From the IT industry to jewelry: how to make money on designer jewelry. How to open a jewelry and jewelry store Where to sell jewelry of each segment

Nadezhda Britvina has been designing handmade jewelry for several years. For several years of exciting passion, she acquired regular customers and connoisseurs of her work. She gladly shared her experience with the readers of the site.

How to make money on handmade jewelry

Tell us how it all started, what was the first step?
I have always loved doing some creative work: sewing, painting, modeling, design. Once, for my birthday, my husband gave me a very beautiful handmade necklace with natural stones. At that time, I had no idea how to make such beauty with my own hands. It was from this gift that my interest in stones and jewelry began, and I began to learn how to make money on handmade jewelry.

A little later, by chance (although there are no accidents), I stumbled on the Internet for workshops on making jewelry. The next day, a large box of materials was ordered and I began to create. I studied in master classes, many thanks to the masters who create them, share their knowledge and experience.

Do you remember your first piece of jewelry?
Of course, it was a small pendant on a chain and earrings. I wore this set for a long time and proudly told everyone that I made it myself. I still keep it as a memory of the first decoration.

How fast did the sales go?
For me, creating jewelry is a pleasure that brings additional income. I am more driven by interest than the desire to earn. I started by making very simple things, gradually moving on to more complex ones. I left the first jewelry for myself or gave it to friends. Only after about a year did I feel confident in what I was doing and put the jewelry on the needlework marketplace. To my surprise, sales started almost immediately. At first, all income was invested in materials. Gradually, regular customers and a stable income appeared.

What materials do you work with?

Often I use completely different materials in one piece of jewelry: polymer clay, natural stones, wooden beads, epoxy resin. With the help of such a “mix”, the decoration seems to me more saturated and deep. I love working with natural materials. Each material has its own character and certain energy. This is especially true in natural stones. Jewelry from them is obtained as if alive, each stone carries a charge of energy.

Handmade jewelry and earnings on them

What does your creative process look like?
I do not work from sketches, I create according to the image, how I would like to see the decoration that comes to my mind. For a long time I can select materials, sort out beads in search of those that would fit perfectly. I am very demanding on my work, a rare decoration is obtained the first time. Usually I redo it several times until the result completely suits me. But when the thing turns out exactly the way I planned, I feel great happiness.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?
Inspiration can be found in nature, the world around us, the people around us. In each piece of jewelry, I want to convey a certain mood, idea or emotion. In one period of creativity, I discovered an interesting material for myself - jewelry epoxy resin.

I filled her with dried flowers, inflorescences, small buds, created pendants. Flowers inspired and this topic did not let me go for a long time. I wanted to capture the bright moments of summer in these jewelry. I often turn to ethnic motifs, there is some kind of power in ethnicity.

How do you feel about competitors?
In the field of creating handmade jewelry and jewelry, there are a huge number of craftsmen working in a variety of techniques. But I don't think that there is much competition, as each master has his own individual style, his own "zest". There is always a demand for designer jewelry, because this is not cheap Chinese jewelry, handmade products carry the warmth and energy of the craftsmen who created them with love. I am sure that it is not the buyer who chooses, but the decoration attracts its owner.

What would you like to wish to women who want to open their own business in the field of hand-made?
Find something you love, create for your own pleasure, believe in yourself. Hand-made is now gaining popularity, many appreciate and respect manual labor. Make your hobby your job.

What are your plans for the future?
I plan to further develop in this area, to study new techniques and techniques for creating jewelry, to replenish the assortment. I would like to take part in exhibitions and create my own website.

A jewelry store is a good idea for a business. A properly organized business can become quite profitable and pay off within a year. Success is guaranteed by demand: high-quality jewelry to the liking of women of any age. Such things are suitable for everyday wear, and new collections are released every season, forcing fashionistas to replenish their stocks.

The second success factor is the high margin that can be set for this type of product. The norm for jewelry is 200-300%. Under such conditions, its sale will soon begin to bring a stable income, so it’s worth finding out in detail how to open a jewelry store and get an interesting profitable business.

First you need to study the features of the product, consumer preferences and sales opportunities in order to be able to accurately answer the questions: what, to whom, where and how to sell. When the preliminary steps have been completed and the necessary information has been collected, it is time to proceed with the implementation of the plan.

You will need to draw up a number of documents, install equipment, purchase the first batch of goods, hire sellers. In a word, there will be a lot of things. In order not to forget about anything, when you are going to open a jewelry store, you need to draw up a business plan with all the details and preliminary calculations.

We draw up a business plan

The main requirement for this document is that it really be a plan that clearly explains how you can generate income with the help of a jewelry store.

Product Detail

At this point in the business plan, you need to indicate which jewelry is chosen and why it will be in demand. For example, the choice was made in favor of products of the middle price category and a little more expensive, with semi-precious stones and the use of hypoallergenic jewelry alloys, since these things are safe, aesthetic and suitable for any style of clothing.

