June Sablan, owner of StoneWear Jewelry, suggests pieces from her custom line, such as this pendant design, to those creating wish lists in her store.

Peoria, Ill.--For many years, jewelers have been encouraging their customers to create "wish lists" that can be tactfully shared with that person's significant other when various holidays and anniversaries come up.

But each jeweler takes a different approach to that list as a sales tool.

Some use it aggressively, others subtly. Some encourage their customers to create an online wish list that can be e-mailed, while others say it is best used in person. Most, however, agree that properly handled, wish lists are invaluable in terms of driving business.

Ronda Daily, owner of Bremer Jewelry in Peoria, Ill., says the wish list is a vital part of her "Ladies Night Out" events, in which favored customers are treated to a swanky evening of shopping at one of her two stores--with one catch: There is absolutely no buying allowed.
 
"Each lady can try on anything she wants, taking notes [on items that she likes]. Then, at the end of the evening, we collect the lists," Daily says.

This past holiday, the jeweler tweaked the strategy a bit, offering a discount incentive designed to lure buyers during a tough economy.

"In the past, we've taken the top three items from each list and sent a note to the lady's significant other, saying, 'These are her favorite things,'" Daily says. "This year, though, [we gift-wrapped] the list with a gift for him and included a $100 gift card to that purchase."

Bremer Jewelry has usually gotten about a 40 percent return on the wish lists. Daily used to hold the events in November, but she decided to move them to December when she realized that most men are last-minute shoppers, and some items on the list might not stay long in the showcase.

Casual customers, too, are encouraged to make and update a wish list as they browse. Daily notes that the store's newcomers are always invited to make a list, and many say they've never done so before.

"It's important that you get a good range of price points on the list," she says. "We keep all that information in a database, and often we'll send a picture of an item to a customer, noting that his wife had been looking at this item."

Consider the gift-buyer

Daily warns jewelers not to take a hard-sell approach when informing the potential gift-giver of the recipient's preferences. If she knows the giver well, she might phone him with the information, but more often she'll send a fold-over card with two or three items listed, then follow up with a phone call in a few days.

"But this approach won't work in all circumstances, and especially not in the South," she says. "There, men tend to be offended by that approach, and women will say, 'Don't call him; he's supposed to know what I want!' My in-laws own jewelry stores in Tennessee, and that's what they run into all the time."

In Fremont, Calif., June Sablan, owner of StoneWear Jewelry, confirms that the wish list is an effective way to bring men into the equation--and to ensure that they'll buy something that the recipient will appreciate. Sablan says she encourages men and women to make lists for her to use in follow-up sales calls.

"I use a prepared form that includes room for the husband's phone and e-mail information, and special dates," she says. "At first, it was awkward for me to cold-call men, but this way I have the wife's permission, and she will already have told him, 'June will be calling you.' That way, it's almost a done deal, and I have nearly 100 percent success."

Sablan uses a standard e-mail, mentioning to prospective buyers how she knows their wives and giving them details of what's on the list. To sweeten the deal, she even offers free wrapping and delivery.

"He just has to give me his credit card information, and we make arrangements as to how the jewelry will be delivered," she says.

Sablan says this system is effective because it eliminates fear of failure.

"Men tell me, 'Every time I buy her something it's the wrong thing,' and they get gun-shy," she says. "I ask a customer for her top three choices, and sometimes the man will say, 'I'll buy all three, then I won't have to worry.'"

Quite a few jewelers use online wish lists, including chain stores such as Kay Jewelers, which allows customers to e-mail their list to a loved one with either a personal note or a standard message: "I was shopping at Kay Jewelers' Web site and found some things I really like. Thought maybe it would give you a few ideas. Just click the link below to go right to my personalized page."

However, some independent jewelers say that their online capabilities are seldom used, and that face-to-face discussions usually work best for wish list management.

"A man might come in and say, 'My wife tells me she put some items on a list,'" says Cherry LeBrun, owner of de novo in Palo Alto, Calif. "On rare occasions, if we have a close relationship with a couple, we might contact him directly, once his wife has made her wishes known to us."

Women are encouraged to include several items on the list so that the buyer will have a choice and there won't be a problem if one item is unavailable.

"If you use the wish list intelligently, everybody wins," LeBrun says.