Being a journalist specialising in jewellery and diamonds, it is my job and also my hobby to pop in any jewellery shop that comes my way. There are some stores that make me pleasantly surprised at the deep understanding of new rules of retail and there are some that make me cringe. Based on my hundreds of jewellery store visits, I have come up with the most important three Es of retail that as a woman, I think every retailer should consider. Experience, Emotion and Expectations— these three if blend together are guaranteed to bring the game back in the retailers’ hands. A report by Priyanka Desai. %% Imagine walking in a vegetable stall and being greeted by a curt hello and a snooty salesman, would you buy the tomatoes from there? No? Why not? “I had a bad experience at that stall,” say most. If one can pay so much attention for a basket of tomatoes, how much do you think does your client value the ‘experience’ while buying something as sentimental and valuable as jewellery? But, are warm hellos and gracious sales staff the only parameter of a successful experience? No. But, it is a huge part. A study indicates that customer service is second only to value for money in prominence when establishing a brand. In order to provide great personalised customer experiences, organisations must understand their customers: why they buy, what they buy, and why, when, and how they make contact. Customers that have a good customer experience are prepared to spend more with an organisation—and the rewards can be significant. One definition of customer experience management also states its goal— %% “The discipline of handling and treating customer relationships as assets with the objective of converting gratified customers into dedicated customers, and dedicated customers into advocates of your brand.” %%

Steps to start with customer experience management are:$$ ~ Train staff to be polite and warm even to window shoppers$$ ~ Understand their desire $$ ~ Give them an honest opinion instead of flattery to sell the product$$ ~ Advice them on the technical aspect of jewellery that they may be unaware of$$ ~ A glass of juice or a cup of coffee is sure to add to the brownie points$$ ~ Have a dedicated deliberation zone for the customers. Comfortable chairs, art books and fashion magazines, soft foot rugs, soothing scents and lights all add to the ‘it’ experience$$ ~ Make them want that product instead of you wanting them to buy it ~ Remembering their names and colour and style preferences will win you loyal customers AND friends for life$$ ~ A small gift or flowers on birthdays for select customers are sure to bring you a horde of new ones$$ ~ Remember that your actual responsibility starts after the product is sold. So after-sales services play the most pivotal role $$ ~ Be quick to their queries and wishes$$ ~ Personalisation is the key. Make them feel a part of your family rather than just the bill book$$ ~ The three Cs of good customer experience are: Consistency, Consistency and Consistency$$ {{Emotion}} $$ Do you remember the engagement ring you chose for your husband/wife? Do you remember the tiny earrings you bought when your daughter first got her ears pierced? Do you remember the first necklace you bought for your daughter for her wedding? Do you remember the first watch your father gave you? What do all these things stir in your mind? A mushy feeling of love and happiness and sweet old memories? Yes? These are all your emotions. Being a jewellery retailer and being surrounded by jewellery all day, one still feels a tug of sentiment remembering these moments. Imagine a layman or woman who enters a jewellery store only on special occasions and buys that piece, which strikes a chord. Imagine the adrenaline rush they must be feeling while buying jewellery. And, that emotion and understanding of it is what is going to guarantee a sustained return on investment (ROI). %% The Complete Guide to Understanding Consumer Psychology, a book that I recently read says, “Consumers think with both their rational and emotional brains. Study after study says that when we buy, it’s for emotional reasons. Logic comes into play when we try to justify the money we have (or are about to) spend — especially when we’re giving into our wants.”%%

Here is what one Psychology Today article says about our shopping habits: $$ ~ fMRI neuro-imagey shows that when evaluating brands, consumers primarily use emotions (personal feelings and experiences) rather than information (brand attributes, features, objective facts). $$ ~ Advertising research reveals that emotional responses to an advertisement has greater influence on a consumer’s intent to buy an advertisement (more so than the advertisement content) $$ ~ According to the Advertising Research Foundation, ‘likeability’ is the measure that best predicts whether an advertisement will increase a brand’s sales. ~ Positive emotions toward a brand have far greater influence on consumer loyalty than trust and other judgments. $$ ~ Emotions are one reason why we gravitate toward brand name products over generics — big brands pump a steady stream of advertising dollars into branding initiatives. %% Steps to strike an emotional chord:$$ ~ Look at the customer as a person not just a buyer$$ ~ Understand their desires, their profession, the special occasion and feelings$$ ~ Emotions are vulnerable so be sympathetic and compassionate instead of pushing a sale$$ ~ Build your own brand identity that has humility and sentimental value$$ ~ Own up to your own mistakes and apologise for them$$ ~ Sometimes people just want to be heard. Give them a chance to talk and some time of yours$$ ~ Understand personalities such extrovert, introvert, shy, anxious, etc. and change marketing pitches in accordance$$ ~ Everyone loves praise but no one likes flattery. Learn the art of appreciation and praise$$ ~ Remember the past conversations and follow them up the next time they visit. For e.g.: “How is your son? The last we spoke he had fractured his hand. I hope he is better now.”%%