Characteristics of the target audience

Having carefully studied the tastes and preferences of women in your city, you need to determine the category of potential buyers and draw up a typical portrait. The chosen type of jewelry is interesting for women 25-50 years old. They already have a steady income and can afford to buy such jewelry, but their needs are sometimes different. It is important for young people to look stylish and follow fashion, they can be demanding on the brand. Those who are older actively take care of their health and know that there is no allergy from a silver-plated chain, amber beads are useful for diseases of the thyroid gland, etc. They are rarely guided by fashion and will agree to purchase jewelry from last season that meets their requirements.

Competition

Surely every shopping center has such a department, so even at the planning stage, you need to find out the strengths and weaknesses of future rivals. What vendors do they work with? How often is the range updated? Is the markup high? What methods of attracting customers are used?

With this information, it will be possible to figure out how to resist competition. The methods may be different. For example, to develop original packaging for purchases, come up with a check lottery, make discounts on birthdays. It may be worth opening a jewelry and accessories store in order to diversify the offer and thereby attract more customers.

Possible risks

When selling jewelry, there are few of them. First, it's competition. If it is too high, then it will be possible to squeeze the ranks of rivals only by lowering prices.

Secondly, dependence on fashion and tastes of the target audience. What is not sold at the peak of its popularity has every chance to stay in stock for a long time. The situation can be saved only by a master who is able to take apart a thing and make something new out of it.

Thirdly, seasonality. Women always strive to look better, but massively this desire intensifies before graduations, New Years and March 8th. After these periods, sales drop. There is nothing you can do about it, the only way to make sure is to prepare well for the season in order to sell as many jewelry as possible.

Choosing a location for a future store

It's no secret that success depends on the choice of location. The area of ​​the city, traffic, proximity to other departments are important. The recommendations here are simple: jewelry is usually bought spontaneously, so it is better to spend money on renting in a busy shopping center. It will be very good if there are departments nearby that are focused on the same target audience.

As for the area, for starters it is worth limiting yourself to 5–6 m 2. Here it will be possible to place racks, and the seller will be comfortable.

It is undesirable to occupy less than 5 m 2, such savings have more disadvantages than advantages:

• a small department does not look very solid, especially if the shopping center has a large pavilion of competitors;
• a small number of people can approach him at the same time;
• if UTII is chosen as the taxation system, the value of the base yield will be 9000 rubles.

An ideal option for selling jewelry would be an island-type department. It is viewed from all sides and you don’t even need to go into it to see the thing you like. In addition, ready-made modules for jewelry are now being sold. There are already showcases and racks protected by shockproof glass, light boxes are built in, there are stands for jewelry. However, with limited funds, you can find a company that inexpensively makes such things to order.

Supplier selection

China, Korea and Türkiye are famous for attractive prices for good jewelry. It is more expensive to buy in Europe, but fashion is born here, so all products perfectly match it, differing in safety and quality. Suppliers can also be found nearby, among domestic manufacturers.

Department design and advertising

Faceless shop windows are unlikely to attract buyers, so it would be nice to come up with a name for your department in advance, design a sign, decorate racks with goods, and think over lighting. Original branded price tags, in turn, attract the eye and contribute to the formation of the image of the store. Before opening, it is worth advertising on TV, radio or in newspapers.

Approximate payback calculation

First you need to calculate the inventory required for at least the first month of trading. Suppose that the department should have 1000 pieces of jewelry, the average purchase price of each is 200 rubles. The total amount of the stock is 200,000 rubles.

Things will be sold, but empty stalls must be filled. An average of 10 units are sold per day. So, for a month, by modest standards, you need a supply of 300 jewelry, for 60,000 rubles. Let's round up to 100,000. So, to start trading, you need 300,000 decorations.

Starting costs when opening a store:

• purchase of a batch of jewelry - 300,000;
• purchase of a trading module - 100,000;
• design and manufacture of signs, various types of advertising - 50,000;
• cash desk, including and an apparatus for cashless payments - 30,000;
• the cost of services for paperwork - 20,000.

Total: 500 thousand rubles.

Suppose that the goods are sold at twice the purchase price, and the monthly revenue is 150,000 rubles. Estimated expenses in the same period will be 20,000 (rent) + 30,000 (salary salaries) + 15,000 (taxes, purchase of stationery, etc.) + 55 (purchase of a new batch of jewelry to replace those sold out). After all the deductions, 30,000 will remain, therefore, in the most modest scenario, it will take 17 months to recoup the investment. But in reality, revenue can be twice as much, for example, in a season or at a higher margin, so you have to wait less than a year.

Starting a business

All the actions described above are a preliminary stage, mostly theoretical. When everything is ready, it will be time to start the practical steps to open a store.

Choice of legal status

If you plan to open a small store, it will be enough to register or. Most often, entrepreneurs choose individual entrepreneurs: it is easier to open, the fines are lower, you can dispose of the proceeds as you like, which is very important when selling jewelry. Suddenly, during the season, sales will rise above the expected ones and you will need to buy another batch of goods? An individual entrepreneur is free to take money from the proceeds for this.

However, in the case when a business was conceived by several people who plan to expand it and eventually create a network of jewelry departments in different shopping centers of the city, it is better to register an LLC.

Choosing a taxation system

Since 2013, firms whose activities are subject to the application of the simplified tax system can choose any of them. On the forums, it is often advised to use the first one, since it is fixed and does not depend on profit, but on other indicators, including the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe sales department. The jewelry store has few square meters, so the tax will also be small.

