“Curators are responsible for assembling, cataloguing, managing and presenting displaying artistic and cultural collections.”
What Is A Retail Curator?
In Latin, the term “curator” means “to take care of.” This is what you do as a retail curator. You take care of your merchandise, brand, story, space, and customer. And you offer them as many different platforms to make their jewelry choices as they need. This could be directly in your store, a website, and through the VDB app.
As discussed n Part 1, your gallery or store can compete with the really big merchants who have enormous inventories by offering a dual purchasing opportunity to your customers. First by having a strong curated selection of jewelry in your store that is displayed with an eye on detail and overall design. Then by supplementing these actual displays with extensive online merchandise which is easily available from VDB’s online platform. This approach allows you the versatility to work with your individual customer to find the piece that is right for their needs.
Increase Appeal
VDB’s platform makes it possible for you to not only carry excellent work in your store, but also have access to pieces that you feel might be appropriate and appeal to only a limited number of clients. This way, you don’t need to carry those pieces in your store which might not have a quick turn over or wider appeal. You can focus your inventory dollars on those pieces you feel will garner the attention of the largest segment of your customers.
Knowing who your customer is will help you make the decisions about what to stock. Don’t keep it too “vanilla” in your store just to be safe! Consumers can find plenty of vanilla jewelry on their own, without your help. By paying attention to your core customer’s tastes, you can feature both distinctive designer jewelry, and pieces that are more familiar and classical. Different types of jewelry (price points, metals, basics, and very high end) can easily co-exist in the same shop, just as they do in a museum. It all depends on how you curate and display them.
Questions To Ask
As you look over your store and the collections you carry and analyze what you see with a discerning eye, here are some questions you should ask yourself. When asking these questions it is smart to bring your staff into the process, since they will be sure to have valuable insights:
- What does our store, its layout and atmosphere say about our brand, our merchandise and the customer who we want to attract?
- What types of jewelry are we currently carrying and what would we like to see expanded? Why?
- What is selling? And why?
- What isn’t selling and why?
- What are customers asking for that we are not carrying?
- What are the first pieces/cases that customers head for when entering our store, and why?
- Who exactly is our customer? Describe them. And how can we expand that base? How can we change this demographic if we want to?
- What is our differentiator from other stores in the area?
- How can we best educate and guide our client to the choices that best suit their needs?
- What specialized services do we offer that make our store stand out?
Sharing Stories And History
Of course, it’s not just about the stories and experiences of the customer. It’s also about the stories, history and details of the designs you are showing and sharing. It is your knowledge, expertise and skill in this field that is also part of you being a retail curator, and merchandising curation is one of the most powerful ways to express your differentiation. Set your standards high.
Customers can tell the difference between products that are just filling space, and products that are fresh and interesting. Beyond the products, your display strategy is also part of the curation of your store. In this age of social media and online purchasing, we all need to start thinking and acting like curators. If we don’t offer something interesting and unique as curators, then the customers will just go online and “curate” for themselves. The value of curated merchandise and expertise in jewelry sales can’t be overstated.
How Can VDB Help?
And how can VDB’s platform and expertise in the jewelry field help you broaden your perspective and options? Use our app to improve and enhance your merchandising and stock availability. We can be your retail differentiator in this highly competitive marketplace. No other platform will give you the range of options VDB provides. And if you are curating to your brand and your target customer, no other retailer will replicate your choices either.
Let VDB help you with your curatorial decisions. When you combine your brand knowledge with VDB’s technology, success is literally at your fingertips.