Christmas is less than 7 weeks away. Are you ready?

A Holiday Gift Guide is a Must!

When I managed a brick-and-mortar and then an e-commerce jewelry store, my secret weapon during the holiday season was ALWAYS creating a gift guide for my customers. And no matter when you start, it's not too late, so don't give up before you begin.

Creating the gift guide

Planning, researching, and data collection are needed to create a gift guide that will increase your profits and ROI.

Use your research to guide you in creating a curated collection of pieces you want to feature. Not sure how to obtain your data, and short on time? Use the most obvious and best source: your employees and customers.

Sales team:

• Ask your team what they would like to feature in the gift guide this year.
• Which pieces/collections are customers gravitating towards??
• Always make sure your sales team is asking your customers:????
• What are you looking for/ interested in for this holiday season??

Customers:

• Create a quick and easy poll you can post across social media platforms. You can create multiple polls and post your questions over multiple days. But keep in mind, you don't want your customers to feel put-upon. You want them to feel their opinions are VALUED.
• Ask these four key questions:

1. What jewelry are you looking for this holiday season?
2. What are your favorite collections/ pieces/ designers?
3. What jewelry trends are you drawn towards?
4. What are your favorite metals/ types of jewelry?

• Remember, multiple-choice polls are easy to respond to and give clear visuals to inspire your clients to reply

In addition to the qualitative information you receive, you must also analyze the quantitative data:

• What are your top sellers?
• What metals, stones, types of jewelry, collections/ designers, etc. sell best?
• What are your top selling price points?
• What do you have IN-STOCK? Save these for a late breaking “Still in Stock for Holiday Shipping” guide.

All data must be compiled, assessed, and analyzed to decide which items go into your holiday gift guide.?

Make sure to include the following in your holiday gift guide:?

• Multiple price points.?
• Jewelry you want to feature based on in-stock inventory, or pieces that are easy to manufacture with materials in stock.
• Items that will appeal to a broad range of ages.

Designing and layout for your gift guide:?

Use your branded logos, fonts, and colors.

• Less is more: don't clutter with too many pieces, and don't give more information than your customer needs to generate interest.
• Group pieces together on a page to form a cohesive theme in a visually pleasing manner.

promote, Promote!, PROMOTE!

Once you create your gift guide, it is time to promote, promote, promote!?

Posting across all social media platforms is a must. Make sure to answer all comments! You do not want to miss an opportunity to engage after all the work you've done.?

• Create an eyecatching flipbook of your gift guide using Issuu.com, flipsnack.com or similar and embed it in your website. It can be viewed online or downloaded.
• Use the link to the flip book URL in your social media, ads, and newsletters.
• Remember to add bitly or similar tracking tools so you see where your efforts yield results!
• Decide a cadence for your posts and stick with the schedule.
• If you have enough time, consider creating a printed version of the gift guide to send out to your VIP client list, or have it available at your retail location, for those who missed the digital version.
• Include QR codes in hard copies and hot links in pdfs that take your customers straight to the product page of each item to purchase on the go

Consider providing additional perks: free shipping, and/or a free gift (GWP).? And ALWAYS offer complimentary gift wrap - this is a surefire way to make your customer, and their purchase, seem extra special, regardless of the price point

A holiday gift guide is an essential part of your marketing strategy. Creating the guide will lead your customers down the path you want them to take. Presenting a curated selection of jewelry will make it easy for the consumer to absorb the information and, hopefully, an easier and more satisfying purchase for them

Be well,

Andrea Lucille Pooler, Business Management Lead?