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If you are manufacturer or seller of jewelry, you may be interested in selling your lines of jewelry on the web. This is one of the most frequent questions that we get from potential customers and customers that have been online for a few years. Usually, it's a case-by-case business. If you have this question, we're going to respond with some questions of our own:
• Will your customers allow you to sell online?
There is no reason to assume that your client based will be thrilled if you are selling your products directly to the consumer, effectively removing them from the equation. They may choose to not link to your site or buy from you altogether.
If you are looking to allow your jewelry store customers purchase from you, than that is a different matter, and worth considering. However, deeply deliberate whether or not your customers have requested such an action, as most jewelry stores (like most jewelry buyers) will want to personally see and touch the jewelry you create.
• Do you have someone who can dedicate their own fulltime efforts into the site?
Too often we have seen jewelry stores think they must sell online, buy the ability, and then realize there's no time, there's no staff, and there's no way to full embrace the eComm possibilities. The same goes for jewelry manufacturers. Don't get us wrong; we put together a great eComm site, but the reality is we do not want you to bite off more than you can chew and learn to resent a perfectly viable advertising tool, like the internet.
• Do you buy online yourself?
Think about the types of things you buy online. Very likely you aren't buying within your own industry (although you might be!), and realize that for every Amazon.com or OverStock.com, there are thousands of would-be great idea-driven sites that go absolutely nowhere. Amazon, OverStock, and so many others that are profiting at this time (and be certain that their own numbers fluctuate in the market not unlike a brick-and-mortar) don't have physical stores to worry about, and are creative start-ups that spend millions of dollars on advertising, have exceptional word of mouth business, and are essentially so well-known that people don't have to search or even bookmark the address; they come that easily to the mind and to the fingers.
Some physical businesses (Wallmart, Target, Costco) are doing very well online (sometimes better than their locations), but almost all of them very big corporate business and they're no fools: they have sections in their stores dedicated to your type (while not the same quality or personal experience) of merchandise. We would love to say that you can compete with them, but we know it is better to put your energy towards a web presence that tells your existing and potential customers why they should trust you and visit you in person. The selection that you have that may or may not be exclusive--but you provide the very best in customer service to help them find what they are after.
• Are you willing to put your full force behind the project like we will?
If yes, then fantastic--you probably have weighed your options, figured out your budget and needs, and are ready to go. We aren't here to convince you that you will lose your store, family, and citizenship if you get an online store! Instead, we will work together to get the very best site together with you. We ask you to call us for a quote based on your very specific needs and we will provide you with a proposal on the matter.
Our contact form is here.
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