CRM for Jewelry Stores: What Jewelers Actually Need

Why a generic CRM won't do

A generic CRM built for software sales teams won't help a jewelry store. Jewelers track things most industries don't: ring sizes, anniversary dates, repair drop-offs, appraisals, layaway balances and family relationships.

Why jewelry needs its own kind of CRM

Three things make jewelry different. High value and low frequency: a customer might come in twice a year but spend $3,000 a visit, so every interaction has to be remembered. Relationship purchases: the associate who helped pick the engagement ring should be the one the customer sees for the eternity band. And pieces come back: repairs, resizes, appraisals and trade-ins all have to link to the customer, and survive staff turnover.

Customer data worth tracking

The customer data worth tracking: ring size, chain length and metal allergies, and the three dates that drive most buying: the anniversary, the birthday, and the spouse's birthday, purchase history down to the piece and its serial number, and the repair history of each piece, appraisals on file, and wishlists, so when the spouse calls, you know what their partner pointed at, relationships, like family, referrals and bridal parties, and SMS and email opt-ins, kept properly.

Features that actually move the needle

And the features that actually move the needle: a CRM built into the point of sale and inventory, so the customer comes up at the counter, and every repair and special order on their timeline, date-driven messages, like anniversary reminders and cleaning invitations, and credit for the associate who did the work, wishlists captured in one tap, and a bridal pipeline, from browsing to the wedding bands.

Where off-the-shelf CRMs fall short

Off-the-shelf CRMs fall short. They don't track individual pieces with serials and stone details, and they're disconnected from the point of sale, so the data goes stale. They're priced per seat, and they don't understand a physical repair intake.

Is your CRM working?

Four numbers tell you if your CRM is working: the repeat purchase rate at 12 and 24 months, and transactions per customer per year, the share of sales tied to a customer record, and the response to anniversary and birthday messages.

Before you shop for a CRM

Before you shop for a CRM, spend two weeks writing down every customer interaction your best associates have. The gap between that list and what your system captures today is what a CRM has to close.

The CRM in WJewel

In WJewel, the CRM is part of the point of sale. Open a customer's profile with their customer code, with their name and addresses, birthdays, anniversaries and other occasions, and their complete history: purchases, layaways, special orders, gold buys, and appraisals. Text the customer from their profile, and see the history of your texts and their replies, add reminders to follow up, and keep their wish lists and quotes. On every sale, choose the sales reps who earn the commission, split among up to four reps.

Contact us

You'll find the full guide on the WJewel blog. WJewel is fully web-based, and runs on PCs, Macs, tablets and phones. To learn more, visit www.wjewel.com, or call us at (646) 578-8300.