Case Studies

Dive into Crabtree Consulting's impactful services through our comprehensive case studies. Witness our expertise in action with tailored solutions for both manufacturers and retail clients, showcasing successful outcomes that illustrate our mastery in addressing business challenges. We deliver tangible results and drive success for our clients.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DATA REPORTING

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Ensures a project is executed with precision and attention to detail, allowing upper management to focus on day-to-day operations.

Collects and organizes information from multiple departments, freeing up upper management's time for other priorities.

Takes the burden off upper management by handling meticulous projects, such as transitioning to a new software system or implementing processes for data accuracy.

Manufacturer

Standard Operating Procedures Overhaul

Insight:

The client is an exclusive wholesaler specializing in sourcing fine luxury finished pieces and large loose diamonds directly to other wholesalers. Additionally, they offer a unique inventory of high-end luxury fashion jewelry. The client faced challenges due to the lack of established systems and standard operating procedures (SOPs) within their organization. This resulted in issues with data input, communication gaps between accounting and software teams, and a lack of a systemized pricing structure. Moreover, the client encountered difficulties in managing a versatile customer base, each with different approaches.

Service:

Successfully streamlined processes and established SOPs to mitigate data input issues and improve efficiency.
Brought together various departments to understand existing processes, recommend and implement new processes, and develop SOPs.
Provided comprehensive training sessions for all offices once the finalized SOPs were in place.
Implemented SOPs for every process within the organization, ensuring standardized and consistent operations.
Enabled clearer sales numbers through improved data management and reconciliation procedures.
Enhanced interdepartmental communication and collaboration, allowing departments to understand and support each other better.
Developed a systemized pricing structure, providing clarity and consistency for customers and internal teams.
Improved overall organization and efficiency, reducing errors and minimizing misunderstandings across departments.

Outcome:

Established standardized processes and SOPs, creating a structured framework for operations.
Enhanced data accuracy and reconciliation, resulting in improved financial reporting and decision-making.
Strengthened communication and collaboration across departments, fostering a more cohesive and efficient work environment.
Streamlined customer management practices, ensuring consistent approaches and improving customer satisfaction.
Facilitated a systemized pricing structure, enabling smoother transactions and clearer communication with customers.
Increased productivity and efficiency, as well as reduced errors and misunderstandings, resulting in cost savings for the client.
Empowered employees with comprehensive training, enabling them to carry out their roles effectively and confidently.
Positioned the client for future growth and scalability through the implementation of standardized processes and SOPs.

Retailer

POS Software Conversion Project

Insight:

Our client was a jewelry retail chain consisting of 40+ stores that sought assistance in project management to successfully transition from two existing POS software systems to a sole new POS software. They required expert guidance and coordination to ensure seamless data transfer, as well as the accurate mapping and importation of various elements such as employee information, vendors, customers, and inventory across all store locations. Additionally, security measures for user roles had to be established for each location.

Service:

Successfully executed the transition from two existing POS software systems to a new POS software across the entire retail chain.
Coordinated data collection and mapping from all existing systems to ensure the proper importation of data into the relevant fields of the new POS software.
Collected employee information, defined user roles, and implemented necessary security measures to safeguard company assets and operations.
Managed the allocation of inventory, including approximately 45 uploads per location, and handled approximately 90 invoice uploads during the transition process.
Mapped and imported approximately 55,000 SKUs accurately across the organization.
Acted as the main point of contact for the new POS system, overseeing the project from start to finish.
Provided weekly reports directly to the CEO, updating them on the project's progress and ensuring alignment with the company's vision.
Allowed the client to maintain day-to-day operations while we managed the complex moving parts of the project, minimizing disruptions and optimizing efficiency.

Outcome:

Seamless transition from two existing POS software systems to a new POS software across all store locations.
Efficient and accurate importation of all critical data, including employee information, vendors, customers, and inventory, avoiding any loss or misplacement.
Enhanced security measures with defined user roles, protecting the company's assets and data.
Successful allocation of inventory and handling of invoices, ensuring continuity in operations during the transition.
Effective communication and reporting, saving the CEO valuable time and enabling them to focus on strategic decisions.
Minimized disruptions within day-to-day operations, maintaining productivity and customer satisfaction throughout the project.

