10 Tips to Create a Virtual "Holiday Window"

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Hi, I’m your host Laryssa Wirstiuk. Through this podcast I aim to empower and inspire jewelry entrepreneurs and professionals so they can thrive while adding more beauty to the world. I’m passionate about digital marketing for jewelry brands, and I’m excited to share my passion with you. As we all know jewelry is joy, so I’ll gladly seize any opportunity to talk about it.

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This is episode 154. And today’s focus is all about how you can have a more quote unquote holiday window display, even if you don’t have a brick and mortar jewelry store. Or if you do have a brick and mortar jewelry store and you want to be reaching customers outside of your local geographic area with your holiday merchandising, then you’ll definitely want to listen to my tips and ideas for creating a holiday window display experience using digital technologies.

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It may be too late for you at this point to actually implement these ideas for this 2021 holiday season. But I just felt super inspired by seeing some real life holiday displays while I was out window shopping, and I couldn’t help but want to share my ideas around the topic. Of course, you can always keep a running list of what is and isn’t working for you this holiday season and add some new ideas so you are prepared for 2022. I believe it is never too early to plan.

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But before we get to the solid gold of this episode, I’d like to take a moment to remind you that this podcast has both an audio and video component. So you can either listen on your favorite podcast platform or watch on YouTube by searching Joy Joya. I love creating this content as my act of service to you my awesome listeners. And you can always support the podcast for free by taking the time not only to subscribe, but also to leave a rating and review on iTunes which helps other jewelry dreamers find it too.

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Also side note, I’m giving away six Amazon gift cards. Yes, it’s true four $25 ones one $50 one and one $100 one. To enter to win one of these gift cards visit joyjoya.com/survey. And please complete a 10 question survey about this podcast. That’s it. It’s the last chance for you to enter since this contest ends on December 15 2021. I really appreciate your insights and feedback. One of my New Year’s resolutions my new year’s business resolutions for 2022 is to make this podcast as fun and engaging as possible, not only for me, but for you. And this survey is really going to help me achieve that since I’ll be able to get your thoughts and make better content for you.

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Let’s discuss some recent news related to jewelry or marketing. Each week I share my thoughts about three relevant articles and you can get those links by visiting joyjoya.com/signup. Once you’re on the VIP list, you’ll receive our weekly digest filled with new episode announcements.

3:31
So first, an e-consultancy article recently compiled some stats about how social media marketing has changed after COVID-19. I wanted to share some of the highlights in this article, the ones that I thought are the most relevant specifically for jewelry brands. So number one when it comes to spend on social media advertising, global ad spend on Facebook and Instagram grew 43% year over year in q3 2021. So if you do any social media advertising, you probably know that social media ad costs are continuing to trend upward. If this trend continues, marketers will likely spend record amounts in this current quarter. q4 is already seeing the highest investment in social advertising in the lead up to the holidays. What does this mean for you? Well, it’s really just another sign that social media ads are more competitive than ever, and also more saturated than ever before. two really important things to think about if you are hoping to invest in social media advertising.

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Number two, Pinterest now sees more than 5 billion searches every month. Can you wrap your head around that number? The figure is up from an average 2 billion searches per month in 2016 product searches very important on Pinterest jumped more than 20 times at the end of q1 of this year, compared to the same period last year. With consumers finding themselves with more time to search for inspiration and online purchases. There was even a sharp increase in monthly active users over the past year. The top searches on the app are outfits, vacations and home renovations. And also people are definitely searching for anything related to wedding planning. important topics to know if you are planning your Pinterest strategy.

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Number three TikTok was the most downloaded app of q1 2021. Not only was it the most downloaded app, but its monthly active users surpassed that of Netflix. Wow, this really just goes to show how powerful video content on social media can be. Another interesting stat about tick tock global tick tock users also spent the second largest amount of money in app just behind YouTube between January and March 2021. Again, not saying that TikTok is necessarily right for every jewelry brand. But if you haven’t considered or thought about whether TikTok is right for your brand, and how you can potentially use it, this statistic is a really good sign that maybe you should give it a look.

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And finally, number four, one in four online purchases are now made via an interaction with a social media platform. So according to analysis commissioned by Visa, close to a fifth of consumers purposely turned to social apps for shopping, and 35% of consumers cite the convenience of this as a key purchase driver. While 26% really like how quick it is to check out on social media apps.

