TECHNOLOGY Showcase popular Valentine items on your homepage, with a special emphasis on items that are exclusive to your store. You may even want to create a dedicated gallery that will show all your V-Day items on one page.

SALES FLOOR If you hand out roses to customers, buy them this week. Roses bought from a florist won’t start to wilt for at least five to seven days if they’re properly cared for (a night in water helps). Prices for roses, however, will most definitely spike — often by as much as double — as Valentine’s Day nears.

FINANCES If your fiscal year ends in December, you should have your financial statements finalized by Feb. 29. Make an appointment to see your CPA.

Feb. 11-17

DISPLAY Write a “designer profile” for each designer you carry. Put on “cue cards” left near the appropriate line of merchandise.

DATA SECURITY It’s the time of year to back up all customer and store data and other important files. (Most small business networks can be backed up to a single external hard drive.)

MARKETING In the wake of Valentine’s Day, things start to slow. Identify your top customers and make yearlong plans targeting them. Have your sales staff research what, when and how their best 15 (or more) customers buy. Use this information to target their needs and deliver better and more personalized service. Input this information in your customer management database.

Feb. 18-24

FINANCES If you haven’t updated your props and fixtures for five years or longer, they’re sure to be showing their age. Amortize and depreciate fixtures and props as you do other equipment. Set a budget and schedules to acquire new fixtures and props routinely. Elements should be discarded at the first sign of overuse. To a consumer, faded, frayed, or dirty elements speak volumes about a store and affect perception of its brand.

EDUCATION This is a good time to broaden your business and gemological skills. Check out what courses GIA and JA are offering. Can you send your jeweler somewhere to sharpen their skills?

Feb. 25-Mar. 2

STRATEGY Embark on a strategic review. Look at what your competitors are doing and learn from them, both the good and the bad. Visit their stores and websites, subscribe to their newsletters, and assign someone on staff to clip or screenshot every one of their ads (not just specialist jewelers), and create a scrapbook. With such knowledge, you’ll be able identify what areas to compete in and how to differentiate your store in your ads.

LEGAL Get your legal ducks in a row for 2024. If you don’t already have one, contact your attorney — or hire one — for a template “cease and desist” letter you can have ready to go if a disgruntled former employee or customer begins to unfairly bash you on social media.

The post The Best Way to Promote Valentine’s Day on Your Website, Plus More Manager To-Do Items for February appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

13 With every new year, the public show of affection that is at the raw pumping heart of Valentine’s Day seems to expand, from good causes (Red Wear events) to the less so (Valenswine’s Day for mistresses). Among the newer events is Galentine’s, a day dedicated to showering your besties with love, and small gifts. Get in on the heartwarming action this year with a gift gallery and fun suggestions.

22 The research is unambiguous: Multitasking not only doesn’t work, it impairs productivity. On Single Tasking Day, let your brain do what it’s been designed so beautifully to handle – focus on one thing at a time: One conversation, one task, one meal, one baseball game.

29 On Leap Year Day, so goes the traditional belief, women can propose marriage to men. Make sure all eligible single women in your market are aware of this semi-state secret. Offer discounts to those leaplings who have the fortune or misfortune to have been born on this calendar anomaly. Get out your frog-oriented promotions and encourage those customers with wavering boyfriends to take a leap of faith.

The post Galentine’s Day, Leap Year Day and More Big Dates for February appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

MANAGEMENT Have an open team meeting to talk about the positives of 2023. What did your staff like? What did they not like? What can you improve on?

STRATEGY Go through your calendar and block off several hour-long chunks of time each week through March 31. Use it to work on strategy, reading, mentoring members of your staff, or following up on long-term opportunities that often get pushed off in the hustle of a typical day.

SERVICES Stock up on appraisal forms — January and February are crazy for valuations of items purchased in December. While you’re at it, consider updating your appraisal forms.

Jan. 7-13

STAFF Pledge to be a better boss in 2024. Add your employees’ birthday dates to your calendar and those of their children as well. (Any gifts or similar gestures will win over hearts and minds.)

MARKETING Input the names you gathered over the holiday season. If you did an email blast to your name list in December, you’ll need to update any bounceback addresses.

MARKETING Give clients a sneak peek at what you have planned for the new year. Are you introducing new products? Have you grown your staff or expanded your services? Send out an email recapping the past year and let people know what’s in store.

Jan. 14-20

TRAINING Valentine’s Day is on the way. Schedule a series of training sessions for your staff on selling bridal and diamonds. In particular, focus on cut versus carat weight. The 2023 Big Survey revealed it’s still an area in which customers need education.

INVENTORY Get ruthless with those new pieces that went through the peak holiday season without selling. The chances of them selling now are very low, so cut your losses and get your money working for you somewhere else.

Jan. 21-27

INVENTORY Review unfulfilled wish lists to check the age of the items. If a year or older, call up the client and offer them a discount.

INVENTORY Return leftover holiday memo goods. Your vendors may need them for the year’s first trade shows.

Jan. 28-Feb. 3

TRAINING This week, write down one important skill that you can teach each member of your staff — and spend some time with each person putting the plan into action.

