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“You don't have to swing hard to hit a home run. If you got the timing, it'll go.” -Yogi Berra
Another year has come to pass, and this year really taught all of us at Punchmark the importance of tailoring our toolkits to best serve our clientbase and bring our expertise in the jewelry space to offer timely and powerful tools and campaigns.
From our wildly successful Antwerp Marketing Campaign (more on that later), to releasing AI-Powered tools as soon as it was possible, to securing the first exclusive interview with newly announced IJO President, Stephen Barnes, timing was key this year.
Let’s take a closer look at what 2023 at Punchmark entailed.
2022 Year In Review • 2021 Year In Review • 2020 Year In Review
Key Feature Releases
We released some exciting new features at Punchmark which leveraged changes in the tech world and empowered us to build with the future in mind.
Page Speed
Our largest release this year was certainly our platform-wide Google Page Speed improvements. Page Speed scores reaching high levels are known to boost SEO rankings and increase organic traffic, and we've swung for the fences to get you that additional website traffic. Our Page Speed release elevated Google Page Speed scores to near or above 90 for mobile users, which is so high it's essentially unheard of. We've taken great care in our approach to Page Speed, so you get all of these performance improvements without compromising functionality, unlike many other generic solutions. Punchmark's approach avoided shortcut tactics employed by some and opted instead for organic enhancements with proprietary tools and expert guidance. You can be confident with the knowledge that Punchmark has already anticipated Google's upcoming requirements for Page Speed in order to ensure future compliance. Ultimately, this service isn't just a nice-to-have; it's critical for user experience, SEO, traffic, and conversion rates.
Listen to the In the Loupe Episode where we discuss this topic in depth:
AI Jewelry Data Wizard
A persistent issue our clients have battled when integrating their POS systems has always been the number of beautiful, splendid, incredible rings that are on their websites titled… “Ring”. With jewelry at its core being a luxury item, this form of product storytelling is a bit lackluster.
With the Jewelry Data Wizard that is powered by an Artificial Intelligence API, you can update your product titles and descriptions en masse, and instantly change all of your boring product titles into ones that will grab your customer’s attention. Say goodbye to that “Ring”, and say hello to a new “14K Multi-Color Rainbow Sapphire and Emerald Ring”, because with this update, fresh titles for all of your products are just a couple clicks away.
AI Assist on Page & Blog Copy
Many of our clients’ websites are run by a member of staff who’s management of the website is only part of their job. They WANT to have the time to write blogs, build landing pages, and update content, but they just simply do not have the time.
AI Assist is Punchmark’s answer to that, giving our clients their time back with the help of ChatGPT to assist them as they write their page and blog copy.
New SiteManager Dashboard
The most visually apparent change to SiteManager this year were the updates to the SiteManager Dashboard for all clients. These changes are aimed at providing daily diagnostics on how your site is performing (Page Speed, Sales, Performance), as well as easily displaying key information to you immediately upon logging in.
Global Switch to GA4
One of the biggest updates of the year came with Google Analytics 4 in July. The new GA4 is a complete redesign and reworking of how Google analyzes and tracks your website visitors and Punchmark’s development and marketing teams spent many months preparing for the transition, updating how the platform collects and sends data, and determining how we can take advantage of the new ecommerce and marketing attribution features in GA4. The transition went smoothly, with many jewelry stores asking us to update their Google Analytics, set up their Google Merchant Center for more jewelry organic traffic, and optimize their Google Business Profiles for improved local SEO. We also used this as an opportunity to assist clients with transferring their GA4 properties out from under a Punchmark Account umbrella and to Accounts owned by the jewelry stores.
As Google continues to build and develop GA4, and as new digital marketing technologies come out, we’ll be sure to evaluate and prioritize the ones that will help jewelry stores grow and measure their online traffic the most.
SCSS Engine
Punchmark made a significant leap in web development this year by introducing SCSS (Sassy Cascading Style Sheets) to our toolkit. SCSS is not just a newer version of CSS; it's a game-changer. It offers a host of features that simplify and enhance the way we create and manage styles for your websites. This advanced preprocessing language ensures your site loads faster with improved Google Speed Scores. But it doesn't stop there – SCSS sets the stage for a wave of exciting developments in our suite of products. With variables, nested rules, and mixins, SCSS makes CSS more efficient and organized, resulting in a consistent and modular design. This innovation aligns with our commitment to delivering superior user experiences while optimizing the design and development of your e-commerce website.