However, this option is suitable for a long-existing department with good profits, and for a newly opened one, whose revenue is small, it is better to choose. From the amount of the first small incomes, the tax will also be modest, and even during periods of reduced demand, you can not be afraid that there will not be enough money to pay it.

Paperwork

After registering a legal entity, you will need to register with the tax office, obtain a TIN and Goskomstat codes, register with pension and medical funds, and social insurance. Then you can start preparing the documents necessary to start the store:

• commercial space lease agreement;
• papers from Rospotrebnadzor confirming that the store does not violate the standards established for objects of this type;
• contracts for preventive disinfection, garbage disposal, hazardous household waste disposal, ventilation cleaning;
• documents from fire services confirming the safety of the premises. It will also be necessary to appoint one of the employees as the head of fire safety and conduct his training;
• documents for KKM;
• product certificates and refusal letters from licensing authorities. The fact is that jewelry is not subject to licensing.

All documents can be drawn up without much difficulty on their own, but you can spend 20-30 thousand on the services of companies that assist in such matters. The freed up time will be useful for the installation of equipment and other preparations for the opening of the department.

Knowing how to open a jewelry store from scratch, you can plan and start a truly interesting and profitable business. You will have to face minor risks in the form of competition and dependence on fashion, but the relative ease of paperwork, moderate investment and quick payback make the jewelry trade attractive for those who want to receive a stable income.

Anna Kochetova - about how necklaces, beads and bracelets are created for a specific client

IT tools used by Sense Of Color

• 1C: UNF
• 1c accounting

Muscovite Anna Kochetova refused a status position in an IT company for the sake of her passion for creativity. She founded the jewelry brand Sense of Color, which is based on the selection of individual jewelry. The master takes into account the features of the client's figure, as well as her clothing style and image. Anna Kochetova, founder of Sense of Color, told Biz360 portal how to do something special and unique for each customer.

38 years old, founder of the brand. Graduated from the Moscow Aviation Technology Institute (now the Russian State Technological University) with a degree in IT-engineer. Since 2011, she has been a jewelry designer and founder of the Sense of Color brand. The initial investment in the project amounted to about 200 thousand rubles.

Looking for a special business idea

I have always dreamed of having a creative profession. Since childhood, I was interested in art and attended art school, my mother and aunt taught me needlework. But I finished school in the 90s, and I had to "get a good profession."

Having studied as an IT engineer, I worked for about 10 years in my specialty in one of the 1C franchisee companies. During this time she has gone from a programmer to a project manager and head of department.

But the dreams of art were not forgotten. I planned to return to creativity after the birth of a child - in principle, this is how it happened. During maternity leave, I began to look for new ways to use my talents. I always had a lot of ideas about needlework, and I had to decide which ones deserve to be implemented.

To understand my desires and plans, I took part in a 10-day coaching. This is a training in which the coach (trainer) helps the participants to formulate what exactly they want and in what direction they need to move. At the final stage, I realized that I wanted to help women express themselves through beauty and seek life balance.

I chose jewelry making as my new field of activity. I always liked it, and I already had experience in this matter. While working in the field of IT automation, I used to do jewelry as a hobby. But when I decided to turn my hobby into a business, I understood very well that there are millions of good craftsmen in this market. And in order not to get lost among them, you need to look for some new approaches and solutions.

"Goes with everything" - it does not happen

The sole purpose of almost all jewelry makers is to sell their products. About whether they go or do not go to the customer, usually no one thinks. I decided not just to make and sell accessories. And I set myself the task of choosing for each client only what really suits her.

But this required knowledge in matters of style and wardrobe selection, which I did not have at that time. I decided to fill this gap by enrolling in an image consultant course. The training lasted only a month, but it gave me a system of knowledge about the formation of the image and style of clothing.

The main theme of this course is how a woman should dress, emphasizing her strengths as much as possible and hiding her flaws. A separate part of the training was devoted to the principles by which people of different psychotypes choose their clothes.

After completing the courses, I worked for several months as an image consultant in order to acquire the necessary practice. In addition, I was trained by a jeweler. The total investment in training amounted to about 90,000 rubles. I also had to spend money on making the site (50,000 rubles) and materials (about 60,000 rubles).

Now there are a large number of craftsmen on the jewelry market. But among their products there are many things that can be called art objects. They may be beautiful, but how to use them and what to do with them is not clear. Even the authors themselves do not know what to wear them with. In such cases, they say that the thing "goes with everything." In reality, this means nothing. In my work, I proceeded precisely from what image you need to create with the help of jewelry. This is what makes me different from others.

The name for the Sense Of Color project came from childhood. When I started to study at art school, the teacher told my mother that I have an amazing sense of color, and I definitely need to seriously study. This was remembered in the family, and these words also sunk into my soul.

Only imported materials

I only work with imported materials. These include ribbons, laces, leather, silver-plated metal, stones and Swarovski crystals. Domestic fittings do not suit me in terms of quality. I buy materials from Russian distributors - for example, from Swarovski representatives.

