Jewellers Queue Around The Block To Listen To The Ark Success Story
On Sunday 1st September 2013 the IJL opened its doors at Earl’s Court, London. It was at the IJL almost two years to the day that the very first initial discussions began of the concept that became Jewellers Ark, a turnkey project signed in September 2012 and delivered by Dream Agility in mid-December 2012.
With such fond memories, Elizabeth Clark, Dream Agility co-founder was delighted to be running what turned out to be the most popular session of the entire IJL workshops. Entitled ‘Everything You Have To Have In Your Online Armoury – Social, Apps, Web, and Mobile – for the next 12 months, Elizabeth, Adam from Ashby Jewellers, and Adam from Lichfield Jewellers were shocked as over 100 people squeezed into the room, with the workshop manager eventually declining attendees due to Health & Safety!
The slides will be uploaded to slideshare and we will provide a link to them shortly for those who could not attend. After introducing Dream Agility and Jewellers Ark, Elizabeth argued that independent jewellers must be aware of recent Google changes called PLAs (Product Listing Ads). Such ads are making price comparison so easy for consumers that ‘showrooming’ is rocketing. For those not familiar with ‘Showrooming’, its a consumer behaviour where you go into the store, identify what you want to buy and perhaps even try it on, collecting your size from the jeweller and picking their brain. You then leave the store, go home, and order it online from the cheapest place you can find. Elizabeth ran through some methods of dealing with showrooming but emphasised that independent jewellers must improve their online pricing knowledge of their key products. Its simply not enough to know what your High Street rivals are charging.
Elizabeth also raised the power of Google Maps and Online Reviews. Even if you don’t have a website, if you have a shop, you can have a free Google Map entry. For independent jewellers, Elizabeth flagged that Jewellers Ark are willing to assist any independent jeweller looking to optimize their Map entry free of charge. Elizabeth also showed jewellers how powerful an instore iPad can be in convincing customers that your price is competitive and how you can not only turn a showrooming customer into a sale but even get them to advocate your business to their network and your future customers for you.
The session clearly went down a storm, evidenced by the queue of attendees asking everything from SEO and marketing questions to building a jewellery ecommerce site.