A stock system is only useful when the work gets done

Make the stock visible, not just recorded

A jewellery stock record can tell you that an item exists without making it easy to recognise or sell. In his CMJ interview with HIKOMORE, Mike Viney, Head of Sales & Strategy at StockBox, describes a more visual way to manage that information.

His example is practical: associate an image with each item, then make the record accessible on a phone or tablet wherever there is an internet connection. A jeweller can see the piece, where it is held and the information needed to discuss a sale, including its cost and intended selling price.

For a business handling individual pieces, that connection between the physical item and its digital record matters. HIKOMORE’s reading is that a system becomes useful when staff can quickly understand what they are looking at and act on it.

The work around the software matters too

Asked what makes the biggest day-to-day difference for an independent jeweller, Mike focuses on StockBox’s supplementary services. He walks through the work that sits between an item in a cabinet and an online listing: cleaning or polishing it, photography, image editing, a product description and uploading the information to the system.

These are separate tasks with separate skills. Mike describes StockBox’s offer as taking on that digital and operational work while the owner runs the shop. That is his account of the service, rather than a measured claim about time saved or sales gained.

The StockBox website describes a cloud platform bringing stock, sales, repairs and customer information together, alongside optional photography, marketing, data-entry and repair services. It gives context to Mike’s emphasis on supporting the whole process around the software.

Decide who will keep the system useful

For HIKOMORE, the lesson is about implementation. Choosing a platform is one decision; deciding who will photograph new stock, maintain records and prepare listings is another. If that work has no clear owner, the software cannot make the information complete by itself.

For an independent jeweller, a useful starting point is to follow one item from arrival to sale. Identify where information is missing, where someone repeats a task and where extra support would help. That makes the conversation about a system more concrete.

StockBox is a HIKOMORE client.