It is common to think that jewelry is an emotional purchase and a trinket for pleasure. With my work, I prove that jewelry is a practical thing that can completely change the image of a woman with little effort. High-quality materials and meticulous work make it possible for jewelry not to lose its “presentation” for several years.

Of course, jewelry is usually not worn for such a long time. But clients say that my clothes go with a lot of things. And I'm working on it, which is also different from others. Sometimes they turn to me 3-4 years after the purchase for the restoration of their favorite thing - for example, to change the lock or some other detail.

How is communication with clients

On our website senseofcolor.ru about 60 ready-made jewelry are presented - mainly necklaces and earrings. These are things that suit many women and many outfits. All of them are made by hand, so even when buying from a catalog, the customer receives a product that is somewhat different from the rest. Even if this is a serial thing, it is impossible to do the same thing twice with your hands. It always turns out differently.

When ordering in the online store, customers can make small individual wishes (for example, change the lock). They can also consult with me which products suit them best. I can tell you about each position on my site, what it fits, how to wear it, and whether it is worth using for a particular person.

There are quite a lot of orders for an individual product. With such buyers I try to meet personally. At the meeting, which lasts about an hour, I bring samples of materials, as well as several finished products. Together with the client, we determine the type and concept of decoration. We focus on my ideas about what the image of the client should be, as well as on her wishes.

Then I lay out samples of materials on the desired background and send a photo of this "application" to the customer. I don't use sketches. As practice has shown, people do not always understand how a painted thing will look in real life.

Then we discuss the details by phone, skype or instant messengers and approve the final layout. The duration of these preliminary works depends on the customer. Sometimes the discussion takes no more than half an hour. And it happens that changing and coordinating layouts takes place in several stages, and the whole process takes 1-2 weeks. Sometimes people turn to me for repair or alteration of old jewelry. In such cases, more time is required to complete the order.

The process of making one item takes from 1 to 14 days. It happens that the workpiece needs to be postponed and nothing to be done with it for some time. Then some interesting and fresh ideas may come, different from what was conceived at the beginning.

If necessary, I refer my clients to image consultants. They offer each woman images based on what would be good for her to wear. They also select Sense Of Color jewelry and advise what to wear them with. This collaboration is successful in every sense. We are not talking about “emotional purchases” here: I saw something beautiful and bought it. Our goal is to find things for people that will emphasize the dignity of their figure and face, tell something about them and fill them with self-confidence.

Promotion through personal communication

The first clients of Sense Of Color were my friends and acquaintances. Many of them still wear those first jewelry of the brand. Friends recommended these things in their social circles, bringing in new customers. Word of mouth and now remains the main way to reach a new audience. The recommendations of image consultants, with whom I was already familiar at that time, also played their role. They would recommend my pieces to their clients if they matched the look they were creating.

Also, a lot of buyers come from social networks. The brand's website, as well as Facebook and Instagram pages appeared in the first months of the project. I am personally involved in filling the site and maintaining social networks. The experience with inviting third-party experts to write content was unsuccessful. The main topics of posts in social networks are how and for whom jewelry under the Sense Of Color brand is created. I almost never do paid promotion of the brand through the Internet and social networks. The name in the field of handmade jewelry, earned over 6 years, allows me to attract users of social networks without additional investments.

I don't use marketplaces like Masters' Fairs. This format does not allow conveying to the buyer the main value of the brand - an individual selection of jewelry for a particular person. Does not bring results and participation in exhibitions, which I have long abandoned. They were attended mainly by those clients who already knew me through social networks and recommendations from friends. And it is not always possible to interest other visitors of the exhibition in the format of quick communication.

Another unsuccessful way of promotion was selling through stores. My jewelry was in one of the three largest department stores in Moscow, in a store of one of the brands. But there was nothing for sale. The fact is that stores do not promote brands, and most of the sellers in them are non-professionals who do not know how to choose a good thing for a buyer that suits him. Therefore, such stores are now actually a cemetery of Russian designers.

Jewelry for different budgets

Earrings "from the catalog" cost from 3-5 thousand rubles, necklaces from 5-7 thousand, bracelets from 2-5 thousand rubles. Prices for custom-made jewelry start from 3000 rubles. Prepayment at the beginning of work on order is 70% of the cost of the product.

The average check for one purchase is about 10,000 rubles. Usually an order consists of two or more items. Almost every month, at least one customer buys 6-7 products at once. Such purchases are made not only “for gifts”. Sometimes I meet with a client and offer her several products to choose from. And she takes everything! Thus, she makes up a wardrobe for herself and completely closes the issue of accessories.

When working with orders "as a gift" I try to learn from the customer the maximum necessary information about the recipient and his tastes. But it happens that buyers are afraid not to guess with a gift. For such cases, the online store has gift certificates for 3, 5 and 7 thousand rubles. They are in high demand during the holidays.

You can pay for the order in a variety of ways: by card, from the account of a mobile operator, in communication stores or using instant payment terminals. All these payments are made using the Robokassa payment system. Cashless transfers from the current account and payments through the PayPal service are also accepted for payment. Upon receipt of the goods from the courier, payment in cash is possible.