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A recent article from Marketing Profs is all about what neuroscience can tell us about social media marketing. So neuroscience actually reveals that people, users of social media apps people out in the world, they’re unable to physically cannot process receiving marketing messages when they are directly engaged in purposeful interaction, which a lot of people are doing on social media. So maybe marketers are actually approaching social media all wrong, because the people using social media apps can actually process any sort of marketing messages simultaneously. People are hard wired to protect against anything that will break their social connections. In other settings where we know there’s an exchange for value like in commercials that pay the bills on a TV channel, or pop up forums on websites that are gathering email addresses. A person’s reaction may be different. They’re in a better headspace to receive marketing messages because they’re kind of primed for that transactional relationship. So neurosciences saying that maybe social media marketing is kind of a lost cause. I don’t know if that’s totally true. But the research behind this is pretty interesting. And it’s definitely something to think about in your own social media strategy.

8:26
And then finally, this is kind of a legal look at marketing matters, a resource, called Lexology recently posted a really helpful and informative article about the legal considerations to make when you’re hosting a giveaway on social media. So before you get started with this type of giveaway, you’ll want to take the following things into consideration. First, you should know that social media platforms, each one has its own rules and guidelines about giveaways on the platform. And you should definitely check them before posting anything on there for Facebook and Instagram. In particular, these things must be considered and thought through before you make your giveaway live. Of course, you want to be posting very specific requirements for giveaways. So create an easy to access homepage that lists all the contest rules. When you’re promoting or administrating a giveaway, too. You definitely need to clarify that the social media platform is not a sponsor or in any way involved in your giveaway. Three, you should know that lotteries are banned on Facebook. And Facebook also has specific rules about giveaways that involve likes and shares. So you definitely want to look more into that before you do a Facebook giveaway. Five you can’t use a personal account to host a giveaway on Facebook. So it has to be a business page six you should Definitely get permission to use participants data. So if they are entering an email address for that giveaway, make sure they are opting in to that giveaway so that you have permission. Seven you want to consider any liability limitations, and eight. You want to watch out about inaccuracy and tagging photos on Instagram. If you have any more questions about this, you should definitely look into the specific guidelines for giveaways on Instagram and Facebook. People often think they’re super easy to set up and run but if you want to do them correctly, and actually follow the laws around giveaways you have to pay attention to the rules. So are you covering all your basis bases when doing a giveaway?

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As I mentioned, if you want to get the links to the articles I share in this segment of the podcast, you can become a joy joy a VIP by visiting joyjoya.com/signup.

10:58
Okay, let’s talk about creating a holiday window display using digital technology. So this could potentially take the place of a holiday window display that you might have in a brick and mortar store, or supplement one you already have at your physical store location. Before I dive into my tips and ideas, I do want to provide some context by talking briefly about the history of holiday windows. So why do they even matter? Why are they such a tradition holiday window displays invoke a dreamy nostalgia that only comes once a year, making holiday shopping extra fun and festive for both tourists and locals alike. From the early 1900s through the 2000s holiday window display viewing was considered a treat for the family. Many would even plan outings specifically to view the magical ideas brought to life in department store window displays. Macy’s, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Bloomingdale’s have all gained reputations for welcoming the joy of the holiday season with their extravagant seasonal windows. These days, department stores even team up with designers, artists and other companies to create memorable and over the top displays.

12:24
You may be wondering are holiday displays really here to stay especially with all the new innovative ways that consumers are shopping? Do we need window displays in an Amazon world? Well, Amazon is actually taking the century old window display tradition to a whole new level by debuting the first in the world smart holiday window. It’s called Alexa in a pear tree in New York’s Soho naval neighborhood. It opened December 4 and runs through December 12th. The unique technology display showcases Alexa and other Amazon devices by delivering an interactive experience conveyed through motion, sound, and lighting effects. The goal of this display is to help people imagine how they can use these devices in their own homes in Amazon is already saying that this holiday window display is set to become an annual tradition. Basically what I’m trying to say is that holiday window displays are here for good, but they might look a little different than those department store displays of yesterday.

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So let’s talk about some creative ways that you can bring that holiday window display experience into your eCommerce store. And be sure to bookmark these ideas for next year too so you can get ahead of planning on how to execute them. So I have 10 tips for you.

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Number one, add some holiday flair to your website in a tasteful and on-brand way. I believe I mentioned this in another podcast episode recently. But if you look at the current David Yurman homepage, you’ll get a really good example for that. They have a New York and winter time theme with some really tasteful snow falling other snowy images and graphics. It’s really beautiful and I love to look at it for virtual holiday window display inspiration. You can consider giving your logo a holiday makeover. Like maybe adding a Santa Claus hat to it or some sparkle or bells to your logo. You can update your product images with holiday touches. Those are some really great ways to add that holiday flair to your website.