DATA REPORTING

Reduce reliance on the IT team for report generation and provide guidance and content direction for more efficient execution.

Build and automate customized reports for inventory management and customer-specific lists to gain deeper insights for effective decision-making.

Increase data-driven decision-making to optimize business operations, targeting weaknesses and identifying opportunities for growth.

Manufacturer

Custom Data Reporting Portal

Insight:

The client is one of the largest wholesalers in the country, serving over 800 clients in the US. The client faced a challenge where only the IT team had the capability to run specific data reports. Additionally, the CEO required custom-built reports to be generated regularly but lacked the time and expertise to provide detailed instructions or determine the necessary fields.

Service:

Collaborated with the IT team to understand the requirements for building a custom data reporting portal.
Provided visual examples to demonstrate how the portal should be structured, including necessary filters and columns.
Worked with department managers to gather feedback and refine the draft reports.
Developed a comprehensive set of reports, including client lists, inventory reports, and other customized reports as requested.
Enabled the CEO and management to access more insightful reporting, identifying weaknesses within the business and facilitating strategic decision-making.
Generated customer-specific lists for upcoming tradeshows, improving targeted marketing efforts.
Provided clear and accurate numbers to understand the cost of inventory on hand and product sales, facilitating inventory management and sales strategies.
Utilized historical sell-through data to identify slow-moving products and develop strategies to decrease on-hand inventory or increase sales for those products.
Implemented improved reporting capabilities, allowing the client to make data-driven decisions and respond effectively to market demands.

Outcome:

Empowered the client with a customized data reporting portal, reducing their reliance on the IT team.
Enhanced the CEO's ability to access relevant and meaningful reports regularly, improving decision-making and strategic planning.
Facilitated accurate inventory management and cost analysis, resulting in optimized product procurement and sales strategies.
Enabled targeted marketing efforts by providing customer-specific lists for tradeshows and other promotional activities.
Improved visibility into the business's strengths and weaknesses, enabling the client to address areas of improvement.
Empowered department managers with reporting tools to track and monitor performance more effectively.
Facilitated data-driven decision-making, enabling the client to adapt quickly to market trends and optimize business operations.

Retailer

High-End Watch Retailing

Insight:

The client, a renowned multi-store jewelry retailer known for carrying top watch brands like Rolex, Patek, and Cartier, faced challenges with inventory management, lack of standard operating procedures, and underutilization of data capabilities in their POS software.

Service:

Developed specialized SOPs for the watch division, creating over 150 pages of detailed procedures within the first 3 months of the contract.
Enhanced procedures related to watch reorders to optimize stock levels and streamline the ordering process for top-selling brands.
Provided guidance on process enhancements to optimize current procedures that align with brand directives.
Conducted training on advanced features of the POS system and data-driven reporting for informed decision-making.
Created and implemented a comprehensive 50+ page watch service manual to standardize customer service practices across all locations.

Outcome:

Enhanced inventory turnover and increased product sales by maintaining stock availability of top-selling watches through effective reorder strategies.
Improved customer service and data accuracy by implementing the standardized watch service manual.
Increased team efficiency through the adoption of new SOPs and operational procedures.
Empowered staff to make data-informed decisions using POS data, leading to improved inventory turnover and reduced aged inventory.
Streamlined operations, reducing payroll hours and manual data handling through enhanced utilization of POS system features.

PRICE STRATEGY

Conducting a comprehensive market analysis on competitors' pricing to ensure our client's products are priced correctly for profitability and competitiveness in the market.

Providing the marketing team with guidelines on selling pain points that our client excels at compared to competitors, and guiding them on visually appealing strategies to entice retail clients to choose our client's products.

Developing product programs to increase the average sale price and training the sales team to understand the value proposition, enabling them to sell with confidence and maximize sales.