The finished order in Moscow and the Moscow region is brought by couriers. Delivery cost - 300-350 rubles. You can also pick up purchases yourself at one of the points of issue of orders, it will cost the client 150 rubles. Orders worth more than 9,000 rubles are delivered free of charge. Jewelry is sent to other regions of Russia through a transport company. I work with one of these companies, it takes the payment and issues checks. And then he transfers the money to me in one amount.

With a small team

Sense Of Color jewelry is made by three craftsmen. They work under a contract, but the staff has been constant for many years. I think over the design, control the production of each product and help the craftsmen as needed.

To find good masters, she turned to friends for help. They recommended me people who wanted to work. One of the assistants is my client. She still wears the jewelry that she ordered from me, but now she makes new ones for herself.

I am the only one dealing with clients. I am not ready to entrust this part of the work to an outsider. The fact is that it is personal communication with customers that brings good results in the form of orders.

I outsourced bookkeeping. In the same way, other services for the company are performed: from the production of a website to the production of packaging. The plans for the future are to free yourself as much and better as possible. I want to have more time and energy to come up with new things.

Seasonality and other business nuances

The bulk of Sense Of Color customers are women aged 30 to 45 years. Sometimes men who are looking for gifts also turn. One of them ordered four decorations at once - for his daughter, wife, mother and aunt.

Most orders are in December and February: jewelry is bought as gifts for the New Year and March 8th. The recession occurs in January, May and July. But there were no strong drops in demand, not related to seasonality, over the 7 years of the project's existence. Even the periods of sharp depreciation of the ruble in 2014-2015 managed to pass quite smoothly.

Sometimes it happens that a woman buys jewelry for herself with the last money. This does not bother me at all: I feel like a woman in my jewelry, my clients do too, and this is the main thing. The worse things go for a woman, the better she should look. I bought jewelry with the last money - something in my life has changed and started to improve.

Most buyers of Sense Of Color jewelry live in Moscow and the Moscow region. Orders came from St. Petersburg, Yaroslavl, Cheboksary, Ufa, Kazan, Samara, as well as from Russian-speaking residents of Europe.

At least half of customers return for repeat purchases. Working with such clients is somewhat easier than with new ones: I already know what type of jewelry suits them. Repeated appeals happen the next year after the purchase, and after 3-4 years.

For some customers, Sence Of Color products are not just jewelry, but a way to solve a serious problem. For example, sometimes women come in who have a scar on their neck (for example, after thyroid surgery). And my decoration covers it. When a client puts on my jewelry, she has tears in her eyes. She needs jewelry not even for beauty, but to close her pain. Walking every day in a turtleneck with a long neck - you'll go crazy. A woman is always a woman. In social networks, I tell these stories - naturally, without the names of clients.

Among the plans for the near future is to develop cooperation with jewelers, which we have just begun. The fact is that I am often approached with a request to make a piece of jewelry to order - cast earrings, a ring or even a souvenir in the form of a dumbbell. Such clients should be rejected. Joint work with jewelers will allow not to lose such customers.

With a jeweler friend of mine, we started a project called Designed by kid. This is a piece of jewelry made for a parent based on a drawing of their child.

I take pride in what I do. This is my life. Beauty will save the world and it moves me forward every day.

The material used photos of Victoria Igoshina.

Trade with brilliance

Four years ago, the Russian jewelry market was seriously "sagging": the decline in retail sales amounted to 30-40%, which forced some companies to curtail their activities. Now the situation is reversed in this market.

echo of the explosion

In the world market, sales of jewelry are impulsive, explosive. Another surge of interest in it appeared in Europe and America in 2002. After a long decline, well-known fashion houses began to actively turn to costume jewelry again as a means that can seriously complement and emphasize the style of clothing. A year later, the blast wave reached Russia. Investors felt the growth of consumer interest, and new retail outlets for the sale of costume jewelry began to open actively in the capital.

“Today, the market is expanding due to the arrival of new wholesale and retail players,” says Valery Kurgansky, General Director of Selena. - Over the past three years, their number has increased three to four times. In any shopping center today, there is not one or two jewelry departments, as it was several years ago, but several times more.

“The owners of prestigious shopping centers have stopped looking at jewelry as something frivolous,” adds Igor Gutlin, Commercial Director of Ankor. “Therefore, they willingly rent out their premises for the sale of jewelry. For example, in the Okhotny Ryad shopping center, in addition to us, at least five other companies sell it.

The middle class is leading

Jewelry can be divided into three price groups: cheap, medium and expensive. Cheap items include products whose retail price does not exceed 500 rubles. The bulk of the products of this group are sold for 100-200 rubles. for the product. As a rule, these are Chinese, Afghan, Syrian products. Jewelry worth 200-500 rubles are also made in China. But, as a rule, they say Made in Italy, and their quality is slightly higher. The share of cheap bijouterie in the Moscow market accounts for about half of total sales (in physical terms). Usually it is sold in the markets, in the kiosks of underground passages and the subway.

The middle price group includes goods that are sold under their own brand. The retail price of such jewelry is 500-1500 rubles. for the product. As a rule, this is jewelry from domestic, German, French and Italian companies (Grey Stone, Bijoux Land, Selena, Iness M. Paris, Etalon-Jenavi, Altes, Avenue, etc.), as well as some Chinese and Korean manufacturers. This is high-quality and fashionable jewelry, which provides the capital's merchants with at least 40% of sales in kind. And in terms of money, this group of jewelry holds the lead in comparison with cheap and expensive jewelry.

