“Ho Ho Ho and Happy Chanukah! In the past we have sent holiday cards, gift cards for $50 and $100. We have personally delivered gifts to homes that were gift baskets filled with edibles and bottles of fine champagne. What I learned about gift cards is that if you do not tie the gift amount to be used on an item of greater value it can be a source of a headache. Without a tie in to a greater purchase you can spend hours looking for items with a client for the gift total amount. You would not think this would happen but it does. We have set up an area to serve ciders and assorted pastries and cookies. If you have the room this is a nice touch. A late afternoon to early evening jewelry event with hors d’oeuvres and wine is a nice touch, if you have the room and a vendor where you can offer a special saving event with it. The one thing I have figured out after trying many things is that whatever you do expect nothing and you will not be disappointed if your efforts do not result in sales. Customers like to be appreciated, but they also do not want to feel that they are being forced to buy either. You have to remember that customers do not buy all the time. The message you want to get across is that your customers are valued and appreciated and that you and your store come to mind when the subject of jewelry comes up. The referrals they send to you are as important as the purchases they make. One of my favorite things I believe in is that a watch can only work as well as the parts that are in it. Let your customers know that they are valued and appreciated, and they will value and appreciate you!”
Arthur Gordon, Owner
JewelSmiths
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
“At Sam’s Fine jewelry, we have a 3-tiered plan in place that we use every year to reach out to our customers and wish them a happy holiday. For our top 250 customers, we always send them a thank you card, and enclose a gift card as a token of our appreciation for their business throughout the year. Our top 25 customers get preferred treatment, and I personally give them a call or send them a text message wishing them a happy holiday. I also let them know that we have a free gift waiting for them at the store, and ask them to stop by at their convenience to pick it up. Because December can be so stressful for everyone, we always make time to host a holiday party for our customers that gives them (and our staff!) something fun to look forward to. We incorporate a lot of different elements into the party, including raffles, free gift bags, and of course an Ugly Sweater contest. Our customers love this event, and especially enjoy taking part in the Ugly Sweater contest, since the winner gets a $250 gift card from our store.”
Seema Patel, Manager & Marketing Director
Sam’s Fine Jewelry
Garland, Texas
“Here in rural, small town Louisiana, Christmas brings extra opportunities to bring smiles to my customers faces! Country Time is just a small shop, so I don’t have big events. But my loyal customers know, and have come to expect the fresh, homemade goodies that float around the shop the whole month of December. They love the sweet treats we provide, such as pecan pralines, pies, cookies, and more. I always make sure to provide my extra special customers with batches of goodies to bring home to share with their families, as well. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just delicious, made from the heart treats that we set out on a pretty tray. Once we add in a sparkling tree ornament or two for a holiday touch, we sit back and watch the smiles appear! What can be better than picking up that special Christmas gift, and being given homemade goodies to bring home too? Merry Christmas (& Christmas season) to you and yours, from all of us here in DeRidder, Louisiana!”
Connie Midkiff, Owner
Country Time Jewelry Repair
DeRidder, Louisiana
“Customer appreciation is no small catch phrase. It’s the heart of our business and it’s something we try to address 365 days of the year. Design One Jewelers has been around for 40 years in the same location in a busy retail strip plaza that has gone through many incarnations. In the past, we’ve done cards and small gifts as customer appreciation. We’ve hung stockings and trimmed trees. We’ve shared hors d’oeuvres and clinked glasses. We’ve worn ugly sweaters and we’ve spent a crazy amount of hours in our shop. This year, I want to approach things a little differently. I want to appreciate my customers using something called TIME. It’s no small feat. In order to achieve it, we have to be able to spend it with each customer or custom design that comes in. We have to be able to listen to the stories of family heirlooms and holidays past. We have to become part friend, part creator, part mentor and part psychiatrist at times. We aren’t a traditional jewelry store in many ways. Our tiny 650 square foot shop houses 50% workshop space and 50% store front. We can’t do large promos or offer deep discounts so we approach the holidays by making everyone who walks through our door feel like family. It sounds cliche unless it’s done earnestly. Appreciation comes in many forms. Material appreciation is great if you can afford that route, but as a Mom & Pop shop we often use December to make up some ground from other less lucrative months. We simply cannot afford to keep up with bigger, slicker shops, but after so many years in business we found that we don’t have to. Our number one goal in December is to keep as many people happy as humanly possible and to remember that the holidays are so much more than the gift we are creating for someone. It’s a very un-retail approach but we are a very unique shop. Time is the greatest gift we all have and most of us in retail rush through the holiday season. This year, we’re going to focus less on ‘rush’ and more on ‘calm.’ We usually have coffee brewing in the background, cookies and candy on the counters and even a glass of wine or sip of liquor when appropriate. We are not like most other jewelry stores because we are so low-key and family owned and operated. When I say family, I mean me and my husband and our dogs. We have friends who help out here and there and we have an on-site GIA graduate appraiser who is my daughter from another mother. For a small operation, we try to extend our reach where we can. We donate to several holiday groups, collect gifts for both children and animals, and we do our best to be good people and to set an example of what good customer service should be, during the holidays and always. Most people come through our door because they’ve heard something about us through social media or our television commercials. It’s our job, once they make it through the door to show them that we are what they see and read about. This is true all year around, but at Christmas we really strive to put our best foot forward. No, we aren’t able to give away big gifts and great sales so we try to make the small things count. We ask our customers to come in and sit down for a sec. Take a moment to pet the dogs and maybe enjoy a sip of something. Talk about what you want to do for that someone special, no matter how crazy it sounds. Talk about what the holidays mean to you. We really do take the time to listen. Especially during the holiday season. No need to rush. Kick your boots off and stay a while. They appreciate it more than anything else.”
Roz Potenza, Co-Owner
Design One Jewelers
Clearwater, Florida
“In early December I send my best customers gifts with the value depending on the amount they purchased from me throughout the year. I send Waterford ring holders, travel jewelry cases and cleaning pens. None are imprinted so they do not look like advertising or promotion and each one comes with a thank you note from us, letting them know how much we appreciate their business. For customers shopping in November and December, I buy gift cards to a local favorite restaurant for a special night out. Usually I get them at a discount with a higher face value, because I have an arrangement with the restaurant. I also make sure my customers have my cell phone number so they can set appointments during non business hours. Our business focuses a lot throughout the year on local charities, so during the holiday season we make sure to provide unique, custom designed jewelry to our local charities, which they use to help raise money for their causes. This is a great top of mind promotion that serves our community, and always guarantees tremendous success for us with business well into the next year.”
Elliott Herzlich, Owner
Elliott’s Jewelers
Clarksville, Tennessee
