“Many leaders and experts in the retail jewelry industry contend that independent stores should be selling their merchandise on the Internet, providing prices and online shopping carts,” writes Leo Anglo, General Manager of Vincent's Jewelers in Creve Coeur, Mo., in his article posted on www.nationaljewelernetwork.com. “I've seen many retail associations assisting and even downright pushing their members in this direction.”
I totally disagree, he goes on to say. I think we should utilize the Web to promote our stores and services, but if the independent stores start selling online we might as well be selling our very souls. Now I know what you are thinking: Here is yet another jeweler who is afraid of technology. Nothing could be further from the truth. I wrote the program our store uses for point of sale and inventory control, I have designed and/or managed 19 Web sites and I was a teaching assistant for computer programming at a university.
Let me explain why selling online would be the equivalent of selling our souls. First, if we begin to train our customers that it is just fine and acceptable to buy online, we will eventually be sending them to the lowest-priced online retailer, and we jewelers are not all designed to be that low-priced operation. Simply put, if you list prices on your sites, you will be pushing customers away and never know it. Online shoppers will visit your site, see your listed online price and obviously find a lower price somewhere else. Since you have already convinced them that buying online is just fine ... most likely they will buy elsewhere.
The Web is a tool to convince consumers to visit us in our stores, so that we can give them the type of experience that they can't find on the Net. We are selling gifts that can last for generations, we need to provide the warmth they can't get in the cold, click-and-ship world.
Now let's consider the obvious online category: diamonds. Many diamond companies are "helping" retailers create fancy search pages so that Web visitors can "find" their diamond. The search pages show diamonds the retailer does not own or have in store.
Again, a pretty cold method to find a symbol of a relationship that will last a lifetime. But, more importantly, if we list prices ... see above ... we may be pushing customers away. Many of the diamond guys don't care if they sell a diamond through a low-priced online company or an independent retailer, nor do they care if we are selling our souls.
I often use the online sellers as an example of how a 1-carat, G-color, SI1 can differ: Just look at the price range on the same Web site. The price variations demonstrate how each diamond is very unique, so I tell customers the best way to understand and appreciate the difference is to see the stones in person.
I realize that there are always going to be consumers who will buy diamonds and jewelry online, just as there will always be people who will mail away their gold. But we would be foolish to convince more and more people that the cold, click-and-ship is the same or better than seeing and touching the jewelry, getting advice from a professional, and enjoying the excitement, experience and service of a live purchase.
The stores that have succeeded and will continue to shine did so by creating an experience in their stores-one that takes effort and time to create.
Yes, it is easier to follow the advice and sell online, instead of working on creating an experience in your store. If you want to avoid doing the work, just link your Web site directly to one of the established online retailers, cut your staff and sit at the door waiting for a repair or watch battery request.