{{Expectation }} $$ Today’s consumer is well versed, technically savvy and tremendously experienced when it comes to shopping in conventional and virtual channels. Constantly connected, the consumer is urbane and has tall expectations around service, value, offers and choice. The power has definitely shifted into their hands and it’s now up to the retailers to meet their diverse needs and to start engaging the ‘new rules’ of retail. In 1888, Richard Sears and the R.W. Sears Watch Co. issued the first catalog and it featured watches and jewellery. Not only did this catalog upsurge the customers’ knowledge, it also took a big-ticket commodity and made it readily available to new customers. The first multi-channel customer experience was founded.%% The following evolution of the multi-channel customer experience happened with the design of websites. Retailers once again, discovered that the customers' expectations had altered. The customer now needed the retailer to have a website where they could shop and purchase merchandise effortlessly. Retailers unearthed that they had a massive chance to expand brand awareness while meeting customers' expectations.%% But, as Internet shopping grew so did customer expectations.The consumers began to anticipate a more unified experience irrespective of the type of channel or the number of channels accessed. It was no longer good enough for a retailer to present its offer in a horde of ways. The firsthand expectation was that the experience be seamless, whether interacting with the retailer over the web, its call center, in stores, etc. Cross-channel retailing was the new necessity.%% But, the latest expectation that has come to light is that customers need an expert advice to help them make a purchase. They want the sales staff to have the right product knowledge and the ability to impart that knowledge to them. %% {{A TRUE INCIDENT}} Suhani Pittie, the famed jewellery designer once visited a large jewellery store, which has many branches all across India. She asked the sales staff girl to explain what does VVS stand for, on a diamond jewellery tag and to her surprise and amusement the girl said, “Very Very Shiny.”%% This is an apt example of NOT meeting the customers’ jewellery needs and losing not just the customers but also the faith in the brand in itself. $$ According to a survey published in Forbes magazine: $$ ~ 50% of customers are looking for expert advice on what to buy when they enter a store$$ ~ 73% of customers say product knowledge is what they need most from a sales associate$$ ~ Sales people who engage with targeted product education sell up to 123% more than those with no training$$

Being a journalist specialising in jewellery and diamonds, it is my job and also my hobby to pop in any jewellery shop that comes my way. There are some stores that make me pleasantly surprised at the deep understanding of new rules of retail and there are some that make me cringe. Based on my hundreds of jewellery store visits, I have come up with the most important three Es of retail that as a woman, I think every retailer should consider. Experience, Emotion and Expectations— these three if blend together are guaranteed to bring the game back in the retailers’ hands. A report by Priyanka Desai. %% Imagine walking in a vegetable stall and being greeted by a curt hello and a snooty salesman, would you buy the tomatoes from there? No? Why not? “I had a bad experience at that stall,” say most. If one can pay so much attention for a basket of tomatoes, how much do you think does your client value the ‘experience’ while buying something as sentimental and valuable as jewellery? But, are warm hellos and gracious sales staff the only parameter of a successful experience? No. But, it is a huge part. A study indicates that customer service is second only to value for money in prominence when establishing a brand. In order to provide great personalised customer experiences, organisations must understand their customers: why they buy, what they buy, and why, when, and how they make contact. Customers that have a good customer experience are prepared to spend more with an organisation—and the rewards can be significant. One definition of customer experience management also states its goal— %% “The discipline of handling and treating customer relationships as assets with the objective of converting gratified customers into dedicated customers, and dedicated customers into advocates of your brand.” %%

Steps to start with customer experience management are:$$ ~ Train staff to be polite and warm even to window shoppers$$ ~ Understand their desire $$ ~ Give them an honest opinion instead of flattery to sell the product$$ ~ Advice them on the technical aspect of jewellery that they may be unaware of$$ ~ A glass of juice or a cup of coffee is sure to add to the brownie points$$ ~ Have a dedicated deliberation zone for the customers. Comfortable chairs, art books and fashion magazines, soft foot rugs, soothing scents and lights all add to the ‘it’ experience$$ ~ Make them want that product instead of you wanting them to buy it ~ Remembering their names and colour and style preferences will win you loyal customers AND friends for life$$ ~ A small gift or flowers on birthdays for select customers are sure to bring you a horde of new ones$$ ~ Remember that your actual responsibility starts after the product is sold. So after-sales services play the most pivotal role $$ ~ Be quick to their queries and wishes$$ ~ Personalisation is the key. Make them feel a part of your family rather than just the bill book$$ ~ The three Cs of good customer experience are: Consistency, Consistency and Consistency$$ {{Emotion}} $$ Do you remember the engagement ring you chose for your husband/wife? Do you remember the tiny earrings you bought when your daughter first got her ears pierced? Do you remember the first necklace you bought for your daughter for her wedding? Do you remember the first watch your father gave you? What do all these things stir in your mind? A mushy feeling of love and happiness and sweet old memories? Yes? These are all your emotions. Being a jewellery retailer and being surrounded by jewellery all day, one still feels a tug of sentiment remembering these moments. Imagine a layman or woman who enters a jewellery store only on special occasions and buys that piece, which strikes a chord. Imagine the adrenaline rush they must be feeling while buying jewellery. And, that emotion and understanding of it is what is going to guarantee a sustained return on investment (ROI). %% The Complete Guide to Understanding Consumer Psychology, a book that I recently read says, “Consumers think with both their rational and emotional brains. Study after study says that when we buy, it’s for emotional reasons. Logic comes into play when we try to justify the money we have (or are about to) spend — especially when we’re giving into our wants.”%%

Here is what one Psychology Today article says about our shopping habits: $$ ~ fMRI neuro-imagey shows that when evaluating brands, consumers primarily use emotions (personal feelings and experiences) rather than information (brand attributes, features, objective facts). $$ ~ Advertising research reveals that emotional responses to an advertisement has greater influence on a consumer’s intent to buy an advertisement (more so than the advertisement content) $$ ~ According to the Advertising Research Foundation, ‘likeability’ is the measure that best predicts whether an advertisement will increase a brand’s sales. ~ Positive emotions toward a brand have far greater influence on consumer loyalty than trust and other judgments. $$ ~ Emotions are one reason why we gravitate toward brand name products over generics — big brands pump a steady stream of advertising dollars into branding initiatives. %% Steps to strike an emotional chord:$$ ~ Look at the customer as a person not just a buyer$$ ~ Understand their desires, their profession, the special occasion and feelings$$ ~ Emotions are vulnerable so be sympathetic and compassionate instead of pushing a sale$$ ~ Build your own brand identity that has humility and sentimental value$$ ~ Own up to your own mistakes and apologise for them$$ ~ Sometimes people just want to be heard. Give them a chance to talk and some time of yours$$ ~ Understand personalities such extrovert, introvert, shy, anxious, etc. and change marketing pitches in accordance$$ ~ Everyone loves praise but no one likes flattery. Learn the art of appreciation and praise$$ ~ Remember the past conversations and follow them up the next time they visit. For e.g.: “How is your son? The last we spoke he had fractured his hand. I hope he is better now.”%%

{{Expectation }} $$ Today’s consumer is well versed, technically savvy and tremendously experienced when it comes to shopping in conventional and virtual channels. Constantly connected, the consumer is urbane and has tall expectations around service, value, offers and choice. The power has definitely shifted into their hands and it’s now up to the retailers to meet their diverse needs and to start engaging the ‘new rules’ of retail. In 1888, Richard Sears and the R.W. Sears Watch Co. issued the first catalog and it featured watches and jewellery. Not only did this catalog upsurge the customers’ knowledge, it also took a big-ticket commodity and made it readily available to new customers. The first multi-channel customer experience was founded.%% The following evolution of the multi-channel customer experience happened with the design of websites. Retailers once again, discovered that the customers' expectations had altered. The customer now needed the retailer to have a website where they could shop and purchase merchandise effortlessly. Retailers unearthed that they had a massive chance to expand brand awareness while meeting customers' expectations.%% But, as Internet shopping grew so did customer expectations.The consumers began to anticipate a more unified experience irrespective of the type of channel or the number of channels accessed. It was no longer good enough for a retailer to present its offer in a horde of ways. The firsthand expectation was that the experience be seamless, whether interacting with the retailer over the web, its call center, in stores, etc. Cross-channel retailing was the new necessity.%% But, the latest expectation that has come to light is that customers need an expert advice to help them make a purchase. They want the sales staff to have the right product knowledge and the ability to impart that knowledge to them. %% {{A TRUE INCIDENT}} Suhani Pittie, the famed jewellery designer once visited a large jewellery store, which has many branches all across India. She asked the sales staff girl to explain what does VVS stand for, on a diamond jewellery tag and to her surprise and amusement the girl said, “Very Very Shiny.”%% This is an apt example of NOT meeting the customers’ jewellery needs and losing not just the customers but also the faith in the brand in itself. $$ According to a survey published in Forbes magazine: $$ ~ 50% of customers are looking for expert advice on what to buy when they enter a store$$ ~ 73% of customers say product knowledge is what they need most from a sales associate$$ ~ Sales people who engage with targeted product education sell up to 123% more than those with no training$$

Being a journalist specialising in jewellery and diamonds, it is my job and also my hobby to pop in any jewellery shop that comes my way. There are some stores that make me pleasantly surprised at the deep understanding of new rules of retail and there are some that make me cringe. Based on my hundreds of jewellery store visits, I have come up with the most important three Es of retail that as a woman, I think every retailer should consider. Experience, Emotion and Expectations— these three if blend together are guaranteed to bring the game back in the retailers’ hands. A report by Priyanka Desai. %% Imagine walking in a vegetable stall and being greeted by a curt hello and a snooty salesman, would you buy the tomatoes from there? No? Why not? “I had a bad experience at that stall,” say most. If one can pay so much attention for a basket of tomatoes, how much do you think does your client value the ‘experience’ while buying something as sentimental and valuable as jewellery? But, are warm hellos and gracious sales staff the only parameter of a successful experience? No. But, it is a huge part. A study indicates that customer service is second only to value for money in prominence when establishing a brand. In order to provide great personalised customer experiences, organisations must understand their customers: why they buy, what they buy, and why, when, and how they make contact. Customers that have a good customer experience are prepared to spend more with an organisation—and the rewards can be significant. One definition of customer experience management also states its goal— %% “The discipline of handling and treating customer relationships as assets with the objective of converting gratified customers into dedicated customers, and dedicated customers into advocates of your brand.” %%

Steps to start with customer experience management are:$$ ~ Train staff to be polite and warm even to window shoppers$$ ~ Understand their desire $$ ~ Give them an honest opinion instead of flattery to sell the product$$ ~ Advice them on the technical aspect of jewellery that they may be unaware of$$ ~ A glass of juice or a cup of coffee is sure to add to the brownie points$$ ~ Have a dedicated deliberation zone for the customers. Comfortable chairs, art books and fashion magazines, soft foot rugs, soothing scents and lights all add to the ‘it’ experience$$ ~ Make them want that product instead of you wanting them to buy it ~ Remembering their names and colour and style preferences will win you loyal customers AND friends for life$$ ~ A small gift or flowers on birthdays for select customers are sure to bring you a horde of new ones$$ ~ Remember that your actual responsibility starts after the product is sold. So after-sales services play the most pivotal role $$ ~ Be quick to their queries and wishes$$ ~ Personalisation is the key. Make them feel a part of your family rather than just the bill book$$ ~ The three Cs of good customer experience are: Consistency, Consistency and Consistency$$ {{Emotion}} $$ Do you remember the engagement ring you chose for your husband/wife? Do you remember the tiny earrings you bought when your daughter first got her ears pierced? Do you remember the first necklace you bought for your daughter for her wedding? Do you remember the first watch your father gave you? What do all these things stir in your mind? A mushy feeling of love and happiness and sweet old memories? Yes? These are all your emotions. Being a jewellery retailer and being surrounded by jewellery all day, one still feels a tug of sentiment remembering these moments. Imagine a layman or woman who enters a jewellery store only on special occasions and buys that piece, which strikes a chord. Imagine the adrenaline rush they must be feeling while buying jewellery. And, that emotion and understanding of it is what is going to guarantee a sustained return on investment (ROI). %% The Complete Guide to Understanding Consumer Psychology, a book that I recently read says, “Consumers think with both their rational and emotional brains. Study after study says that when we buy, it’s for emotional reasons. Logic comes into play when we try to justify the money we have (or are about to) spend — especially when we’re giving into our wants.”%%

