In this age of aware and evolved customers, it is safe to assume that most of them will have a fairly good idea of what they want, and the amount they want to spend on it, when they enter a jewellery store to make their purchases. But even so, there will always be some customers who have only a vague notion of what to buy and what will suit their personality.

In such a scenario, retail jewellers have to gently guide them towards the right product, ensuring that customers get the best product and are fully satisfied with their purchase. But how do they do this? It is tricky, but not too difficult.

Explains Peeyush Prakash, Alankar Jewelarts, Meerut, “Sometimes, customers themselves do not know what will suit them. We help them by asking them tactful questions, such as the occasion for which they are shopping, the dress they will be wearing at the occasion, and so forth. Often, we make a good guess about their personality and their budget based on the clothes and jewellery they are wearing when they walk in.

“It is easier if the customer is our regular. We know our old customers quite well, and we are familiar with their tastes and capacity. So, we know what kind of questions to ask them. For instance, if a lady is dusky, and she wants antique jewellery, we will steer her away from plain sets, and guide her towards pieces studded with bright stones. But when we do not know the customer too well, we prefer not to say much.”

Retailers also take decisions regarding what kind of jewellery to show their customers based on the age group and the outfits of the buyers. “If a customer is indecisive, we have to nudge them in the right direction. Suppose it is a young girl who has to buy the jewellery, and she wants a necklace. We try to figure out what kind of a neck cut her dress will have. If her outfit will have a U-shaped neck, we advise her to buy a choker, rather than a long necklace. Even if that was not what she had in mind, we tell her to just try it,” says Raghav Rastogi, Jugal Kishore Jewellers, Lucknow.

He adds that the kind of jewellery they show to customers also depends on where they are coming from. “We discreetly observe the clothing of the customers. If we see any foreign branded clothing, or we see them having accessories with overseas brand names on them, we figure out they must be NRIs, and we show them jewellery that will suit the tastes of overseas Indians. Plus, we push customers towards diamonds, and very often, they find diamond jewellery not only looks great on them, but also fits their budget,” Rastogi elaborates.

However, retailers are clear that they only advise their clients and do not pressurize them. Says Ankur Anand, Harsahaimal Shiamlal Jewellers, Lucknow, “We have a clear policy of never pressurizing our customers to buy this or that. We guide them to the best of our capability towards what will suit them, giving them suggestions based on the occasion for which they are buying jewellery, and the dress they will be wearing.

“Our advice is also based on parameters such as the personality of the person who has to wear the jewellery. We try to convince the client that a certain colour, or a certain type of jewellery will look good on them. Besides, it should have buy-back value, and it should be something that the next generation would also like to wear.”

It’s all about asking the right kind of questions in the right way, says Pavan Perla, Kameshwari Jewellers, Hyderabad, “Nowadays, customers already have an idea of what they want. They check out jewellery online before coming to a store to make the purchase. We try to narrow down the range by asking them the right questions – which occasion, which age group, which outfit, and so forth. Depending on the type of jewellery in which they show the most interest, we take a decision, and show them more stuff in that type and range,” he adds.

Ultimately, retailers have to ensure that customers are not just satisfied, but happy, with their purchase. And they have to think on their feet to ensure customer delight.