Bonus Episode: Tuesday Tip: Standing Out With Your Collection
When I was first starting out as a jewelry designer, I got rejected a lot.
It’s an inevitable part of starting a jewelry business. You get a lot of NO’s before you start hearing YES.
Still, it hurts. So I wanted to get to the bottom of it.
I learned over time to use rejection as an opportunity to find out why wholesale clients weren’t picking up my line.
It didn’t really click until I was introduced to Sherry, the buyer at the time for Metier in San Francisco. She took me under her wing and taught me a lesson I’ll never forget.
She said, “Tracy, I think that your jewelry would sell a lot better if you really understood how we sell in the store.”
As we walked through the display cases, her words forever changed the way I merchandise my collections.
Stand-Out Pieces and Gateway Pieces
Most of my designs were dainty and delicate, which was great because that’s what was selling, but they were all very similar.
Sherry brought me over to another collection in the store. “Look, most of these are simple designs that lots of people will want to buy. Those are the gateway pieces.”
“But they also have a few things that are really bold and catch the eye. Those are the stand-out pieces.”
That’s why my collection was lacking.
“if you were to design some things that were a little bolder,” Sherry continued, “that stood out, but also worked with your pieces, I bet we would sell more of your jewelry.”
And she was right.
Sell More with Multiple Price Points
We moved on to the next collection to discuss pricing.
“See how this designer offers pieces in a range of prices?” She pointed to the display case. “That’s so people can buy their favorite piece, and then a couple smaller pieces to go with it.”
That’s not to say you want to put a $10 ring and $1,000 ring in the same collection. It wouldn’t make sense.
But selling pieces at multiple price points means there’s something for everyone, and people are more likely to impulse buy the lower price point items that match everything else.
Design In Your Signature Style
Cohesive collections are the ones that sell.
What stood out to me most from my ay with Sherry was that all of the collections had a variety of pieces and prices, but they all fit into the designer’s signature point of view.
Every piece in your collection should make sense together. It doesn’t need to be all matchy-matchy, but it should be designed with a signature style that’s cohesive and identifiable.
So, if you’re having trouble getting repeat orders, it might be time to evaluate your collections to make sure they:
- Include gateway pieces people will love and a few stand-out pieces to catch the eye.
- Include pieces at a range of prices to encourage bigger orders.
- Expresses your signature style in a cohesive way.
Listen to the full episode above for more insight into how to stand out with your jewelry collection.
xo, Tracy
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