Planning Your Jewelry Sales & Marketing for the Holidays, part I

Just because it's summer doesn't mean you should be slacking off in your jewelry business. In fact, this is the perfect time to prepare for the biggest selling season of the year-Holiday 2007!

This is part I of a series geared at helping you plan ahead for the lucrative holiday season and get the most out of your sales/marketing resources!

It is still smoking hot in N. Texas but I'm already thinking about the Fall/Winter Fashion Forecast. Whether or not your customers follow the fashion trends, they will notice color palettes whilst out and about shopping. Go into any major dept store and look at their displays....hint! hint! It's a great way to see for yourself what the dominant color palette of the season is. Yes, I know Pantone has a forecast but it's not the same as seeing the real deal...a retail merchandise display!

So, what can you do to translate this into lucrative jewelry sales? Plan to create jewelry using the dominant color palette and also find innovative ways tie it into your packaging. For me, that means I will be highlighting my "chocolate brown" more than my pink in my packaging The good news is that the colors for Winter 2007 have shifted marginally with designs favoring individuality. Now that has me excited as that is what Diva designs are all about ...individualism and dynamic personality!

It's always a great idea to create pieces that are versatile? Create pieces that can be dressed up or down. Think what can be worn at the office but would still look compliment a "holiday party/girls night out" outfit. Or think about a necklace that can be wrapped into a bracelet? Or a necklace with a removable/interchangeable pendant?

Combine gold and sterling silver rich colored stones in red, green, blue and purple. Textures are another way to offer style. One of my favorite ways to add texture is to incorporate silk and various fibers into my design. I've been known to haunt Quilt Shows for hand-dyed silk ribbons to use in my designs.

I do hope you've enjoyed part I of this series. Read part II of the Jewelry Sales & Marketing for the Holiday here. Part III will be released by the end of September.

Got a comment or suggestion? I'd love to hear it!