Understanding shopper behavior drives big wins for jewelry retailer

Operating a family-run brand for over seven decades is no small feat, and given all the changes within the retail environment, no one could fault a legacy retailer for striving to retain what drove success at the start.

Daniel's Jewelers, headquartered in Culver City, California, however, is not only retaining those core success seeds but also tapping innovative tech to keep customers streaming into its 100-plus locations across California, Arizona, Texas and Nevada.

Tech in play

The latest deployment is in-store traffic analytics from RetailNext. The technology is in use by over 450 brands, putting Daniel's Jewelers right alongside Macy's, Sephora and Bloomingdale in the quest to analyze shopper behavior, shopping patterns and trends to drive higher sales.

The technology provides a wealth of data to do all that as well as help store teams measure occupancy and boost asset protection measures, according to Joe Shasteen, global manager of advanced analytics at RetailNext.

"Another way to think of us is the pulse of the store, crossing numerous business functions and organizing insights into intuitive and actionable dashboards that improve outcomes for retailers and shoppers alike," he told RetailCustomerExperience in an email interview.

RetailNext leverages AI-powered in-store analytics that provide retailers with deep insight into shopper behavior.

"This information allows retailers to improve store layouts, reduce lines and congestion, tailor marketing efforts to real-world shopper behavior, and adjust staffing to meet customer demand — resulting in a more personalized, efficient, and enjoyable shopping experience," said Shasteen.

It's doing all that and more for Daniel's Jewelers as well enhancing the customer experience.

Pain points to eliminate

Daniel's Jewelers initially wanted to focus on accurate measures of its digital advertising efforts in relation to in-store foot traffic and sales.

Traditional methods of store traffic counting were providing an inadequate and superficial understanding of behavior, CEO David Sherwood explained in an email interview.

"With RetailNext's AI, we aimed to gain a more accurate and granular understanding of customer traffic patterns, dwell times, and conversion rates."

How the tech came into play

Daniel's Jewelers first learned about RetailNext and its technology via industry conference and discussion within its network of retail peers.

"As we expanded our brick-and-mortar presence and invested more in digital advertising, we recognized the need for a comprehensive solution to measure the impact of our digital campaigns on in-store traffic and performance," Sherwood said.

"RetailNext stood out as a leader in in-store traffic analytics, with a track record of providing retailers with actionable insights to enhance their operations and improve the customer experience. After evaluating several options, we chose RetailNext for its robust technology, industry expertise, and reputation for delivering tangible results."

The ROI and CX

Since deployment Daniel's Jewelers has achieved "a significant improvement" in its ability to measure and analyze store performance and is gaining invaluable insights into shopper behavior previously inaccessible.

"We can now track how customers move through our stores, which areas they spend the most time in, and how they interact with our products," said Sherwood.

That level of insight is letting the retailer tailor store layouts, product displays and staffing levels to better meet the needs and preferences of customers.

"By understanding shopper behavior more deeply, we can create a more personalized and seamless shopping experience that keeps customers coming back," said Sherwood. "It's allowing us to enhance the overall customer experience."

One of the most notable return-on-investments is the ability to optimize staffing based on real-time traffic data.

"By aligning our staffing levels with peak traffic hours, we've improved customer service, reduced wait times, and increased sales conversion rates," he said.

That has had a direct impact on customer experience as customers are getting more personalized attention and assistance when they need it most.

"Additionally, RetailNext's insights have helped us identify opportunities to enhance store layouts and product merchandising, further enhancing the overall shopping experience for our customers," said Sherwood.

Keys to success

The tech project success, according to Sherwood, is due to the collaboration between Daniel's Jewelers internal teams and RetailNext's implementation specialists.

"By working closely, we ensured a smooth and successful rollout of the technology across all our stores. My advice to other retailers is to invest in thorough training and change management processes to ensure successful adoption and maximize the benefits of the technology."

From the outset, RetailNext works closely with a retailer to identify goals and the most appropriate solutions, according to Shasteen.

An assessment of the existing IT infrastructure guides any necessary upgrades to ensure seamless integration.

"Following this, we oversee the installation process and provide comprehensive training to the staff, ensuring they are equipped to leverage the new technology effectively," said Shasteen. "To support retailers throughout this journey, RetailNext assigns a dedicated retail engagement manager. This retail engagement manager not only assists with the deployment but also helps interpret insights, ensuring retailers can make data-driven decisions to enhance their operations and customer experience."