Manufacturer

Loose Diamond Wholesale Pricing

Insight:

The client is one of the largest loose diamond wholesalers in the US, with a desire to expand their finished jewelry division. While they carried finished jewelry, they had not conducted a thorough analysis of the business, including understanding what was selling and how to competitively price their products in the marketplace.

Service:

Conducted a comprehensive analysis of the top 10 competitors' pricing strategies for basic product categories such as studs, tennis bracelets, and necklaces that were sold to retailers in the US.
Reviewed the cost of goods and vendor relationships to identify competitive pricing opportunities and determine which vendors to continue working with.
Developed product programs with multiple carat total weight variations, adding and removing weight variations based on sales performance.
Created training programs for the sales team to understand the unique selling proposition of the finished jewelry and effectively counter competition's claims regarding quality and pricing.
Collaborated with the IT team to generate reports on inventory levels and sales performance to optimize inventory management.
Provided guidance to the marketing team on creative direction to appeal to jewelry retailers and promote the finished jewelry effectively.

Outcome:

Increased margin on finished jewelry products.
Enhanced sales team awareness and built confidence in selling the finished jewelry line.
Reduced inventory through the elimination of non-selling styles, enabling larger open-to-buy budgets for fast-moving products.

Retailer

Jewelry Retail Pricing Restructure

Insight:

Our client is a 10+ store independent jewelry retail chain seeking to optimize their pricing strategy for basic jewelry categories. They wanted an in-depth analysis of their product offerings, including margins, local competitors' prices, e-commerce giants' prices, and big box retailers' prices.

Service:

Conducted market research on various basic jewelry product categories, such as diamond studs, diamond bands, and tennis bracelets.
Built comprehensive Excel spreadsheets with detailed information, including product images, carat total weight variations, quality assessments, competitor prices, current vendor costs, and retail prices.
Reviewed the findings with the client, revised prices, and determined which vendors to continue working with or eliminate to ensure competitive pricing.
Arranged on-site meetings to physically examine the products, analyze stone counts, and evaluate craftsmanship and quality by purchasing competitors' products.
Collaborated with the inventory team to revise pricing, re-tag merchandise, and ensure that all stores had consistent inventory of each carat total weight variation for each product category.
Assisted in organizing email communications to store levels to educate them on appropriate product displays, including images of how each product category should be showcased.
Developed training materials and launched training sessions at the store level to inform sales associates about competitor pricing and highlight the advantages of our client's products.

Outcome:

Streamlined basic product category programs across all retail locations to ensure consistent and effective merchandising practices.
Achieved competitive pricing to increase margin potential.
Identified and established better supplier relationships for certain product categories.
Improved overall knowledge and awareness of competitor pricing among sales associates.

This project helped our client optimize their pricing strategy, streamline their product offerings, and train their sales associates, resulting in a more efficient and profitable retail operation.

PRODUCT MARKETING

Conducts market analysis to determine optimal layout and design for marketing materials.

We generate data reports based on past sell-through to ensure the right products are included in marketing materials, while setting minimum and maximum levels to maintain appropriate inventory levels.

Provides pricing guidance to remain competitive with the competition and offers creative ideas that empower the end consumer to make an instant purchase.

Manufacturer

Jewelry Supplier Catalog

Insight:

The client is a highly successful jewelry supplier that caters to over 1,000 independent stores. They have established a strong reputation in the industry and consistently rank within the top 15 units sold report across independent retailers, showcasing their impressive sales performance.

This case study highlights the product marketing project undertaken by a jewelry supplier that aimed to create a comprehensive catalog showcasing their products for independent retailers. The goal was to provide an efficient tool for retailers to sell items not in stock, boosting sales and customer satisfaction.

Service:

Conducted a market analysis on appealing creatives by top brands to determine the optimal layout and design for the catalog.
Collaborated with the inventory team to identify the top-selling collections, ensuring the inclusion of the most popular styles in the catalog.
Provided guidance on pricing updates to improve revenue generation by assessing the supplier's cost and revising the sell price accordingly.
Enhanced the catalog with creative ideas to minimize retailer questions and ensure a seamless sales process.
Strategized the distribution of the catalog to target retailers and managed the budget for effective advertising of the catalog's launch.
Achieved resounding success with the catalog being hailed as the best-ever launched in the company's history, leading to increased sales and boosted confidence among the sales team.

