Stuller’s annual Bridge event—a three-day conference packed with educational sessions designed to impart business insights and cover best practices for fine jewelry retailers—wraps up today at the jewelry manufacturer’s headquarters in Lafayette, La.

Among the many sessions that urged event participants to think bigger (and smarter) in their business practices was a breakfast session entitled “Design to Delight,” hosted by Taylor Burgess, Stuller’s vice president of customer experience, and Andrea Landry, director of customer insights and journey for the brand.

Together, the speakers covered four ways in which retailers can deliver memorable experiences to their customers:

Engage

“Think about creating interactions that [include] touch, taste, sound—all the senses,” said Burgess, who also urged the crowd to create open-case sections in their stores wherever possible. “The research shows that people are only going to ask to hold three or four pieces from a case before they feel like they’re bothering you.”

Sephora’s touch-and-try Beauty Bar and Apple’s one-on-one Genius Bar are among the created “experiences” the speakers cited as ones that shifted the retail experience paradigm.

Make It Unique

They also stressed the importance of differentiating your store from its competitors—and said small practices (such as Nordstrom’s rule of walking the shopping bag around the counter to customers after a purchase) can make a big difference.

“What makes you different?” Burgess asked. “There are probably things you’re already doing, but you don’t know.… Be intentional about doing things that make you stand out.”

Personalize

The speakers touched briefly on how to collect data on customers, and Burgess asked the audience, “Where are those points in time [in a sale] where it’s appropriate to ask for more detailed information? You don’t want to miss those.”

They also spoke on the larger trend of personalization—an ongoing consumer-led craze that, thanks to e-commerce, touches almost every product category, from makeup and groceries to handbags and jewelry. “Everyone wants something unique, whether it’s a manicure or a pair of sneakers,” Burgess said. “And we’re lucky to work in an industry where personalization is part of what we do.”

Make It Repeatable

Burgess and Landry wrapped up their talk by stressing the importance of consistency—presenting the equation: “Process + Practice = Competency.” Said Burgess, “You have to be able to repeat the things that work.”

Top photo: A Bridge sign outside of Stuller headquarters (Emili Vesilind)

Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine