Following the busy Mother’s Day rush—an essential date on the Retail Jewelry Calendar—there's usually a quieter period. This can be a great time to pause, reflect on the current state of the jewelry market, and plan what's next for creative entrepreneurs in this industry. Having worked with professionals in the jewelry sector for quite a while, I find this downtime to be the perfect moment to share some insights based on my observations.
The demand in the US jewelry sector is likely to significantly slow in the next few years. We're experiencing economic fluctuations within the industry. After a remarkable increase in demand during 2021 and 2022—likely spurred by the influx of stimulus money, which saw a jump of nearly 45% over 2020—it's important to note that this level of growth is unusual. To put it in perspective, it took the U.S. jewelry and watch industry more than 20 years to achieve a similar growth rate of 47% from 1999 to 2020, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce. Such rapid expansion typically leads to what's known as a ‘boom and bust’ cycle, which could negatively impact future demand.
But does this trend impact all businesses, even those with a stable, fixed clientele? Absolutely. Market trends can affect every player in the industry, especially those looking to grow. The size or lack of it, doesn’t shield a business from market forces.
Is the outlook entirely bleak? Not at all. Even in slow or mature markets, there isn't necessarily a universal stagnation or decline. There are often segments and pockets of the market experiencing different growth dynamics and can be quite vibrant with opportunities for creativity and innovation.
How can a jewelry entrepreneur navigate and succeed in this environment? While there are various specific strategies that could be detailed, here's a brief, high-level view:
Emphasize originality and innovation in every aspect of your business—from your designs and marketing strategies to your business processes. Differentiation is crucial, especially in markets that are slow to grow or stagnant. It's easy to be tempted to follow current trends in an effort to stay relevant. While trendy elements can capture some immediate attention, they often don't support the development of a distinctive, long-term brand identity. If too many businesses adopt the same trends, products associated with these trends can become commoditized, which may lead to reduced margins. Focus on what makes your brand unique to maintain your competitive edge.
What goes without saying is that an original product should be backed by good manufacturing quality, reliable processes and should result in a uniform and predictable customer experience. (This is a hefty topic that really deserves its own dedicated discussion at a later time)
Your marketing should be about expressing and delivering value through content. It's common for many in the industry to follow similar trends, using popular themes and designs, which can make many brands’ visual stories, (especially on Instagram) look alike.
In fact, I have observed Instagram is becoming particularly adept at recognizing and promoting quality content, even from smaller accounts.
Even though almost every marketer preaches about grabbing attention, the reality is that your content should genuinely add value or educate your audience instead. While limited resources and time can be challenging here, these constraints often spark greater creativity.
Even with a substantial budget, simply spending more on marketing, like pay-per-click campaigns may not help. Pay-per-click is often promoted as a way to build a significant following or customer base, but it shouldn't be seen as a magic solution. In fact, advertising costs on platforms like Instagram can be steep—reaching as much as $3 per click in the jewelry segment. Given the number of clicks it typically takes to secure a sale, relying solely on pay-per-click campaigns may not be the most economical choice for many jewelry businesses. I'm going out on a limb here, but it's worth reevaluating the effectiveness of this particular strategy in your marketing mix.
While entrepreneurs may not have the time to become marketing experts, it's crucial to develop at least foundational marketing skills. Yes, it takes effort, patience, and courage to step outside of conventional strategies that mimic successful competitors, which often lead to undifferentiated content. Whether online or offline, it’s essential that your customers benefit from every interaction with your brand, and they should come back to you because of it.
Patience is golden. Patience is key for any jewelry designer entrepreneur. Innovation and creativity take time and can't be hurried. Even if you're not the first to market or the most visible in the marketing landscape, it's never too late to build or enhance a brand. Everything it demands takes time- consistent dedication to marketing, maintaining product quality, and delivering excellent customer service.
Experimentation is a key driver of creativity. All aspects of experimentation- artistic expression, material exploration, testing new concepts, market differentiation and manufacturing integration- require patience.
Be mindful of how you allocate your time—as an entrepreneur, time is your most valuable asset. It's limited and comes with significant opportunity costs. Even the most driven and disciplined among us can find themselves caught up in striving for perfection, prioritizing the urgent over the important, neglecting to establish effective systems and processes, or taking on too much.
Tackling this effectively might warrant a deeper discussion, but the essence lies in maximizing returns from your efforts. You could adopt a multifaceted approach, which includes using prioritization tools like the Eisenhower box, developing robust systems & processes, and focusing your efforts on high-impact activities— creativity, branding, and understanding your customers and their experience. These are crucial for keeping your business relevant, profitable, and forward-looking.
As Mark Zuckerberg frequently considers, "Am I doing the most important thing I could be doing today?" this reflection can guide you to better focus your time.
Written by: Amit Chaturvedi
Amit is a business leader with HC. He has been a business transformation practitioner. He is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt. He takes care of process improvement advisory and strategy at HC.