14:47
Number two, consider updating your lifestyle photography using models in cozy settings wearing holiday style. Of course it would be too late at this time. I’m here to execute it for this year. But next year, this is something you should kind of start planning in July or August because it can take a long time to really execute on those photos, prepare them, get them kind of ready to go for your website. So this is a great to do list to add for next year. One example of a brand that I think is doing this really well is Foundrae. And on their homepage, they have a model wearing cozy knits wearing lots of yellow gold, it’s very holiday, but it doesn’t scream over the top like Santa Claus. It’s just a very tasteful way to get that spirit going through lifestyle imagery.

15:43
Number three send special holiday themed email newsletters, you can even do perhaps a virtual holiday card, which is really nice. If you’re not going to be sending any sort of direct mail to your customers. It gives that personalized touch, it helps you say thank you show your appreciation as a brand without necessarily doing like a sales forward email campaign.

16:09
Number four on your website, you’ll definitely want to merchandise holiday gift ideas by things like price point, mood, recipient theme, etc. You can do it in your website navigation by having a drop down with different categories for the various gift guides. You can have your homepage merchandised in such a way so that each category kind of has a representative photo that goes along with it, and the person can click through to the one that makes the most sense for the gift that they’re looking for.

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Number five, emphasize the wish list feature on your website. And side note, if you don’t have a wish list feature, add this to the list of E commerce features you want to build into your website for next year. So one brand that does the wishlist really well, again, David Yurman, they actually have something called Wish List Wednesdays. So what they do is they partner with influencers who create their own holiday wish lists, and then they give customers the chance to to win up to $5,000 of David Yurman. Based on the different wish lists ideas, it’s a really cool way to encourage customers to interact with the wish list to get inspired to build their own wish list. And the other great thing about wish lists wish lists a tongue twister right there. Especially if you do it well. They’re highly shareable. I think for people purchasing jewelry for others jewelry can be a tricky gift. But if you give the purchaser suggestions, it makes their life so much easier. And a wish list is a tasteful way to do that.

17:54
Number six, you can create an entirely new product offering: the advent calendar. Advent calendar is a calendar that traditionally counts down the days in December until Christmas. And you may remember these from when you were a kid or maybe you’ve seen them in stores. They’re typically like a rectangular card that has little windows in it, and each window corresponds to a day. And you can open the window and find maybe a little chocolate or a little toy. They’re super fun, interactive and engaging. And now I’m seeing a lot of jewelry brands kind of like going along with this theme. So some examples recently that I’ve seen the brand Lark and Berry has an advent calendar with solid gold charms featuring their lab grown diamonds. There’s a brand called Cartilage Cartel that has a 12 days of sparkle advent calendar and it’s all about creating the perfectly curated ear stack. And of course, if you haven’t heard about this it’s pretty crazy – Tiffany and Company This is the second year that they are doing a really over the top advent calendar of that features the art of Basquiat Basquiat, and has 24 of the most extraordinary gifts of the season. This calendar is crafted by hand from white oak in New York. The doors of this four foot calendar open to reveal the brand’s signature blue boxes that have custom numbered hang tags. It’s worth $150,000 It sounds crazy. I would love one.

19:41
Number seven you can host a holiday sweepstakes. So for example, Kendra Scott is currently hosting a 12 Days of Joy sweepstakes, so contestants can enter to win for a 12 day period. Fans of this brand can enter to win a jewelry box full of Kendra Scott jewels over a $2,000 value plus other exciting prizes.

20:05
Number eight emphasize all of your holiday incentives like gift wrap, easy gift card, purchasing free shipping, upgraded expediting, shipping, extended returns, whatever special customer service incentives you’re offering during the holiday season, make sure those are communicated so clearly on your website, and in a really user friendly way.

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Number nine, consider making the holiday shopping experience even more interactive, you can implement a live chat tool like your little customer service elves can assist customers easily and are ready to help. You can put a quiz that helps people find the perfect gift for their loved ones. Pandora, the company known for its terms has a really great gift finder quiz if you’re looking for inspiration for that.

20:57
And finally, number 10 a Christmas Countdown on your website in your emails and social media. Yeah, everyone’s aware that Christmas is coming soon. But it’s kind of fun and festive where you can kind of celebrate that anticipation in a fun way. And also it’s important to remind customers like put the pressure on them to shop because as we all know this year shipping deadlines are a little bit crazy. So constantly reminding customers to shop early so that they can get their gifts on time for Christmas. Those are my 10 tips.

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What did you think you can always email me laryssa@joyjoya.com. If you loved this podcast, please share it with a friend who would appreciate it and don’t forget to subscribe as well as leave a review on iTunes to purchase a signed copy of my book Jewelry Marketing Joy, visit joyjoya.com/book for more information.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai