The importance of gift wrapping

When I first worked in my family store, Zell Brothers, in Portland, Oregon I knew how important the beauty of our gift wrapping was to the image of our store. My aunt and two other ladies made beautiful full bows of all sizes. The maroon ribbons had an elegant effect on the gold wrapping paper. There were small Christmas ornaments placed on top of the bows, a small plastic Santa Claus and a bit of holly. More expensive gifts were put in a much larger box so a wider ribbon could be used that would result in a larger magnificent bow with ornaments on top. When I presented the gift to my customers they would say, “Lenny, that’s beautiful and is the reason I buy from your store.” I remember customers telling my father, “Harry, I could probably get this for less from the jeweller down the street, but it would not mean as much to my wife because it did not have that Zell gift wrap.” I also remember other customers saying, “I don’t know what I should get my wife, but if there isn’t a Zell gift-wrapped gift under the tree, I am in trouble.” Wouldn’t you give your right arm for your customers to say that about your store? Well, you don’t have to go quite that far, all you have to do is consider it as advertising, because the quality of your gift wrapping is the best word of mouth advertising you can have. No other type of advertising can bring you these results. Our gift wrapping was the talk of the town and surprisingly no other jeweller got the message. When the Zell Brothers gift was under the Christmas tree it stood out among all others. Everyone knew just by a glance where it came from. Our customers would tell us it was a major part of their conversation on Christmas day. What advertising can compare with that? Just think back, when was the last time you said, “wow, that’s an outstanding gift wrap,” about a gift you received that was purchased at an upscale retail store? I bet the answer would be, ‘seldom’. Those stores, especially jewellery stores don’t know the sales and repeat customers they are missing. Worse yet, the negative impression they make. Negative word of mouth travels fast. When your customer looks at a mediocre gift wrap after taking such care in selecting a diamond ring, or a pearl necklace, what are they to think? Yes, I know your answer, “no one has ever complained before. Why spend the money?” Be careful about judging your store because of no complaints; judge it by the outstanding compliments you receive. When you go first class with your gift wrapping, you will be surprised at the outstanding comments you receive. The best way to judge it is to try to be as objective as possible. Imagine yourself as a customer can you say “this is the best gift wrapping I have ever seen. It has a wow factor and I cannot wait to show it to my spouse”? If so then you are on the right track. There are two big pluses. You will have more repeat customers then you ever had before and when they tell their friends you will have even more. In our store it kept growing because the word of mouth was that powerful. In addition you will get your competitors customers. We did. Jewellery is the most emotional gift in the world. Think how happy your customer is after selecting the diamond earrings. Then when you present him with this elegantly wrapped gift he can hardly wait to give it to her. Here are some Zelling tips: The jewellery box should be of top quality. If anything can kill a gift, it is a cheap box. Avoid plain gift paper. Make sure it looks unique so customers recognize that it comes from your store. Avoid cheap looking ribbon and skimpy bows. They should be so beautiful that your customers will want to save them. Have gold embossed stickers, with your store’s name only to place on the outside of your box. Think about hiring a craftsperson who knows what you want. We did and never could have had the time or knowledge where to find the gift paper and ribbon and come up with a winning combination. They have good judgement and the time they save you will more then pay for their fee. This means you will have to spend much more money than you expected. However, this should be part of your advertising budget. Do not cut back. Always go first class. By Leonard Zell. This article first appeared in the November 2018 issue of Jewellery Focus