MARKETING Use referrals to boost your list by allowing customers to “tell a friend” about your email offers. Have mailing list/email list sign-up cards and forms in your store.

The post Give Customers a Sneak Peek of What Lies Ahead in 2024, and More To-Dos For January appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

7 Join the jewelry Twitterati (X-erati?) in chronicling 2024’s Golden Globes, then blog about the hit jewelry selections.

16 National Nothing Day was initiated to give us one day when we don’t have to celebrate anything. A better use for store owners might be to think how they can leverage more “nothing days” to drive traffic. A fun sale like “The Owner’s Away, So We’re Nearly Giving Jewelry Away!” can boost the bottom line nicely.

23 On National Handwriting Day (observed on the birthday of John Hancock), surprise your customers with a personal note written in a neat cursive hand that says you appreciated their business over the holidays.

The post The Golden Globes, Nothing Day, Handwriting Day and More Calendar Dates to Kickstart the New Year appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

4 On St. Barbara’s Day, legend says that if a young woman places a twig from a cherry tree in a glass of water and it blooms by Christmas Eve, she is certain to marry in the next year. So, get out those glasses of water and cherry twigs. Marketed properly, Babs’ Day should have wannabe brides back in your store in droves come Christmas Eve. If the twig doesn’t bloom, 15 percent off any self-purchase.

15 More than 60 percent of people now think it’s OK to “re-gift.” So, how about a special luxury wrapping service (“Wrapped only the way a jewelry store can do it”) on Re-gifting Day for those with that special gift they want to offload?

21 In winter, the days get short, but for anyone in jewelry retail, these are your longest days of the year. On the First Day of Winter, turn the lights up a notch, put your coat rack up and have a cup of warm coffee or cocoa ready for your customers.

The post The Magic of St. Barbara’s Day, Re-Gifting Day, and More Big Calendar Dates in December appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

SALES FLOOR When the going gets tough, everyone can do with a few well-chosen words to stoke the embers. Prepare fridge quotes, inspirational emails and some rocking tunes to get everyone in the mood every day for the next three weeks.

TECH Up your email rate. If you normally send one a month to your list, send as many as four in December to ensure they’re seen.

STAFF Give each employee time for a dinner once a week with his or her family. Send a thank-you note with a bottle of wine to their “significant others.”

PACKAGING Have a sample of one of your branded shopping bags visible so shoppers know they will get a nice bag with their purchase. Ditto for any holiday wrapping paper or boxes.

Dec. 10-16

ADVERTISING Keep staff updated on your advertising, so when someone asks for “that ring they saw on your Facebook page,” your salesperson knows what he’s talking about.

MARKETING If your holiday season needs a late boost, consider a micro-influencer (fewer than 100K followers) to help get the word out in your local market. They work fast (posting almost as soon as they get your product in their hands) and can target a niche audience.

DISPLAYS Tweak your window displays. Move things around and highlight different categories (especially key price point jewelry). To window shoppers, it sends the message that you have a wide range of merchandise that is moving quickly.

Dec. 17-23

MERCHANDISING The last-minute men are on their way. Brainstorm gift ideas with your staff (perhaps specific products or price points that have hit the sweet spot this season). Then create a “Holiday Favorites” display case to help procrastinators speed up their gift choices.

HEALTH The excitement of the holidays can make it difficult to fall asleep despite how tired you might be. Dr W. Christopher Winter of the Martha Jefferson Hospital Sleep Medicine Center suggests you spray lavender oil on your pillow. It will make you go to sleep faster, sleep more deeply and wake up fresher, he told Men’s Health.

OPERATIONS Dec. 23, the final Saturday before Christmas, may well be the biggest shopping day of the year. Go over your plans for staffing, stock and hours.

Dec. 24-30

DECORATIONS Did you see an adorable reindeer lawn ornament but didn’t want to splurge? Or did a towering inflatable Santa strike your fancy? The weeks after the holiday are an ideal time to shop for next year’s decorations.

The post Here’s Your Manager’s To-Do List for This Holiday Season appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

11 The 180th Anniversary of the Publishing of Hans Christian Andersen’s Ugly Duckling is the perfect peg for a makeover contest. J + L Jewelry in Long Beach, CA, did one a few years ago with great success. “Boy, did we ever see some really horrible looking rings. It was hard to judge,” recalls owner Janis Krantz, adding the owner of the “ugliest duckling” got a $500 store gift certificate to redesign her ring.

25 Ever had the feeling that someone forgot to invite your store to the Black Friday ball? OK, Cinderella, this is your day: Small Business Saturday, which is held to remind consumers that there is more to holiday shopping than national chains. Get involved! (There’s a bunch of free tools at smallbusinesssaturday. com to help.)

25 On Shopping Reminder Day, launch a holiday countdown, employing a ticker on the home page of your website. Highlight a “gift of the day.”

The post Ugly Duckling Day and Other November Dates to Ensure a Fairy-Tale Ending to 2023 appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

CUSTOMER SERVICE Holiday-party season is here. Consider offering “loaner jewelry” to your best customers. You’ll need to work out the insurance aspects beforehand.

MARKETING Look for a wedding show to attend. Prep pouches of candy to attach to your business card.

ONLINE Mobile devices are expected to drive about 70 percent of all Christmas-related retail traffic this year. Test your website and any apps to ensure the customer experience on tablets and phones is working as well as on desktops. It often doesn’t.

Nov. 12-18

STRATEGY Before it gets crazy, go back over your end-of-season plans, and not just to maximize sales but also to ensure your margins and cash flow are protected.

MARKETING Pick up a light cube. They can do wonders when it comes to email or text requests for photographs of jewelry. It’s even more important these days, given the customer may share any photos with friends.

ADVERTISING Advertise your expensive pieces everywhere, especially on outdoor billboards. “People remember those magnificent pieces. And they associate the high-end items with your store, which is good for branding,” says Sissy Jones, owner of Sissy’s Log Cabin in Pine Bluff, AR.

Nov. 19-25

OPERATIONS Thanksgiving is on Nov. 23. Hold a decorating party one night after work or on a Monday (if your store is closed that day). Play music, order pizzas and have fun!

PERSONAL Go splurge on a new work outfit. Looking fabulous and sharp sets a mood for the holidays that both customers and staff feed off.

MERCHANDISING Pre-choose 12 jewelry items as your designated holiday gift suggestions and place them in your showcases with gift-wrapped boxes, says display expert Larry Johnson. “Be sure the suggested items cover all merchandise categories and range in price from high to low. You’ll sell more of these items, so price them at full margin.”

Nov. 26-Dec. 2

CLEANING Set up a steam cleaner in your diamond ring area, so staff can quickly steam the stones when they take them out for a presentation. It’s also a cool show for your customers.

OPERATIONS Record a new message for your telephone to reflect the holiday season. Don’t forget to mention your gift cards. If it is possible to buy them off your website, tell customers that “even though our doors are closed, you still have an option to buy a gift.”

BACK ROOM Stock the store fridge with healthy, quick-to-eat items for when you only have time to grab a hurried bite. Make sure the coffee pot is working and you are stocked with coffee, creamer, etc.

The post Pick Up a Light Cube, Record a New Phone Message and More To-Dos Ahead of the Holidays appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

MARKETING Start planning your holiday email blasts now. Offer gift ideas and feature exclusive deals to make your clients feel special. Top five days and times to send emails: end of October, Thanksgiving evening, Black Friday mid-morning, Cyber Monday afternoon, one week before Christmas.

MARKETING If you normally wait until around Thanksgiving before holding holiday season events at your store, you may want to try going a little earlier this year. Not only do you avoid clashes with your customers’ work parties and family gatherings, but you get an early indicator of what will be popular for the holidays and still have a chance to place reorders.

Oct. 8-14

SEo It takes 30-45 days for website changes to register with major search engines, so if your store’s lagging on page 3 or 4 of Google, you’ve got work to do. Now is also the time to start adjusting site content for the holiday season. Put “Christmas” into your titles and keywords, and start putting that into people’s heads.

INVENTORY Get your bench busy making up last-minute stocking stuffers. Be it nature rock key chains or eyeglass chains with beads, people are always looking for something a little different.

Oct. 15-21

STAFF Finalize work schedules for the next 12 weeks (include the first half of January). Check your staff’s obligations and work around any clashes. Identify the peak hours and ensure your best salespeople will be on the floor.

STAFF Temporary staff members should be trained and in place by the beginning of November.

SECURITY Check that all your security equipment is working properly and that security cameras are pointed in a useful direction (a common police complaint is that retailers’ cameras too often get only the top of a suspect’s head).

Oct. 22-28

SALES FLOOR Walk through your store as if it were the first time. What do you notice first? Are you being pulled in certain directions? How is the try-on experience in terms of lighting and mirrors? Fix anything that could hurt the in-store experience.

SALES It is not too early for holiday selling. Have your associates start calling customers with wish lists.

MERCHANDISING Spread out best sellers across the store to encourage browsing and impulse buying.

Oct. 29-Nov. 4

OPERATIONS Analyze your checkout procedure. Work on making checkout speeds as quick as possible.

MOTIVATION The next two months promise to be the toughest of the year. Get in the right mental state with a weekend binge on the Hallmark Channel. Their movies can help you remember the simple things, love above all. After all, that’s what the holiday season is about.

The post Get Your Holiday E-Blasts Ready to Go, and More To-Dos For October appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

6 Put on your crazy marketing hat, and ask your social media followers: “Have I gone mad?” It’s National Mad Hatter Day. Great for announcing a sale.

28 Behind every successful man stands a devoted wife … and a surprised mother-in-law. Urge the men on your email list to double that surprise on Mothers-In Law’s Day with a small token of appreciation for all their babysitting and “understanding.”

31 Break out the (marketing) tricks. Break out the treats. Halloween is here! Encourage your staff to dress up and post the photos. Halloween is a good low-key date to kick off your holiday season campaign.

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