it…
Here are 4 reasons why:
Reason #1 – People aren’t staying home because they’re afraid of you
They’re staying home because they have no choice.
Companies are encouraging people to work from home, school has been canceled almost everywhere & you’re hard-pressed to find an event still going on.
My point is that people are generally housebound for now and your policies about handwashing aren’t the motivating factor in whether or not they venture out.
Reason #2 – Why associate COVID with jewelry or your product?
People are pretty concerned with airline travel, crowds & how their food is prepped right now.
But they might not be associating the virus with diamond jewelry, so why put that in their minds?
I was thinking about venturing out to get a coffee today, but my favorite coffee shop just emailed me all about their COVID precautions, so I think I’ll stay home instead since apparently it’s an issue there too.
Reason #3 – Remind people of what they’re missing
When people are out of toilet paper, they’re not checking with the store that has some about whether or not anyone sneezed on the boxes.
That’s because their desire for toilet paper is stronger than their fear of the alternative.
Remember, as jewelry retailers, we sell love & happiness.
If there’s a birthday or anniversary coming up, or someone is finally ready to pop the question, customers will respond to your marketing & work with you in a manner that makes them comfortable.
When they are ready to celebrate their love, they’ll still buy jewelry.
Reason #4 – Offer alternatives instead of spreading fear
Running ads promoting your online shopping concierge or private consultations is a LOT different than talking about how much hand washing your team does.
Sell whatever innovations you’re making to accommodate customers with more personal service while they’re stuck at home.
Suggest they treat themselves to something nice & mention how quickly you can get it to them.
Present an idea someone can get behind and they’re more likely to take action than mentioning your hand sanitizer. Here’s a good start:
I believe that what people really want is a sense of normalcy & to smile just a little. Leave the safety precautions to the media & doctors.