Outcome:

The catalog was recognized as the best-ever launched in the company's history, receiving positive feedback from retailers.
Increased confidence among the sales team due to the organized and comprehensive catalog, resulting in improved sales performance.
Enhanced revenue generation through pricing updates and inclusion of the top-selling collections, strategically selected based on market analysis.

Retailer

Targeted Product Marketing

Insight:

Our client is a well-known 3-store independent jewelry retail chain that specializes in carrying top branded bridal lines like Tacori and Verragio, prestigious watch brands, and estate jewelry. They approached us with the goal of increasing their in-store events and needed assistance in targeting the right clients through effective marketing, developing the right messaging, determining the optimal marketing mix, and creating a follow-up system for their sales staff.

Service:

Created a comprehensive 50+ page blueprint outlining the process of executing a highly successful in-store event that has the potential to generate up to a million dollars in sales within a span of three days.
Provided coaching on running specific reports of past sales to identify target clients and determine the most effective marketing channels based on their purchasing history.
Assisted on the direction of developing appealing marketing creatives tailored to different customer categories, enticing them to visit the store for specific items.
Collaborated with the inventory team to create detailed product lists, ensuring that the necessary stock was available from vendors for potential customers.
Gathered targeted customer lists and distributed them to the sales team in advance, ensuring that each customer was contacted a minimum of two times.
Established a clear blueprint for future events, enabling the client to effectively prepare, even as they expand their internal team with new hires.

Outcome:

Successfully executed the most profitable and highest-traffic event in the company's history.
Increased sales and customer engagement during in-store events.
Developed a repeatable process for future events, enhancing the client's ability to prepare and achieve consistent success.
Provided a clear direction and reference for new hires, ensuring a smooth onboarding process.

TRAINING & WORKSHOPS

Boost sales reps' knowledge and skills to effectively communicate the company's unique selling propositions to retailers.

Provide an outsider's perspective with extensive hands-on retail knowledge, helping sales reps think more like retailers and understand their customers better.

Equip sales reps with all the necessary tools and ammunition to confidently engage with retailers and promote the products they are selling.

Manufacturer

Sales Team Training

Insight:

Our client is a large jewelry wholesaler based in New York, selling to over 500 independent jewelry retail stores on an annual basis. They have 20 sales representatives spread across the United States. The challenge they face is training these sales reps virtually and ensuring their engagement and attention throughout the training sessions conducted online.

Service:

Successfully delivered a full-day, 8-hour on site training session for all 20 sales representatives.
Prior to the on-site training, conducted a visit to the client's New York HQ to gather information on new product launches, marketing materials, unique selling propositions, and to better understand the sales reps' sales abilities and challenges faced throughout the year.
Received feedback from multiple sales representatives stating that this training was not only well-organized but also highly valuable and effective.
Sales reps appreciated the presenter's extensive experience in the retail world, which helped them gain a better understanding of their customers (the retailers) and improve their abilities as sales professionals.

Outcome:

Engaged and trained all 20 sales representatives, overcoming the challenge of distance and the difficulty of virtual training.
Enhanced the sales reps' knowledge and skills regarding new product launches, marketing strategies, and unique selling propositions, enabling them to effectively communicate these details to retailers.
Improved understanding of the retailers' perspective by providing insights and experience from the presenter, bridging the gap between sales reps and their customers.
Boosted the confidence and sales abilities of the sales representatives, leading to increased sales and improved relationships with the independent retail stores.

Retailer

Keynote Training Webinar

Insight:

The client is a trade publication for jewelry retailers across the country. They approached us during the height of the Covid pandemic, seeking assistance in organizing a virtual keynote webinar. The objective was to attract a large audience and provide guidance to jewelry retailers on how to generate sales while their physical stores were closed.

