It’s the coolest thing to happen every four years besides the World Cup—leap year. Sure, it means one more day of February, which isn’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea, but this extra day means anything is possible, and that is a very good thing.
Some have leap year traditions (if you don’t, maybe this is the leap year to start one!), even whole countries get in on it. In Ireland, it’s customary that women propose to their significant others—and this has been reportedly happening since as far back as the 5th century. This idea doesn’t sound too far-fetched now, but imagine how revolutionary it was not even all that long ago.
As the world becomes a smaller place, much thanks to the convenience of air travel and social media connectors such as Instagram, we’ll find these reverse engagements attributed not only to the Irish and Scots. Women are popping the question first all over the world, any day of the year. Some are proposing first, others are responding to their engagements with a token of their own—they’re proposing back.
In case your customers were to decide this leap year is one for the books, how can you prepare? In this age where mangagement rings are becoming quite less novel (are you stocked with yours?) and men’s jewelry is growing more diverse, take stock of what’s on display to help those lovebirds get what they need.
“Reverse and mutual proposals are on the rise,” says Severine Ferrari, editor-in-chief and founder of Propose Too and Engagement 101. “There’s also a growing number of engaged men wearing their wedding band ahead of the wedding. All these new consumer behaviors are amazing opportunities to upsell couples on men’s wedding bands. The sooner a gent’s ring purchase happens in the wedding process, the more couples are able to afford precious metals and customization. Marketing leap year proposals is a great gimmick to focus on guys’ wedding jewelry while supporting women’s empowerment.”
Top: Prive collection I Love You Forever band in 18k white gold, price on request; Mardini
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