How Do I Maximize My Jewelry Sales?

by Kim Riedel
(Hamburg, Germany)

Large businesses spend huge sums of monies identifying who is most likely to buy their product and how best to target them. Determining the demographic for your jewelry business can be a crucial step between having a successful business or not.

Without spending a lot of money, here are some of my personal tips for determining your demographic and targeting your audience.

The muse you have in mind while designing your jewelry and the client that actually buys your work can be polar opposites. Pay close attention to who buys your jewelry and who takes notice.

Gold and turquoise cuff by Kim Riedel

If you sell directly to your customers, without being invasive, conduct a discreet survey to determine your client's age bracket, profession and projected income. Talking to your clients and finding a little bit about them helps you form a pretty accurate picture of your typical client.

If you sell indirectly to your clients and through other vendors, keep in close contact with sales reps and others directly selling your work as they are invaluable for giving feedback about your client. Make regular inquiries about what clients are saying about your jewelry.

Initiate trunk shows or 'Meet the designer' afternoons in the business establishments that sell your work. Nothing compares to getting directly in contact with your client and interacting with them one-on-one. Make it a priority to participate in events that allow you to talk personally to your customers.


Sun Disk necklace by Kim Riedel

Through a combination of these methods, compile an informal database on your typical customer based on age, profession, life style, shopping habits and what she buys from you. From this, you can now map out your client.

Is she working 9-5, retired, or a stay-at-home mom? Does she have readily disposable income or on a budget? Is she a mature woman, a young professional, a lady who lunches or a teenager? Does she prefer rings or combination sets?

All of this allows you to identify your existing customer and is essential if you later want to broaden your market appeal.

Now, find creative ways of placing your jewelry where your typical client is most likely to be. The informal survey should help you predict her habits and assist in determining where she is most likely to encounter your ads, photos and jewelry.


Skye Queen necklace by Kim Riedel

Is she more likely to be at the local café, at the gallery gala, at the gym or in her corporate building or place of work? Be innovative about placing ads specifically where she is most likely to see them with clear information on where and how to purchase.

And, be smart about what to advertise to whom. If, for example, you find your targeted segment prefers rings, then focus on photos or samples of rings for that market segment and shift your product to suit other clients depending on what you find from your survey.

With some creativity and persistence, targeting your most likely audience will pay off. Using your own data and paying close attention to your customers can mean more effectively accessing your potential clients and increasing your sales.

Kim Riedel
Kim Riedel Design

Kim Riedel is a jewelry designer currently based in Hamburg, Germany whose work is sold in galleries, boutiques and private shows.