Service:

Successfully organized and delivered a virtual keynote webinar during the Covid pandemic.
Achieved record-breaking pre-registration with over 1500 retail jewelers expressing interest in attending the webinar.
Provided comprehensive training to all participating retail stores on strategies to sell jewelry virtually without physical interactions.
Presented live examples of videos and visuals to demonstrate how retailers could engage customers remotely.
Shared insights on creating a virtual experience that mirrored the in-store experience for customers.
Garnered positive feedback and ongoing recognition from retail jewelers, who continue to reference the trade publication and our team as the presenters of the webinar.

Outcome:

Engaged a significant number of retail jewelers, addressing their need for guidance during the pandemic.
Empowered jewelry retailers with the knowledge and skills to adapt their sales techniques to a virtual environment.
Helped retailers overcome the challenges posed by physical store closures, enabling them to continue making sales.
Provided practical examples and strategies that retailers could immediately implement to enhance their virtual sales methods.
Established the client, a trade publication, as a trusted source of industry expertise and valuable resources.
Enhanced the reputation of our team as knowledgeable presenters on virtual sales techniques for the jewelry industry.
Generated long-lasting impact; Retail jewelers referenced the webinar and our team's contribution years beyond the event.

VENDOR NEGOTIATIONS

Utilize strong negotiation tactics to quickly reduce aged inventory, resulting in a leaner inventory that facilitates a higher turnover rate.

Implement data-driven decision-making processes to optimize procurement and sales strategies, enhancing overall efficiency.

Streamline operations and improve profitability by developing standardized procedures for inventory management and resource allocation.

Manufacturer

Negotiation for Wholesale Jewelry Supply

Insight:

The client, a wholesaler supplying hundreds of jewelers across the US, faced challenges in pricing strategies, market understanding, and supplier relationships. They needed assistance in determining competitive pricing, identifying reliable suppliers, and negotiating better terms to decrease on-hand inventory, optimize product selection, and ensure competitive pricing and quality control. Our team conducted a comprehensive analysis of their current inventory, market trends, and supplier relationships to formulate an effective vendor negotiation strategy.

Service:

Successfully renegotiated partnerships with existing suppliers, resulting in the implementation of bin stocking to ensure uninterrupted supply and reduced inventory costs.
Conducted market research on retail pricing to assist our client, a wholesaler, in understanding the market value of the products they sell. This enabled them to offer competitive pricing to the retail stores they supply, ensuring they remain competitive in the market against big box retailers.
Negotiated returns of slow-moving products, replacing them with new items to increase inventory turnover and profitability.
Addressed quality control issues for specific SKUs, leading to improved product quality and customer satisfaction.
Streamlined inventory management, resulting in reduced inventory levels and a leaner stock that turned quicker.

Outcome:

Reduced inventory levels and improved inventory turnover, resulting in cost savings and increased profitability.
Strengthened relationships with existing suppliers through improved terms and bin stocking practices.
By leveraging our comprehensive knowledge of the retail marketplace and understanding of product pricing at a retail level, we effectively expanded our client's customer base in the retail jewelry sector.

Retailer

Retail Chain Vendor Negotiation

Insight:

Our client is one of the top 10 multi-store independent retail chains. They were struggling to find a suitable candidate for a buying role that encompassed buying, data analysis, and vendor negotiation. Our primary task was to handle vendor negotiations in order to minimize on-hand inventory, increase sales, and make informed buying decisions on fast-turning products. Additionally, we noticed that the client had no established operating procedures for running inventory and sales reports. Therefore, we created standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure multiple members of the inventory team could effectively run these reports. We also worked closely with the VP to identify and utilize various features and filters within their existing POS system for quick access to inventory levels and sales reports.

Service:

Developed and implemented standard operating procedures (SOPs) for running inventory and sales reports, ensuring effective monitoring and analysis of stock levels and sales performance.
Provided guidance and strategic direction to the VP on utilizing additional features and filters within their POS system, enabling quick insights into inventory levels and sales reports.
Conducted data analysis for the top 10 vendors, identifying aged inventory and opportunities for negotiation.
Organized and facilitated Zoom meetings with vendors and retail buyers, resulting in successful negotiations that led to the return of over a million dollars' worth of aged inventory to vendors for credit.
Shifted buying decisions from personal preferences to data-driven choices based on past sell-through, ensuring more successful product selection.

