In the past few weeks I've had more designers mention their new e-commerce website than ever before. And I've had a chat with a few retailers -- one in particular who has a fantastic online presence, too -- who are considering dropping vendors who launch e-commerce sites.
I find this a very interesting trend and dilemma -- but it's one who's time has come. When you've got wholesale accounts it's a very tricky line to walk. On one hand, you're competing with your own customers, on the other you're growing your brand and serving more consumers (hopefully) than ever before. [TIP: Surf the net for a while and visit sites for designers you admire. See who's retailing and how it's done. Check prices to make sure you're not underpricing your work nor your customers' normal pricing.]
Online jewelry consumers are gaining momentum and it's hard to ignore their purchasing power.
According to JCK magazine's news website: Diamond and jewelry Web sites were among the big winners on Cyber Monday, according to Shop.org. Traffic to Ice.com was up more than 70 percent and sales rose 82 percent. Diamond.com traffic rose 58 percent and sales increased 65 percent. .... read more
Retail jewelers will have to get better about cyber shopping and designers will have to figure out how to have their site and keep their customers, too. Each will have to find a way to agree -- even if it's to disagree.
It will be interesting to watch how the dust settles. What do you think? Share your comments with us.
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