RAPAPORT... If the words “online” and “romance” sound awkward together, it’s time to rethink. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, an increasing number of internet users are finding romance online. In a report released last year, researchers found that “Some 31 percent of American adults say they know someone who has used a dating website and 15 percent of American adults — about 30 million people — say they know someone who has been in a long-term relationship or married someone he or she met online.”
These numbers are representative not only of people’s need for romance in their lives, but their willingness to look for it online. However, looking for love online is still a topic of some controversy. Internetromance.org, a website devoted exclusively to creating a comfortable environment for online romance seekers, admits on its own website that “Outsiders have been commonly known to verbally ‘doom’ an online romance solely because of the medium used.”
If that’s true in regard to love, then jewelry etailers are surely facing an even larger hurdle in trying to make buying romantic jewelry over the ’net feel as special as buying it in person. For example, on Loveanddiamonds.com, a site devoted to explaining the ins and outs of diamond engagement rings, an article titled “Find the Right Store — Offline or Online Diamond Engagement Ring Purchase” discusses the pros and cons of buying a diamond engagement ring online, but completely eliminates any talk of romance. After all, an engagement ring is as much an investment as it is a gesture of love.
SELLING EMOTIONSo what does this all mean for etailers seeking to sell romantic jewelry to happy couples? Some retail sites combat the perceived impersonal nature of the internet by featuring stories about love, tips and advice on romance and wish lists designed to make the purchasing decision feel more intimate. Certain jewelry sites, such as RobbinsBros.com, offer articles like “45 Perfect Ways to Propose” to reinforce the idea that just because one is buying a ring online doesn’t mean the process has to be antiseptic.
Still other retailers stress that the deeper level of involvement in the process that’s required to buy a ring online is in itself romantic. “I often hear that the internet has killed the industry, in that it has commoditized the diamond and taken romance out of the process,” says Ankur Daga, chief executive officer (CEO) of the jewelry website Angara.com. “I completely disagree. What the internet has brought about is more choice for the customer, and an incredible amount of information that helps make the buying decision more informed.”
According to Daga, “It’s fascinating to discuss diamonds and settings over the phone with internet customers — they are obsessed with finding that perfect engagement ring — and anyone who has these conversations will see that, if anything, internet customers are far more romantic than offline customers. By this I mean that they will spend a very significant amount of time getting educated, looking through a significantly broader selection for the perfect diamond and weighing multiple pros and cons to make the right decision. As a result of their level of involvement in the process, they are usually much savvier than their counterparts who simply rely on third parties to make an engagement ring decision.”
WHO’S BUYING
It’s also important to know who’s doing the shopping. “The type of jewelry one is selling will determine the level of romance,” says Mayer Gniwisch, president of Ice.com and Diamond.com. “But romance is always needed. For instance, on sites where the jewelry is more of an impulse buy [such as Ice.com], the romance needs to be there to get a person to fall in love with the piece. But on [sites such as Diamond.com], where the jewelry purchases are higher ticket, people are looking for quality and longevity, so romance is not key. And at Blue Nile, where they are selling to males and they are selling a commodity, there is no need for romance at all.”
As internet users become more and more comfortable integrating their on- and offline worlds, sites can use their increasing levels of involvement with the process of purchasing to reinforce the idea that every jewelry purchase can be a romantic one. In fact, says Gniwisch, “I don’t think the internet has changed anything” when it comes to jewelry’s association with romance.
Daga agrees, in part. “Today’s romantic shows his love through the amount of effort he puts into buying an engagement ring and the thought process that goes into making that decision,” he says. “Yesteryear’s romantic had much more blind faith in his purchase decision, often relying completely on third parties to make the decision for him. The level of romance in the process is exactly the same. It’s just that today’s romantic is a much more empowered one.”
Daga feels that stressing how good a deal a customer may be getting, however, should not be at the forefront of the process. “Romance should be communicated through the entire selling process, from the home page to product delivery,” he says. “On the home page, most retailers focus on images of product and the price, usually with some sort of indication of discount. This cheapens and commoditizes the experience. Retailers need to remember the emotional attachment behind giving jewelry — it is a demonstration of love. Thus, the emphasis should be on lifestyle, how this product will look on her, rather than on pure technical details. Both are important, but the former is often overlooked.”
Gniwisch feels that getting the customer connected to the product is another crucial element of a romantic sell. “Great visuals and video make the customer feel as close to the product as possible,” he stresses.
In the end, it’s not just about the actual purchase. It’s also about the level of service a site is willing to provide. This final element is particularly important when it comes to romantic purchases, because buying a gift for a sweetheart can be a stressful endeavor. Daga feels that sites must carry the feeling of romance all the way through to the delivery point. “Once past the website, the feeling of romance is carried home by the level of customer service provided,” he says. “Does the sales associate really understand what is going through the guy’s mind while he is making the engagement ring purchasing decision?” Daga adds that this goes all the way down to the box. “[Even the] packaging needs to reflect the brand and what it embodies.”
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - June 2007. To subscribe click here.