Outcome:

Minimized on-hand inventory, reducing holding costs and freeing up capital for other business initiatives.
Increased sales by implementing data-driven buying decisions, focusing on products with proven sell-through rates.
Established SOPs for running inventory and sales reports, enabling multiple members of the inventory team to understand and utilize these processes effectively.
Improved visibility and analysis of inventory levels and sales performance through the effective use of the existing POS system's features and filters.
Strengthened vendor relationships through successful negotiations, resulting in significant credits and reduction of aged inventory.
Empowered the client's retail buyers to make informed and data-driven purchasing decisions, maximizing profitability and avoiding slow-moving products.

FRACTIONAL BUYER

Optimizes vendor relationships and purchasing decisions with data-driven strategies, allowing ownership to focus on sales growth and customer experience.

Conducts competitor research and margin analysis across multiple product categories, freeing up leadership’s time from procurement complexities.

Takes the burden off management by handling strategic buying initiatives, such as consolidating supplier partnerships or implementing data-driven pricing for improved cash flow.

Retailer

Fractional Buyer Service

Insight:

A single-store independent jewelry retailer was struggling to balance daily operations with strategic buying, as the CEO also served as the buyer. Without a clear category framework or cohesive merchandising strategy, the store carried overlapping assortments, inconsistent pricing, and aging inventory tying up open-to-buy. Reporting was largely manual, limiting visibility into performance by category, vendor, and price point. By bringing structure to assortment planning, competitive pricing, and vendor focus, buying shifted from reactive to data-driven, enabling faster, more confident decisions while improving margin and inventory productivity.

Service:

Conducted a full category-by-category audit of on-hand inventory across key basics, including diamond stud earrings, diamond bands, diamond hoops, and solitaire engagement rings — covering both natural and lab grown assortments.
Built detailed analyses for each category, mapping on-hand inventory, units sold, cost, retail price, margin, average age, and sell-through velocity by vendor to identify where the assortment was healthy, where opportunities were being missed, and where capital was sitting idle.
Identified vendor fragmentation across multiple categories where the client was sourcing the same weight and quality from several different suppliers at inconsistent cost points, and made targeted recommendations to consolidate to one or two preferred vendors per category.
Benchmarked current retail pricing against big box retailers, online giants, and local competitors to identify where the client was compressing their own margin or pricing themselves out of the market on everyday basics.
Delivered suggested retail programs by carat weight and quality tier for each assessed category, with updated cost structures and clearly documented projected margins.
Flagged aged and non-performing inventory for removal or repricing to free up open-to-buy budget for faster-turning product.
Developed SOPs outlining how to run the relevant POS reports on an ongoing basis, reducing dependence on outside support and building internal data capability for future inventory decisions.
Provided specific vendor program and style number recommendations to streamline the reorder process and standardize assortments going forward.

Outcome:

Identified margin improvement opportunities in the range of 10 to 20 percentage points across multiple categories through vendor consolidation and cost structure adjustments on comparable SKUs.
Reduced the number of active vendors per category, creating a cleaner vendor base and stronger positioning for better cost negotiations with preferred partners.
Delivered updated retail pricing programs that positioned the client above big box pricing while staying competitive with the online market — protecting the independent jeweler price premium without sacrificing volume.
Removed aged and non-performing inventory from the assortment, recovering open-to-buy budget for reinvestment in higher-velocity product.
Equipped the client with category-specific SOPs and reporting tools to monitor inventory performance independently between service periods, improving data accuracy and supporting better purchasing decisions going forward.
Established a repeatable quarterly framework that compounds in value each round, with each engagement building on the prior period's sell-through data to further refine the assortment and tighten the vendor base.

CASE STUDIES

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DATA REPORTING

PRICE STRATEGY

PRODUCT MARKETING

TRAINING & WORKSHOPS

VENDOR NEGOTIATIONS

FRACTIONAL BUYER

Fractional Buyer Service

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