5 Practical Tips for Selling Jewelry on Zoom

They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But what do you make of this health crisis? COVID-19 is the lemon nobody wanted but had to be dealt with, especially if you have bills to pay, a business to run, and employees to support. If you’re still grappling with lockdowns and restrictions, hold on and don’t despair. Here, we’re going to give you 5 simple tips for selling jewelry on Zoom so you can keep your sales rolling.

This unicorn called Zoom

Zoom, a video-conferencing app founded in 2011, is a different kind of unicorn in a way that it was already profitable even before it went public in 2019. But its profitability didn’t stop there. In fact, it has just started. Garnering a heightened attention and penetrating the public consciousness during the pandemic, Zoom recorded over 200 million daily meeting participants— both paid and free—in March 2020. This figure has further increased to 300 million, a significant jump from its meager 10 million daily meetings in December 2019, and just enough figure to silence the naysayers who advised its founders against competing in a crowded space dominated by Google (Google Meet) and Microsoft (Skype) — the videotelephony giants.

Indeed, Zoom couldn’t have come at a better time. When a virus cripples the world, making it highly dependent on technology, Zoom has made keeping social connections more enjoyable than its predecessors while keeping our physical distance.

The same is true for retail that adapted quickly to the trend. With the increasing virtual events, virtual retailing and Zoom shopping are two technology-driven opportunities many retailers have used to take their stores to their “castaway” customers. If you aren’t familiar with how to go about it, read on, and let’s get you started.

5 Practical Tips for Selling Jewelry on Zoom

1. First, set up your Zoom account if you don’t have one yet.

Signing up for a Zoom account on either your mobile device or desktop is easy and free.

• From your mobile device, download the Zoom app and tap “Sign up” on the welcome page.
• Enter the e-mail address you’d like to use for this account and supply your first and last name.
• Check the box next to the “I agree to the terms of service” section.
• Click “sign up.” A popup will appear informing you of the confirmation email sent to your designated e-mail address. Tap “OK” and go to your e-mail account to check your inbox.
• Open the confirmation e-mail and tap the “Activate Account” option. This will open the browser on your device.
• Once routed to the browser, confirm your account information and type and re-type your chosen password.
• The next step will prompt you to invite colleagues to start a meeting. If you don’t intend to start a meeting just yet, you can simply skip them.

Signing up for a Zoom account on your desktop is also easy and simpler as the process is almost similar.

When you have successfully set up your Zoom account, don’t forget to spread the word to notify your clients that they can shop your jewelry products from home. Use your social media pages, calls, or e-mails to promote and notify them.

2. Setup your workspace.

Your workspace is an essential part of the process when selling jewelry on Zoom. As soon as you have your account set up, have a workspace ready for your virtual sales meetings.

An ideal workspace is one that is pleasing to the eye. Preferably, your workspace must represent your business, so have your jewelry displays behind you or conduct your virtual meetings in your craft area, but ensure that it is not too cluttered or distracting.

You may also consider a few lighting tips listed below.

• Choose a room or space with good and proper lighting.
• Take advantage of natural lighting. Do not position yourself against the light. Always face a window.
• Avoid strong, extremely bright lights behind you or overhead your camera. This lighting can be too harsh and might create unflattering shadows or silhouettes.
• Consider artificial lighting like ring lights flanking your camera. It makes you look fresh and your work environment professional.
• Avoid sidelights, as these can create dark shadows on your face. When in doubt, straight-on lighting is your foolproof solution.

3. Make it personal.

Zoom sales meetings are not one of those PowerPoint presentations, so make it personal to establish a meaningful connection with your clients. If you need to share something on screen, you may do so, but don’t let it stay there. Un-share your screen afterward and go back to a professional but fun video conference.

There are different ways you can build a connection with your clients. Among these are the following.

• Stand up now and then. Standing up not only energizes the entire video conference atmosphere but also helps you demonstrate your jewelry products better. Your body language can also convey information that may help persuade your clients to purchase.
• SMILE! A smiling face increases persuasion. It makes you look friendly and competent; thereby, making your clients feel more comfortable with you as a presenter or salesperson.
• Address your clients by name. Videoconferences are sometimes awkward because participants don’t know when it’s their turn to talk, and they don’t want to speak over others. Avoid this from happening by calling them by name. It draws them back in, gets them involved, and makes them feel that they are not left out.
• Lastly, you may start your Zoom meeting by sharing stories and personal things. This way, your clients will feel comfortable doing the same. Zoom meetings are an ideal setting for building this level of personal connection because everyone’s at home; hence, the stories would likely revolve around that personal area. You may ask them how they are coping with the current situation or how they keep themselves productive at home. Build rapport to make your Zoom sale meeting easy.

4. Now you’re ready for business!

Now we’ve come to the most important part of your Zoom meeting—showcasing your jewelry.

Before the actual day of your Zoom meeting arrives, ensure that you already know what your clients want to see so that you can prepare them. It will give you enough time to clean the pieces, have them within arm’s reach of you, and make other necessary arrangements. For instance, you can have your assistant come over to help you try looks on for a better product visualization.

You may also consider the following tips for selling jewelry on Zoom. The ones listed below can help you create an even more productive and satisfying virtual shopping experience for your clients.

• Take photos of diamond lab reports and be ready to show them to them either by sharing your screen or sending it to them by e-mail ahead of time.
• Don’t just showcase one jewelry piece. Always be ready with matching and other complementary pieces for add-on sale or tour them around your jewelry displays, if possible.
• If you managed to get an assistant who can try looks on for you, take advantage of styling possibilities. For instance, if you’re showcasing necklaces, you can have your assistant/model wear clothes with different necklines to show the perfect necklace with different necklines.
• Take lots of jewelry photos and 360 videos like the ones below, and be ready to share your screen with them to see the pieces’ designs and colors on a larger scale. When you do this, give them enough time to look at every picture or video. Never rush them.

5. Show your appreciation.

Lastly, show gratitude to your participants. This is where you can be more creative in expressing that appreciation, regardless if they express interest or not. Always end on a high note because even if they don’t end up buying, they may still talk about you to their family, friends, and other acquaintances.

Word of mouth is the best form of advertising. They will always talk about their experience with you, so ensure that it works to your advantage when they do that.

There are many ways to say thank you to your participants. I have listed a few of them below, along with other means to strengthen your vendor-client relationship.

• Send them a nice gift in return, like gift cards they can use for future purchases or a gift certificate. It doesn’t have to be expensive because your goal here is to convey your appreciation for attending your Zoom event.
• A simple but sincere thank-you note would suffice.
• Offer to send them via e-mail all the jewelry photos and videos you presented in the meeting to give them more time to know the product and mull it over.
• Arrange flexible delivery methods for all purchases. Make it as convenient as possible for them. If you live close, you can also offer to deliver it to them while keeping your distance. Always make it personal to make them feel special.
• If one of the participants has more product-related questions, be open for an extended one-on-one consultation.
• If they didn’t record the video call, offer to send them a copy so they can share it with their friends and possibly gain you another customer or two.

And there you have it!

Now it’s your turn to use these 5 practical tips for selling jewelry on Zoom. If this is your first time, don’t be nervous. You have the power to make it one of your many successful jewelry and diamond Zoom sales events.

Have you tried selling jewelry on Zoom or other platforms? How did it go? Let us know in the comment section below!