Look Book

72 www.thejewelrybook.com Fall and winter: A time when nature slows down outside - while inside, we hurry and scurry about. There's always an added sense of excitement each holiday season, and this year is already proving to be brighter and busier than ever before for all things jewelry. A furry of sparkling optimism contin- ues to embrace the nation, driven by a unified front of diamond and jewelry buyers and sellers. This was evident at the Las Vegas summer jewelry trade shows. Despite some forced "stay at home" mandates from certain countries prohibiting international travel, or simply a cut in travel for others, a leaner than normal attendance list for Couture or JCK did not denote danger. Some closed the door citing Covid concerns, yet others opened the same door finding newfound opportunities. While attendance was down, it wasn't dismal. And, for those that attended, the focus was on doing business. "This year, our meetings weren't rushed, and a higher level of conversations resulted, and so did a surprisingly higher volume in our total purchases," noted one seasoned buyer attending the newly branded Couture show at the Wynn. Some exhibitors opted to stay home this summer. Less booths meant less appointments and a lot less of a hectic show floor environment. Others that choose to exhibit found a way to make social distancing work via online appointments. Embrace technology; embrace sales While optimism won by-and-large, some more antiquated habits stayed despite a newly formatted and shorter Couture show. Those that kept a stale position proved that indecisive behavior leads to lukewarm action and reaction. Those that left technology advantages on the table, often left sales on the table too. We engage and interact differently than before: While walking the aisles of the Vegas shows this year, it was impossible not to notice the massive use of social media posts, live feeds and constant updates helping to ensure followers keep their brand more top-of-mind. From exhibitors to buyers, almost everyone tried to update their loyal followers on what they were presenting or purchasing while in Vegas. Some smart retailer stores asked social media fans to select what to buy from the selections available on camera, making their customers part of the buying experience. All good and beautiful then? No, not for all. Several noted the summer shows represented too large and too risky of an investment in a time when buyers who did travel stayed far less than previous years (some only 48 hours). Without an existing relationship, confirmed appointments, a well-executed pre-show brand promotion, or creating an online/ offline hybrid selling experiences, many exhibitors found themselves waiting for a miracle. In our previous article on the summer issue of The Jewelry Book, we high- lighted the importance of leveraging technology to build excitement for a possible in-person meeting. Those who believed that the show alone was enough to generate traffic, and write orders, found themselves extremely disappointed and with empty pockets. The right tech tools Some took advantage of tech tools, like online appointment calendars (think "Open Table") to automatically confirm a requested date and time and ensuring a live screen-to-screen interaction at the confirmed date and time The result was often higher engagement, stronger sales and added editorial exposure, all while being able to display and discuss jewelry merchandising within their booth. After all, what other time do you have your largest assortment in a perfect, secured By Marco Giovanelli Marco Giovanelli Fall 2021 | Marketing Sustaining The Holiday Sales Spirit into 2022

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