Jewelry retailers take a shine to e-learning
When the American Gem Trade Association launched an e-learning program this spring for jewelry retailers, the program quickly caught the attention of suppliers as well as merchants, Douglas Hucker, AGTA executive director, tells Internet Retailer.
The biggest challenge in making a retail sale in gemstones, Hucker says, is winning the confidence of potential customers. "They want to feel comfortable that they’re getting good value," he says. The AGTA’s e-learning program, "Selling Colored Gemstones: The Basics," runs about an hour and instructs retail sales employees on the characteristics of stones that determine their value, such as color and carat size. It can be accessed from the organization’s web site, www.agta.org.
Hucker says that a number of jewelry manufacturers have given the $49 program as a bonus to their retail customers. "The retail employees become more proficient in selling, and the supplier benefits from a better sell-through of stock," he says.
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