“This costume jewelry allows you to create a very beautiful assortment in a retail outlet and attract more customers,” says Andrey Berezenkov, Marketing Director of Gray Stone. - Therefore, retailers most often buy middle-class jewelry from wholesalers.

Jewelery of the middle price group is actively sold in counter-display sections and boutiques of large shopping centers, in department stores, through online stores, as well as in small specialized stores.

Expensive brands account for approximately 10% of total sales. On average, their retail price is 1500-4000 rubles. for the product. Although there are jewelry worth $300-700. The expensive price group includes jewelry from well-known brands - Yves Saint-Laurent, Christian Dior, Ted Lapidus, Christian Lacroix, Kenzo, Valentino, etc. Exquisite jewelry is sold in prestigious stores and boutiques that sell clothes of the same brands. Importers of expensive clothes and perfumery mainly work in this segment, who independently purchase jewelry from famous masters for their stores.

According to the product structure, the market is also divided into two large groups: jewelry and hair accessories.

– The hair accessories market has its own peculiarities. It is more pronounced seasonal declines in sales. In summer they are sold more, in winter - less, - says Andrey Berezenkov. – By the way, last year can rightly be called the year of hair accessories. Their sales increased by 100-150%.

Relevant mini-format

There are no large stores selling exclusively jewelry in the capital's market. The main sales are made in small retail outlets.

- A large store specializing in the sale of one piece of jewelry cannot be successful and profitable, - says Valery Kurgansky. - Such a store must also sell other accessories for women: hats, umbrellas, gloves, scarves ... But selling only jewelry is beneficial for "island" outlets located in shopping centers.

Such islands of jewelry are counters and showcases located in the open spaces of shopping centers. Their area is from 4 to 20 square meters, and the range includes at least 500 types of products.

According to the marketing director of Gray Stone, Andrey Berezenkov, the best option for selling jewelry today is the creation of a Cash & Carry store, where jewelry is freely available.

“The world has not yet come up with anything more successful in this business,” says Andrey Berezenkov. “Women want to try on jewelry and see how it looks on them. In Europe and America, jewelry has been sold in such stores for many years. And in Moscow, the first such points appeared only two years ago - at the Lady Collection chain.

profitable business

The jewelry retail market attracts new players with minimal investment and stable income: the retail margin for jewelry ranges from 100-300%, and sometimes even higher. Some wholesalers, in an effort to ensure high liquidity of their goods in the retail market, recommend their customers to make minimum retail margins. But even with this approach, the owners fully cover their losses from the rest of the collections that were not sold during the season.

There are no problems with the purchase of goods from the owners of outlets. Wholesalers regularly provide retail with jewelry.

“Several large serious wholesalers operate in the capital's market, so the owners of retail outlets have a great opportunity to choose the best products for their business,” says Igor Gutlin, commercial director of Ankor. – For example, we cooperate with twelve jewelry suppliers.

Wholesalers give goods to trusted customers for sale or with a deferred payment. And some are even ready to take back the unsold remnants of old collections in exchange for new ones.

The availability of the product, as well as a small initial investment, allows beginners to successfully enter this business.

– Trading area of ​​15-20 sq. m can be quite densely filled with products for a total of $ 10-12 thousand, - says Andrey Berezenkov. – Together with the lease of space and the purchase of commercial equipment, opening a business will require $ 22-25 thousand. Jewelry trade is a successful model for a small family business that can bring in $ 4-5 thousand per month.

The success of a jewelry outlet directly depends on its location. In crowded places, the turnover per square meter of retail space is $750-800 per month. But the rent in such places is higher.

“Our observations show that the one who wins in this business is the one who, although paying a large rent, is located in a place where the flow of people dries up only late at night or with the closing of the shopping center,” says Andrey Berezenkov.

If, however, the assortment is expanded due to related product groups, then the turnover can be even higher.

“In our network, in addition to jewelry and hair accessories, there are souvenirs made of glass and crystal, leather goods and artificial flowers,” Igor Gutlin shares his experience. - Such assortment attracts much more buyers. At the same time, jewelry gives us 30% of the turnover.

More expensive than gold

Bijouterie is in stable demand. Most women are more willing to buy fast-fading jewelry made from non-precious materials than from gold.

“Women's logic is understandable,” says Valery Kurgansky. - A gold chain cannot decorate in the same way as a chic necklace bought for the same money, for example, made of artificial stones. In addition, jewelry uses materials and shapes that cannot be used in jewelry.

Jewelry manufacturing technologies are constantly being improved. For example, the Austrian company Swarovski has made another revolution in the production of artificial crystals. Over the past two years, she has introduced crystals to the market in 60 new color shades. Many jewelry with such rhinestones looks more spectacular than jewelry with natural gemstones.

Contribute to the growth in demand for costume jewelry and fashion magazines that popularize accessories. These publications prepare at least 25% of potential buyers to buy jewelry.

