Celebrating National Jewel Day 2021 in the Jewelry eCommerce Era
As a coveted possession of humanity through the ages, precious jewels and their beauty are certainly something to celebrate! Every year, we use this day to take the time to recognize the artisans and jewelers who make such radiant, breathtaking pieces. If you’ve got a piece hidden away, today’s the day to take it out and show it off… on social media, that is. This year’s National Jewel Day marks a difficult year in the jewel business. For one, there are few places to show off one’s jewelry when everything is shut down. The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns and closures have deeply affected the jewelry industry: brick and mortar shops closed, foot traffic slowed, and events for showing off any fine pieces, like awards shows and galas, were held online.
An online-exclusive commercial landscape makes online marketplaces like Ebay, Amazon, and Etsy essential to retail businesses of all sizes. Though malls and physical stores were closed, online shopping continued, and even increased, through the pandemic: e-commerce jewelry sales rose 44.6%. But the internet isn’t just a point of purchase; Social media platforms like Instagram have the potential to be the driving force behind brand popularity, like New York’s Mejuri or Laguna Beach’s Gorjana. Instead of celebrities on the red carpet showcasing jewelry, our social media feeds show us influencers and their latest gemstone picks.
For example, throughout her campaign and while accepting the nomination for Vice President, VP Kamala Harris wore her signature pearl necklace and earrings as a nod to her sorority, representing the unbreakable bonds that Alpha Kappa Alpha’s members share. The message resonated so much that a Facebook group of over 375,000 people was created, named “Wear Pearls on Jan 20th, 2021,” signifying a resurgence in their popularity.
Because of the shift to online jewelry retail, Amazon, Ebay, and Etsy are the destinations of jewelry shoppers, which has led designers, brands, and small businesses to start stores on these sites at little to no cost, but with painstaking, time-consuming cataloguing of products. As a result, jewelers have started to invest in their websites and ecommerce shops as alternative revenue channels. These channels end up larger-than-shop because of the ability to sell beyond a local audience and reach consumers even internationally.
In an industry as intensely competitive as retail jewelry, keeping up with market trends and demand is imperative to any jeweler, from well-established enterprises or independent artisans. That’s why it is more important now than ever to establish presence in online marketplaces. Transitioning to ecommerce is no easy task; jewelers must consider managing and synchronizing inventory and listings on multiple channels, streamlining brand identity across channels, writing up product titles, descriptions and other content, and more. Simply opening a shop on Etsy or ebay is less costly, but growing sales requires an investment, especially of your time. Valigara is the perfect professional jewelry software tailored towards successful jewelry ecommerce in these marketplaces because it saves you time on the product end of things, so you can sit back and focus on creativity and growth. A streamlined online presence bolsters professionalism and communicates to customers that you can be a trusted jewelry seller.
This online shift is here to stay. In this age post-COVID-19, ecommerce has simply become commerce. The best way jewelers can adapt to this new normal is to up their ecommerce game and maintain sufficient market share, competing with major brands both online and in stores. By boosting online presence, jewelers and artisans can establish professionalism, save time, maintain strong customer relations, and grow their businesses to their full potential.
