A photo of Ida de Wit Sandstrom.
A photo of Rene van Pelt.

What does it take to make a customer return? René van Pelt and Ida de Wit Sandström are retail workers in the specialist jewellery trade. They have been serving their customers together for more than fifteen years. In a world where digitalisation is changing the business conditions, demands regarding distinction and profiling are increasing and consumers are becoming ever more unpredictable , showing a multitude of consumption patterns . René and Ida remind us of a few of the timeless tricks of retailing.

Unlike what you might think, these tricks have little to do with AdWords, influencer marketing or the latest gadgets in the ever-increasing range of electronic must-haves. Not that there is anything wrong with AdWords, influencers, or gadgets, we just want to point to a couple of qualities that you are all too seldom encountered in the contemporary retailscape, although we could consider them to be hygiene factors.

Each of us has been working for more than twenty years in the field of retail. For fifteen years now, we have had the pleasure of working as colleagues in the specialist jewellery trade. Over these years, we have noted the importance of atmospherics, presentation, and product knowledge. Atmospherics can be a lot of things: interiors, decoration, scents, or the choice of music. It is even more important how customers are engaged with. Presentation can include marketing, selling styles or shop aesthetics. All retail workers devote themselves to creating atmospherics and presenting their goods in appropriate ways. However, the basics are often forgotten.

It is often said that “retail is detail”, meaning that successful retail professionals should pay close attention to their customers, and to how their products are presented and their shop is maintained. Far too often, however, retail spaces are dirty and shabby, and goods are not looked after. Trivial day-to-day practices such as cleaning windows, dusting, and vacuum cleaning show that we, as retail workers, care about our retail space, signalling that potential or existing customers should do so too. This is also a way of showing respect to our customers. As retail workers, we are ambassadors for our store and, if we do this right, we can make customers ambassadors too. To achieve this, caring for our retail space is important. Even more important to the future of retail is the building and earning of trust. In this, product knowledge is crucial.

Whether working for a big or a small company, in a high-end or budget format, retail workers should know more than their customers do about the products they are selling, always. Do not advise customers to “read up online”. Your customer has probably already tried this, as we have become used to turning to the Internet for most things. Our point is that customers who turn to your physical shop should be rewarded accordingly, and not be sent away to do the job themselves. They should be met with interest and product knowledge, and hopefully also an assortment that matches your broad and deep knowledge. However, there might be cases that you cannot solve immediately. When that happens, you should fetch someone else who does have the right knowledge or ask your customer if you can get back to them when you have found the answer. (Then you turn to the Internet). The more specialised the trade, the more important it is to build longstanding trust. It is your job to convey an understanding of the different qualities of the different products you are selling. When we worked together, we tried not to limit ourselves to the fact that a certain piece of jewellery was beautiful, instead focusing on why it was perceived as beautiful, telling our customers about the specifics of this design, that is, this specific material and this specific gem cut. We shared our knowledge of the products that we sold, making them see and appreciate the different qualities and characteristics. In many cases, this allowed us to build deep and trustful relationships. Not only in the sense that our customers showed us that they trusted us, but also that we showed trust in them—that they wanted to and were able to see and understand. Over the years, this—and some fantastic products—turned some customers into ambassadors. They brought their friends and family to our store, introducing their children and grandchildren, with great commitment to our products and services. It was our pleasure.