“Fashion magazines and popular TV shows are brainwashing the 12-25-year-old generation so much that jewelry sales for this age group are growing by leaps and bounds,” Andrey Berezenkov notes. – After every interesting publication about a new Gray Stone costume jewelry, initiated not at all by us, we receive 100-200 calls with the question: “Where can I buy it?”.

Half of the jewelry purchases are made by young girls. Marketing research conducted by major market players made it possible to draw a collective portrait of jewelry buyers. These are active girls aged 16-25 who carefully monitor their wardrobe, orientate themselves in the fashionable colors of the current season, know clothing brands and go to parties in democratic cafes. Their parents give them money - for pocket expenses, or they earn well themselves. And many have wealthy boyfriends.

In the wake of fashion

All world jewelry follows in the wake of fashion for clothes. Clothing in this process is primary, and jewelry is just an accessory that complements it. Therefore, the jewelry collections change dramatically twice a year - in spring-summer and autumn-winter. But since designers work all year round, the collections on sale are replenished with new products every month. The goods for the outlet are selected by an experienced specialist - a buyer.

“The main task of the buyer is to guess what kind of jewelry will be in demand in the near future,” says Konstantin Solovyov, director of Bacasco. – Buyers and merchandisers have to constantly keep abreast of fashion, analyze their own sales, and intuitively assess future consumer needs in order to buy the most popular goods from wholesalers. Typically, retail outlet owners work with several wholesalers at once, which allows them to diversify their assortment.

It is generally accepted that jewelry is a product exclusively for women. But for men, this market also has something to offer. And not only cufflinks and tie clips. Designers create special series of steel jewelry for men: bracelets, necklaces and rings. However, our men do not yet have the habit of supplementing their image with such things. Men account for no more than 5-10% of all jewelry purchases. Basically, the consumers of such jewelry are artists, pop musicians, representatives of show business. It is also noted that men do not know how to choose jewelry as a gift for women and therefore practically do not do it. At the peak of sales - before the New Year, March 8, school proms - women take on these worries.

Another thing is informal youth groups. Punks, rockers, metalheads love to adorn themselves with chains, earrings, bracelets and other trinkets. Therefore, some companies specifically include products for this target group in their assortment.

“In our sales, the share of bijouterie for “informals” is 10%,” says Konstantin Solovyov, director of Bacasco.

When forming the assortment, many stores do not lose sight of such a consumer audience as teenage girls from 12 years old. Andrey Berezenkov considers them the most grateful customers. For them, a lot of special jewelry and accessories are laid out for sale in the Gray Stone network.

Classic + ethnic

They never disappear from the shelves and classic jewelry is always in demand. According to Konstantin Solovyov, classics occupy 20-30% of the market. The main purpose of classic jewelry is to emphasize the elegance of a woman. Other groups of costume jewelry are more attached to the trends of changing fashion. These include hi-tech style jewelry, avant-garde, romance, ethnicity. The latter is now very popular and, according to forecasts, will be fashionable next season.

“According to the designers' forecasts, glamor, ethnicity and classics are the three main directions of fashion jewelry for autumn-winter 2005-2006,” Andrey Berezenkov says. – But you cannot blindly trust these forecasts when planning a business. You can know what will be fashionable, but still not guess what kind of jewelry our women will prefer to buy. Among them, there is a large proportion of those who select jewelry for fashionable seasonal clothes, based entirely on their own taste. And this sometimes greatly “undermines” the sale of fashion jewelry.

Growth or stagnation?

Specialists of the consulting group "Ready Business Store" believe that this year it is possible to increase sales of middle-price jewelry by 20-30%. In the future, the sale of cheap Chinese and Korean costume jewelry will gradually decrease, especially in large cities. Sales of jewelry in supermarkets will increase by 10-15% on average.

Andrey Berezenkov also believes that the jewelry market will grow.

- The market will be divided by several large retail chains, - Berezenkov says. - Loners will be consolidated. Competition will intensify, because newcomers will actively come into the business. It is also expected that two large global networks will enter the market: the American Claire's and the British Dsk Concession. The Americans have already opened a representative office in Moscow and are still engaged in market research.

Valery Kurgansky does not agree with these forecasts. In his opinion, the jewelry market is close to saturation, and therefore, in the short term, the growth in sales will stop.

“Against this background, mixed-format stores (jewelry plus accessories) will become the most successful and in demand. These will be medium-sized stores owned by large chains that will actively advertise themselves. However, small points in crowded shopping centers will also remain competitive, Valery Kurgansky believes.

The jewelry store is a business that has stood the test of time. Despite the extremely high competition in this niche, we still see the opening of new outlets. Some of them are turning into a full-fledged business with a developed network throughout the city and even outside the region. The reasons for success lie not only in the organizational skills of a businessman, but also in the specifics of the product. There is a great variety of jewelry and costume jewelry, ranging from classic factory items to unique design solutions. Therefore, almost every store can create its own original assortment, thereby attracting the attention of even the most sophisticated customer.

How to run a successful jewelry store? We present to your attention a step-by-step guide to starting a business.