Cookie Consent Policy
The often frustrating reality of reaching consumers through a website is that the government regulates that interaction. Third-party tools, plugins, and analytics are easy to hook up to your website and offer a wide array of benefits to shoppers and retailers alike, but these integrations often come with the need to use third-party cookies on your website, which governments regulate internationally. Different regions have different laws about how users must consent to these cookies, and sorting through all those restrictions can turn your easy integration into a massive headache. This year, Punchmark stepped-in to handle those regulations for our clients. We've implemented a cookie-consent system that satisfies all legal requirements for third-party cookie use while being sure to keep users' attention on shopping. The cookie-consent system we've implemented can be completely ignored while shopping and allows your third-party integrations to operate at their fullest legally allowable capacity at all times. We're handling the busywork so you can stay focused on reaping the benefits of your integrations.
BOGO Coupons
We heard you loud and clear on this one. BOGO, or Buy One / Get One, is a fantastic way to offer a buy-now reasoning for new customers and move some stale inventory. Our coupon infrastructure was something we knew we needed to get right the first time, as any bugs could have serious implications.
After many months of development and testing, BOGO and BOHO coupons are now available to use just in time for the holiday season!
Similar Item Recommendations on Product Details Page
2023 marked the return of a new and improved product feature that displays items similar to the one being viewed. This was one of the features that Version 6 of SiteManager launched with, however in a previous version the “similar product pull” was much too heavy and resulted in the slowing down of the page load.
We stripped down the old code and rebuilt it with speed and lightweight loading in mind, so that shoppers don’t notice even a moment of delay.
Version 5 Sunset
With heavy hearts, we finally said goodbye to ol’ trusty Version 5 of SiteManager. This was a more involved process than you might expect, one that involved many members of Punchmark assisting in the move-over process to our newest platform, Version 6.
This move allowed us to shutdown several legacy servers and disable some old scripts that have freed up a lot of processing space and clean up our infrastructure.
New Integrations
At Punchmark, we want to work with the best, so that we can deliver the best possible product. As we build integrations with the incredible partners we work alongside, we also learn how to think differently, adapt our processes, and stay modern so that we are never left behind.
Along with all of our pre-existing Partners and Integrations, here are the new integrations we added this year.
AccessiBe
Where there’s business, there is also the required due diligence to abide by the rules and regulations set up by the government. For online, that set of regulations comes from the ADA or the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, requiring that online businesses are accessible to those with disabilities.
Punchmark websites are compliant out of the box, however it can take work to maintain that standing, but it doesn’t have to be that way! We partnered with AccessiBe, one of the leaders in ADA compliance, to provide a discount and greater coverage for our jewelers.
Accrue
A customer that purchases with Accrue sets aside the product and adds money to the third party account until meeting the required amount for the purchase. This feature not only enhances user interaction but also cultivates a stronger connection between our clients and their audience, driving sustained growth and retention. This form of financing has proven effective in making a wider range of products available to more clients.
Antwerp Marketing
Going back to our roots as a marketing/branding company, this year we’ve relaunched our Antwerp Marketing program. Over the fall we worked with several dozen retail jewelry stores to promote their Antwerp diamond buying trip, book appointments and pre-orders, and promote their stores and services. It was incredible seeing and hearing the Antwerp diamond pre-orders taking place and hearing how well the trips went! We’ll be bringing back the Antwerp Marketing program this coming Spring and look forward to again working with those going.
Community
Punchmark has the greatest clients in the world, full of retail jewelers, vendors, and personalities from all over. By listening to and collaborating with our jewelers, we are able to focus on developing what matters most.
2nd Annual Client Workshop
Back and better than ever, this year’s Client Workshop in Charlotte, North Carolina, was so much fun and full of great presentations by Punchmark team members, Partners, and even a LIVE recording of In the Loupe! Our distinguished sponsors this year were The Edge, Edge Retail Academy, National Rarities, Classic Grown Diamonds, Clientbook, and INOX.
Weren’t able to attend? Listen to this recap and we will see you at the next one in 2024!
A Few Websites that Pushed the Envelope This Year
We launch hundreds of new websites every year and our Project Management and Design Teams handcraft the websites and guide our clients through the launch process.
Here are a few of our favorite launches that really pushed the envelope this year!
