Did you know that a secret international panel of ten people invited by Pantone, a company based in New Jersey, selects the seasonal colors that will be used in every area of industry around the world! It has been said that one of these people actually showed up to the meeting with a basket of onions, they found them inspiring and hoped to find a color to capture their essence. From fashion runways to home decor, these color selections are available for merchandisers, buyers, and advertising and marketing managers to stay current with today’s fast moving trends. Using these trends to aid versus change your buying habits can be a financially smart decision.Our memories are programmed to recall and react unconsciously to subtle colors. The best test is to put an orange Home Depot apron upside down; how many people will correctly know the store name simply by recognizing the color? Pantone's permeation of the markets can not be denied. Retail shoppers are inundated with Pantone's season color selection through magazines, websites and in store experiences.Disagree? What do Emma Watson, Aubrey Plaza and Caitlin Fitzgerald have in common? They all wore Pantone inspired fashions down the red carpet at this year's Golden Globes Awards with rave reviews.
Image Source: Huffington Post
Following Pantone's color trends can help the independent jeweler be more appealing to new shoppers. This is not to say you should repaint your store's interior with every seasonal change or stock up on cheap costume jewelry. However, acknowledging the color trends will help you keep your store’s image current and lend a sense of style expertise to the more valuable jewelry and gemology knowledge that you already offer.
Here are some suggestions:
- If the colors are appropriate for jewelry, like this season's aquamarine-like Placid Blue, consider modifying your store’s stock to include a select number of jewelry items that match these fashionable color trends. For example, last spring Emerald was selected as one of the colors of the season. In this case, you may have wanted to order a few die struck stock items in Emerald instead of Ruby or Sapphire.
- If the Pantone's color are not appropriate for your gemstone jewelry stock, be sure to have a selection of gemstone styles that compliment the color. By offering these items you will provide style conscience offerings that hold value after the season passes.
- You can also incorporate the color into your store's decor by a rotating bouquet of flowers in the Pantone colors on the counter or place items in your store’s window display that use Pantone colors.
- Pantone releases their color selections months in advance, so before you head to JCK Las Vegas or other major buying shows, do your homework and see what will be trending this fall!