Here is what one Psychology Today article says about our shopping habits: $$ ~ fMRI neuro-imagey shows that when evaluating brands, consumers primarily use emotions (personal feelings and experiences) rather than information (brand attributes, features, objective facts). $$ ~ Advertising research reveals that emotional responses to an advertisement has greater influence on a consumer’s intent to buy an advertisement (more so than the advertisement content) $$ ~ According to the Advertising Research Foundation, ‘likeability’ is the measure that best predicts whether an advertisement will increase a brand’s sales. ~ Positive emotions toward a brand have far greater influence on consumer loyalty than trust and other judgments. $$ ~ Emotions are one reason why we gravitate toward brand name products over generics — big brands pump a steady stream of advertising dollars into branding initiatives. %% Steps to strike an emotional chord:$$ ~ Look at the customer as a person not just a buyer$$ ~ Understand their desires, their profession, the special occasion and feelings$$ ~ Emotions are vulnerable so be sympathetic and compassionate instead of pushing a sale$$ ~ Build your own brand identity that has humility and sentimental value$$ ~ Own up to your own mistakes and apologise for them$$ ~ Sometimes people just want to be heard. Give them a chance to talk and some time of yours$$ ~ Understand personalities such extrovert, introvert, shy, anxious, etc. and change marketing pitches in accordance$$ ~ Everyone loves praise but no one likes flattery. Learn the art of appreciation and praise$$ ~ Remember the past conversations and follow them up the next time they visit. For e.g.: “How is your son? The last we spoke he had fractured his hand. I hope he is better now.”%%

{{Expectation }} $$ Today’s consumer is well versed, technically savvy and tremendously experienced when it comes to shopping in conventional and virtual channels. Constantly connected, the consumer is urbane and has tall expectations around service, value, offers and choice. The power has definitely shifted into their hands and it’s now up to the retailers to meet their diverse needs and to start engaging the ‘new rules’ of retail. In 1888, Richard Sears and the R.W. Sears Watch Co. issued the first catalog and it featured watches and jewellery. Not only did this catalog upsurge the customers’ knowledge, it also took a big-ticket commodity and made it readily available to new customers. The first multi-channel customer experience was founded.%% The following evolution of the multi-channel customer experience happened with the design of websites. Retailers once again, discovered that the customers' expectations had altered. The customer now needed the retailer to have a website where they could shop and purchase merchandise effortlessly. Retailers unearthed that they had a massive chance to expand brand awareness while meeting customers' expectations.%% But, as Internet shopping grew so did customer expectations.The consumers began to anticipate a more unified experience irrespective of the type of channel or the number of channels accessed. It was no longer good enough for a retailer to present its offer in a horde of ways. The firsthand expectation was that the experience be seamless, whether interacting with the retailer over the web, its call center, in stores, etc. Cross-channel retailing was the new necessity.%% But, the latest expectation that has come to light is that customers need an expert advice to help them make a purchase. They want the sales staff to have the right product knowledge and the ability to impart that knowledge to them. %% {{A TRUE INCIDENT}} Suhani Pittie, the famed jewellery designer once visited a large jewellery store, which has many branches all across India. She asked the sales staff girl to explain what does VVS stand for, on a diamond jewellery tag and to her surprise and amusement the girl said, “Very Very Shiny.”%% This is an apt example of NOT meeting the customers’ jewellery needs and losing not just the customers but also the faith in the brand in itself. $$ According to a survey published in Forbes magazine: $$ ~ 50% of customers are looking for expert advice on what to buy when they enter a store$$ ~ 73% of customers say product knowledge is what they need most from a sales associate$$ ~ Sales people who engage with targeted product education sell up to 123% more than those with no training$$