Over the past 75 years, we've serviced a lot of jewelers, and we get to know them and their buying habits pretty well. Historically, most of our jewelers bought only conventional, velvet-covered clamshell boxes; a few jewelers sprinkled in a few pouches for repairs and items that were difficult to package. Our boxes outsold pouches by 10:1.
There was this one jeweler, though - Scott, who owned an upscale store in the Midwest, who bought just as many pouches as boxes. One day I asked "Scott, why do you buy so many pouches?"
"Because we talk to our customers," Scott said. "To every woman who buys a piece from us, we ask "Would you prefer this in a box or a pouch". 75% of our customers choose pouches - it's only the men who want the big deal, bulky boxes - and they wind up in the trash anyways."
Why do women love pouches? Well, for a number of reasons - but primarily because they do a great job of storing jewelry. The jewel stays securely in place, and the pouch takes up a minimum of room in a jewelry box, tray organizer or safe. Or purse. They're great for travel, and they can be repurposed in an infinite number of ways. Whereas a conventional jewel box has a short lifespan, a pouch - to quote Liam Gallagher - can live forever.
And this benefits jewelers in a number of ways. First, you'll be satisfying more customers by providing the package they prefer. You'll save a little money as luxury pouches generally cost less than boxes. But most importantly, your pouch - emblazoned with your name - will live on - creating free advertising impressions every time your customer opens her dresser drawer. When she wants to buy another piece, her pouch will lead her to your door. And for our online sellers, pouches are a heck of a lot easier to ship than square boxes.
Today, our pouches outsell boxes by 10:1. How things have changed!
So next time you make a sale, ask "Would you prefer this in a box or a pouch?"
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