Step 1 - Selecting the outlet format

The first thing to start with is to decide on the format of the business. There are plenty of options for opening a profitable jewelry trading point. Here are just a few of the well-known profitable destinations:

• Piercing jewelry store
• Men's Jewelry Store
• Artificial stone jewelry store
• Jewelry store
• Shop of exclusive jewelry
• Jewelry store
• watch store

Each of these directions has its pros and cons. You must first look at the presence of competition in the place where you plan to open a store. If the shopping center already has a couple of watch stores, then opening a third one is already inappropriate. But men's jewelry can be successfully sold here: rings, pendants, bracelets, chains, etc.

Step 2 - Finding Project Funding Sources

To open a point of sale of jewelry, depending on the format of the store, it may take from 450,000 rubles:

• Deposit for renting premises (6 - 15 sq. m.) - from 50,000 rubles.
• Purchase of commercial equipment (racks, economy panels, jewelry stands, cash registers, etc.) - from 100,000 rubles.
• Creation of an assortment of goods - from 250,000 rubles.
• IP registration and other expenses - from 50,000 rubles.

Step 3 - Selecting a room

To the greatest extent, the success of this business depends on the location of the outlet. The most profitable and "brisk" places are shopping centers. Such places are visited by wealthy people who are ready to spend tens of thousands on beautiful jewelry.

At the same time, it is optimal to be located as low as possible - on the first or second floors. The most accessible format is a shopping island for 4-6 sq. m. Retail space in the popular shopping center of the city will cost at least 5000 rubles. per sq. m. The main difficulty when opening in such places lies in the high financial costs of the design of the store. Each shopping center requires retail outlets to have appropriate design, which must fit into the overall design of the shopping center.

More budgetary retail space - the first floors of apartment buildings, as well as underground passages. In the first case, it is important to choose premises on the first line of houses, in close proximity to the roadway, sidewalks and bus stops. Here we are counting on a less solvent buyer, so it is advisable to trade inexpensive goods in such places.

Step 4 - Finding suppliers of goods

You need to decide on the key suppliers of products to your store. It is not necessary to buy Chinese goods. In our country, there are many manufacturers, including the plant "Etalon", "Colibra", "Red Song", "Privolzhsky Plant", "JOKER", "Infiniti" and others. Although there is one big "but" - direct manufacturers work with large batches of orders (at least 50 pieces of each product of a particular color). Entrepreneurs with one outlet per 10 sq. m. manufacturers are not interested.

A simpler, but less profitable option for individual shops is to purchase at wholesale depots in Moscow. Here you will find mainly Chinese goods, which are often sold under the guise of luxury Italian or French jewelry.

Some of the goods can be purchased from private craftsmen. Today there are many people who are engaged in the production of exclusive jewelry at home. As raw materials, they use natural stones and leather, 925 sterling silver, topazes, mother-of-pearl, zircon and so on. Some make very beautiful things, while the price may not be so high. A big plus of cooperation with private masters is that many of them are ready to give the goods for sale. That is, you simply allocate shelf space to them and do not pay for the purchase. As soon as the goods are sold, you transfer money to the master (for example, to a bank card), and keep part of the margin for yourself.

“In order to maintain the volume of revenue, in the future it will be necessary to update the assortment of goods at least twice a month,” market players advise.

Step 5 – Business Registration

The next step is business registration. For a small store, the best option would be to register an individual business. Such an event costs only 800 rubles. state duty. If the case is organized in partnership, then it will be necessary to register a legal entity (LLC). This is a more expensive option (costs from 20 thousand rubles), but with its own advantages. The status of a legal entity will allow opening branches. And selling a business, if such a need arises, will be much easier.

UTII is most often chosen as the taxation system for small shops. This is the most beneficial special taxation regime, when the tax is paid depending on the size of the retail space. The smaller the area, the lower the tax.

A few words should be said about the product documentation. Jewelry and bijouterie are not subject to mandatory certification, however, in order to avoid problems with regulatory authorities, ask the supplier for a declaration of conformity or a hygiene certificate. Each product must be accompanied by at least one of the specified documents.

Step 6 - Acquisition of commercial equipment and purchase of goods

After registering a business and concluding a lease agreement for premises, you can start buying commercial equipment and creating an assortment of goods. Depending on the size of the outlet, furniture for displaying and storing goods may be required: shelving cabinets, display cabinets, as well as auxiliary equipment. Do not skimp on the purchase of high-quality backlight: halogen, metal-halogen or LED. Such investments pay off handsomely. The arrangement of the outlet will require at least 100,000 rubles.

Step 7 - Advertising

Active advertising for a jewelry store is required only when the outlet is located in a very busy place. Then 99% of the goods will be bought on impulse (saw - touched - liked - bought). In other cases, you need to try hard so that the client goes to you. In the era of Internet development, advertising on social networks and through your own sites is very effective. Promoting your page is easy. Each buyer should be given a business card with the address of the group and site and provide a discount on the next purchase.

Regular holding of promotions is also a mandatory tool for increasing sales. You can inform about a new promotion through groups on social networks, as well as by sending SMS messages (customer numbers can be collected by filling out small questionnaires).

And do not forget about the seasonality of the business. The "dead season" in the jewelry trade traditionally falls on the summer period. Traders begin to make a profit only from October. Advertising in the off-season is money down the drain.