In the Loupe

You know them as brilliant minds behind one of the most transformative pieces of technology in jewelry e-commerce, the GemLightbox, but do you know their story? Their team is full of talented individuals, brilliant minds, and a 30 under 30 member. Michael sat down with Kevin Saw, Director of Finance and Operations at Picup Media, about their impact on the industry, making a splash with the GemLightbox, and what their next product w...

Preparation is the key to success, and also the key to a successful in-store event. Megan Crabtree has helped a number of jewelers take their in-store events from the $300,000 range to the $1m+ realm. Targeted advertising with big payoffs, arming your sales representatives with data and incentives, and most importantly, learning from what goes well and what doesn't. It's all part of Megan's playbook that continues t...

If you're listening to this, chances are you already know that there's a lot more to running a jewelry store than just buying jewelry to sell to customers. The B2B2C model holds an incredible amount of nuance and space for exploration and trend-setting. In this episode, we interview Scott Stambaugh from Stambaugh Jewelers in Defiance, OH, about hiring a bench jeweler, upgrading your in-store branding, hiring employees, wher...

Earlier on In the Loupe, we made some predictions (you might call them "educated guesses") about what was going to happen in 2022. So, were we right? Or did we lead you astray with some perhaps aspirational-but-not-realistic foresight? We are super excited to dive back in to some of those predictions and see if a career in fortune telling is in our future, or if we should stick to digital marketing and call it a day.

Thank y...

Say, do you remember that Christmas ad Apple made a few years back that made everyone cry? Here's a secret: it doesn't matter which one you remember -- they come out with a new one every year, and they're mostly all tear-jerkers. These emotion-inducing ads are forms of impact-based advertisements. Impact-based ads do more than sell a product. They sell a company, its ideas, and its values, sometimes without ever mention...

Selling jewelry to men isn't the exact same process as selling jewelry to women. There's a different cadence to the sales transaction, with a focus on detailed specifics. Many jewelry stores are hesitant to jump in and start carrying men's jewelry in earnest, so we decided to speak with a jeweler who has cracked the code when it comes to selling jewelry to gents. Amanda from Nelson's Jewelry in Iowa talks about why ...

What's in a business name? It can mean everything to you, a banner that you and your employees rally around, and gives purpose and value to your business. For others, it can be as simple as appearing having a business name that appears in the front of the phone book so that more people call. And yet again, it could be as simple as the name of the owner(s). Mike interviewed a few business owners at the inaugural Punchmark Client...

Imagine trying to convince your grandma to buy a nice pair of diamond earrings online - chances are she'll be skeptical at best, and potentially horrified at the thought. But the data shows that even if Grandma might not be hopping on the bandwagon, many consumers are. Luxury e-commerce has grown significantly over the past few years, aided by pandemic shut-downs and consumers who see a well-designed website as equal to a showr...

At some point in the year, you will probably be tasked with creating a marketing campaign. Regardless of whether it's for Black Friday, Christmas, or Valentine's Day, your goal should be the same: drive traffic to your brick and mortar showroom, and your digital showroom (aka, your website). Instead of starting from scratch for the hundredth time, listen to this episode for tips on how to follow a tried and true recipe for ...

You can't fix what you can't measure, so you need to be measuring everything! The state of play for online marketing is constantly shifting and adapting to the will of the Google Algorithm, and it is a full time job staying on top of what is working and is not. Mike speaks with Stuart and Hope about where things stand, how they've changed in just last few months, and what they do for our digital marketing clients to get...

2021 was one of the best years ever to be a jeweler. After the relative loss of 2020, most stores had record years last year and are continuing to see that success grow. Is this you? If you're considering expanding to a second or third location in the near future, there are some things you'll want to know about how to keep your business unique and thriving throughout multiple locations. This episode we are speaking with How...

Jewelry organizations are an important part of the jewelry ecosystem, providing a valuable mediation between vendors and retailers, and hosting annual trade shows where retailer members can experience valuable face time with the vendors they wish to carry in their store. Michael spoke with three board members of one of the biggest jewelry organizations in the world, RJO. RJO is unique in that it's member owned, and with the com...

The essence of "luxury" defies reason and instead pulls at an emotional connection. Jewelry is the quintessential luxury item -- does anyone actually need those beautiful pieces? Logic tells us we can exist without them, yet jewelry is one of the oldest forms of adornment. So what does that tell us? It's even more important to foster an emotional connection between the jewelry and your prospective buyers. We have the 40...

Most jewelry stores have been around for ten, if not a hundred, years. Amy Baird is an outlier, having opened The Hills Jewelry, in Worthington, OH, in 2018 with her husband. With almost no prior jewelry experience, Amy has learned an immense amount about running a business and the world of jewelry. Michael spoke with Amy about the successes, pitfalls, key decisions, and strategy that has led to opening a successful jewelry busines...

Okay, so you've figured out how to get potential customers to your site -- but have you made the sale yet? Conversions take people through the marketing funnel, from awareness to consideration and finally to that crucial decision. Converting an aware audience to one interested in making a purchase isn't not just a matter of saying "SHOP NOW!" over and over on your website. This episode will go over strategies to imp...

After a two-year hiatus, people are desperate for in-person shopping, and in-store events are making a come back in a big way! However, it's not enough to just open a bag of chips and place your products out on the counter anymore. A successful in-store event requires planning, strategy, and -- above all -- a reason. Ensure your next event is a smash hit and learn what cutting-edge techniques your should include next time you d...

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is one of the most important long-term investments you can make in your website. SEO's main goal is to get your website to show up on the very first page of any search results. And while this seems like a relatively simple goal, the rules are challenging. Google, the search site of choice for three-quarters of the world, is constantly changing their criteria and rules for what gets you to the...