In the Loupe
Our weekly podcast, In the Loupe, really exploded this year, which afforded us the opportunity to interview some of our most exalted guests yet, including David Geller, author of Geller’s Blue Book, and secured the first exclusive interview with Stephen Barnes, new President of IJO.
Very notably, we also brought on Alex Schlindwein, Co-Owner of Kiefer Jewelers, to be a recurring guest and provide her insights as a Next Gen store owner and retail jewelry influencer.
Also, a big thank you for all of our guests this year, including Alex, Lucas and Radames from the Smithee Group, Doug from David Douglas Jewelers, Kirin from Illumix, Jiovan from Podium, Penny and Stephen from IJO, Justin from National Rarities, David Geller, Jesse from Minor Jewelry, Anna from Barnett Jewelers, Vincent from Arezzo Jewelers, Nick Weber, Scott from Stambaugh Jewelers, Erika from the Rock Tour, Matt from AccessiBe, Candice from Birthright Foundry, James from Porte Marketing, Craig from Ostbye, Rachel from Gem Legacy, Matthew from Guild and Facet, Zulu from Smiling Rocks, and the many (MANY) people interviewed at the jewelry shows attended.
Vendor Vault
Punchmark’s newest contribution to our community is a quarterly publication that strives to highlight the incredible vendors and partners that make our platform industry leading, as well as to draw attention to some of the latest features and offers available to our clients. This publication was created with content and design at the forefront and with three issues already under our belt, we've received some very positive feedback.
All Punchmark clients receive a print copy of every issue in the mail, but we’ve put them online as well so everyone can enjoy them!
Issue 1
Premium Vendors
Punchmark’s Premium Vendor Program completed its overhaul this year, as we are now seeing over 90% of Premium Vendor data deemed “Up to Date”. This means a vendor’s data has been updated with the latest prices and specifications in the last 90 days.
The Premium Vendor program also continues to grow, as we added 8 more jewelry lines to the system including: Delmar Jewelers, Vlora, Benchmark’s Brook & Branch, Revelation, Mercury Ring, B.I.G. Jewelry’s Lynx, MK Luxury Group’s MK Diamonds & Just Desi lines.
Employee Highlights
We are so proud of the talented and hardworking members of our company as they continue to improve. We saw two of our team members earn additional certifications or advanced degrees in their field, furthering their education and ensuring Punchmark operates using the latest technologies and processes.
Lorenzo Milliken
MS Degree in Project Management from Colorado State
Read Full Article
Nicole Nichols
Scrum Master Certification from Scrum Alliance
Read Full Article
Two of our longest tenured members at Punchmark were promoted so they may further their team’s success with their leadership skills.
Aaron Plocharczyk
Promoted to Director of Technology
Read Full Article
Thomas Cossuto
Promoted to Sales Manager
Read Full Article
What to Expect Next Year
Next year we are focused on doubling down on our strengths and improving our key products. Some of the most important pages on your website will be seeing interface and user experience improvements such as the Jewelry Grid, Product Details Page, and product filtering, with some inspiration from some of our favorite sites.
With the upgrades to the Jewelry Grid, we will be unifying the code backbone that also supports the popular Engagement Ring Designer and Diamond Search so that they are just as easy to use and e-commerce supported. By having all of these product selection pages under one umbrella, we will be able to roll out future updates to all of them at once.
Our Premium Vendor Program is going to be getting even more of a focus as we push to move as many of our vendors onto API integrations as possible so that their jewelry data is constantly updated. The Punchmark Premium Vendor Program is already industry leading, but that’s not enough for us. We want this platform to be industry changing.
And finally, we are bringing a renewed focus to our integration with The Edge POS system. The backbone of the industry, we want to deepen our connection with this important partner and add new features that we have long contemplated. Stay tuned for more on that.
Best of all, we feel like we have all the pieces that we need to make big waves in the industry. We have a strong team with great leaders and hard workers, scalable processes, a clear course of action that we are able to execute upon, and forward thinking clients that see where the industry is heading.
And for all of that, we are grateful.
With sincere gratitude,
Ross, Dan, Bryan, Jason, Michael, Stuart, Sarah, Aaron, Thomas, Nicole, Hope, Lorenzo, Kimberly, Gasper, Andy, Garrett, Mana, Junior, Gary, Savannah, and Diana