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Laryssa Wirstiuk
President, Joy Joya
Retail is missing a simple, reliable way to connect marketing efforts to what actually happens at the register — online and in-store. Right now, many brands can see email and SMS clicks, but they can’t clearly tell which messages lead to purchases, repeat buying, or higher lifetime value, especially when someone shops in person.
If retailers had an easy, privacy-conscious way to tie campaigns to real sales outcomes, it would change how they spend money and how they communicate. They could stop guessing, reduce over-discounting, and focus on the messages that build long-term customer relationships — not just short-term spikes.
For me, the goal isn’t more “tracking” for its own sake. It’s clearer feedback on what customers respond to, so brands can create better experiences and more profitable retention programs. That clarity also helps teams align merchandising, store associates, and customer service around one consistent story, everywhere customers engage today.
Andrea Hill
I wouldn’t argue that the problem is “missing technology.” Modern enterprise resource management (ERP), client relationship management (CRM), and analytics platforms already exist, are affordable, and are more than capable of running a sophisticated jewelry retail operation. What is missing is adoption discipline.
Too many stores are still operating on outdated and disconnected systems and spreadsheets. The hard work of migrating data, standardizing processes, defining inventory structure, and committing to data discipline is uncomfortable and also hard to understand. So it gets delayed, but the risk of that delay is growing exponentially. Only stores with clean, structured, connected systems will be able to use the coming wave of AI tools to forecast demand, manage buying, personalize client outreach, and optimize cash flow. Stores on antiquated systems will miss out. Technology change is about to hit warp speed, and companies that fail to prepare now will find it impossible to catch up. So I think what is missing is a combination of capacity and confidence. The technology is already here.
Elle Hill
CEO, Hill & Co.
The technology missing in retail is an integrated system that connects clienteling, live custom design, pricing, and inventory intelligence in one real-time selling moment, and here’s the essential part: Your sales team must love using it!
Too many jewelers still sell custom by imagination. They cannot instantly visualize a piece for their clients, confirm stone availability, calculate margin, or quote delivery, all while the client is sitting in front of them. That hesitation [creates a] precious time gap that loses the sale. At the same time, multi-door retailers often lack clear visibility [regarding] what truly sells in each location and which client profiles buy which categories. Owned inventory sits on the balance sheet without precise deployment strategy.
Research consistently shows that personalization and effective CRM — and a good CRM tool to underpin it — increase client retention and lifetime value while reducing acquisition costs. In high-ticket, low-frequency categories like jewelry, that impact is amplified.
The future is not more technology. It is better-connected intelligence that wins on the store floor, in real time.
Megan Crabtree
CEO, Crabtree Consulting
One major gap in retail technology — especially in the jewelry industry — is the lack of seamless virtual selling tools. Retailers still rely on smartphone photos or basic video calls to show loose diamonds or fine jewelry, when what we truly need is an integrated, high-resolution virtual platform designed for real-time customer viewing and interaction.
There is also a clear disconnect between wholesale and retail software; there’s nothing that merges those two worlds together. Retailers must manually enter purchase order data from wholesalers, which opens the door to entry errors and inefficiencies. I would also say the people building these software systems, whether for wholesale or retail, often lack experience running or working in an actual retail operation. That’s a big reason why reporting functions and key features are often missing.
Finally, technology still hasn’t addressed automating gold price adjustments, leaving retailers with hours of manual retagging work.
Amanda Gizzi
Senior vice president of corporate affairs, Jewelers of America (JA)
Today’s consumers want it all. They want to search for information and products, find reliable data, find products quickly, know how those products will look and feel, get access to the product quickly — all while having a positive customer experience.
The jewelry industry has been playing catch-up in the digital space. We were slow to adapt, and while we have made significant progress over the past few years, there are still a lot of opportunities left behind the sales counter.
One piece of technology [that would be useful] is for consumers to be able to scan a piece of jewelry and to know where all the materials came from. Parts of the supply chain are able to support this demand, but for every part of the jewelry to be traceable would be remarkable.
Main image, clockwise from top left: Laryssa Wirstiuk; Amanda Gizzi (center); Elle Hill; Megan Crabtree; Andrea Hill. (Jordan Harris; Jewelers of America)
