Adding Men’s Accessories and Jewelry to Your Store

Q: I keep reading about the opportunities associated with adding more accessories to my mix. What are your thoughts, particularly with jewelry?

A: Yes, the current trends would support your ideas about adding more accessories to the mix. As for jewelry in menswear, cuff links and bracelets are performing the best. Bracelets are the newer trending category of the two, but the trick is finding items that meet your customers directly.

Understanding your store’s vision is important when making this buying decision. I suggest you shop other stores, both large and small, to see what types of jewelry are being carried. Then, test some jewelry items in your store that work well with the overall look you are trying to put together for your customers.

I think I’ve talked about testing goods before by creating a separate planning category for them that you can do a trend analysis on. This may be a good way to figure out if your new accessory choices are going to work for the medium or long term.