By Alexey Chertkov
The Diamonds & Gold of Russia magazine told the readers in the previous issue about the most significant websites of the Russian rough and polished diamonds manufacturers. This time we present to our readers a review of online stores’ websites.
The case in point is online stores, not just jewelry manufacturing companies’ website, which contain information about various collections the company sells along with other data. An online store’s goal is exceptionally utilitarian – to organize sales by through Internet, render online services to the buyer to chose, reserve and even pay for a jewelry piece he or she likes.
A company’s website has another task – providing fuller information about the producing company, company’s brand promotion, giving specialized information focusing a potential buyer or wholesaler on the advantages of choosing this jewelry seller. Unfortunately, many jewelry companies do not attach importance to this way of sales, and I think time will come soon when the heads of such enterprises reconsider their opinion in favor of online sales. Otherwise, they will be behind other jewelry traders.
You must admit that though both types of websites solve similar tasks, but the ways may differ. And the sooner a jewelry manufacturing company realizes the difference between the two ways of their website development, the more promptly it will get absorbed into online sales. In fact, quite often websites of jewelry producing companies are overfull with the information hampering a buyer in making choice in favor of a product posted on the site. And the most inexcusable mistake of such resources is that the search of jewelry is too complicated. A contemporary Internet user, who decided to take advantage of the online service, expects to get answers to the questions quickly and without additional “researches.” I doubt very much that an ordinary buyer will conduct a qualitative marketing research to choose one or two items for any solemn occasion or as a present. Certainly, there are some exceptions, but they only prove the rule.
It should be specified that this is a question of purchases with the budget in the range of 3.500-12.000 rubles. Experience shows that the majority of sales through online stores fall on this price range, with an average cost of 5.500 to 7.000 rubles.
As online sales experience shows the success of such undertakings is measured not by high price per item, but the number of purchased items, and the author of this article is a witness of such purchases, and also refers to the opinion of several general directors of jewelry companies engaged in sales through the Internet, but for the known reasons these companies decided to remain unmentioned. Reputable buyers, who prefer renowned jewelry brands, will hardly become the clients of online stores. But the mighty of this world can also take impulsive decisions, especially when the purchase can be arranged promptly and time to go to a jewelry boutique is not required.
A standard website of a company has the following basic sections: “Product catalogue,” “Collections,” “Information,” “Distribution network,” “Choice of products according to price parameters,” “To wholesalers,” “Contacts.”
The main and indisputable requirement to online jewelry sales is the conformity of goods advertised on the site with a real jewelry piece delivered to the final buyer.
Not to get into a fix with the clients who ventured for this way of purchasing a jewelry item, an Internet-seller has to provide maximum information about a jewelry item advertised on the site.
Let us see on concrete examples how the Russian online sellers act.
We have done a simple thing: in one of the search engines, popular among the Russians, Yandex, we found first 10 websites of jewelry sellers for an inquiry “Jewelry online store”, not including two advertisings: a chain of jewelry shops Silver World (www.silver-world.ru) and an online store Magic Gold (www.magicgold.ru).
1. Online jewelry store gold4u.ru - www.gold4u.ru: manufacture and sales of gold and platinum jewelry with diamonds.
2. Online jewelry store Magic Gold - www.magicgold.ru: jewelry, gold and silver jewelry, wedding rings.
4. Jewelry by OLIN.RU. - www.olin.ru: an online jewelry store with the discount program “Countdown.”
5. Online jewelry store
Jewelbox -
www.jewelbox.ru: locally produced jewelry and European design.
6. “100 carat” - www.585.ru: an online jewelry store - rings, earrings, chains, bracelets, brooches, etc.
7. Jewelry stores Golden Dio - www.golden-dio.ru: jewelry, gold jewelry, wedding rings.
8. An online store E - zoloto - www.ezoloto.ru: original jewelry, jewelry from silver gilt: commemorative medals and souvenirs, statuettes.
9. Golden shop - www.golden-shop.ru: an online jewelry store, gold products and jewelry with rubber.
10. Jewelry pieces from “Vangold” - www.goldware.ru: an online store of jewelry from gold and silver with precious, semiprecious and artificial inserts. On this website, the jewelry factory Zolotoy Alliance presents a collection of jewelry under the trademark Vangold. The site is aimed at cooperation both with retail and wholesale buyers, in this connection it is divided into two sections: “Online store” and “Catalogue.”
SIMPLY, LACONICALLY AND QUICKLYIt is extremely important for any online store to show its competitive advantages, as, for example, the company Silver World does:“Why do they choose Silver World”?
“Our enterprise was set up in 1991 in Moscow. Since 1992, Silver World has been retailing jewelry.
The broadest assortment in Moscow;
Over 2,000 suppliers;
We have been working for more than 15 years already.”
The main rule of online stores is laconically formulated on the website of GOLD4U.RU (it is not by mere chance that this company tops our list): “We value your time, thus we have tried to utterly reduce a number of steps you need to undertake in order to purchase a piece of jewelry you like.”
The online store www.585.ru specifies as its competitive advantages not only the rate of service, but it also pushes a buyer to make a conclusion, why the price for a item is low: “Have you ever thought why gold jewelry and especially jewelry with diamonds, emeralds or sapphires cost such inconceivable money in our jewelry stores?
We shall dare to initiate you with jewelry affairs. What does actually constitute the price of that ring you have decided to present to your beloved? It is no secret that not none store in Russia can afford to buy jewelry from a manufacturer. As a rule, they trade in jewelry provided by the manufacture. At the same time we all understand that diamonds are not oranges, so, the probability of a ring having been just exposed for sale to be bought during a couple of weeks is rather low.
What does a factory do? Taking into considering that a ring will for long wait for its buyer in a counter of the shop, the factory deliberately overprice the ring. People working in shops want to earn something for themselves. So, shop’s extra charge is added to the factory’s price. Do not forget about all kinds of the state and other taxes (rent, light, gas, phones, security, etc). All these components constitute a price of a concrete ring, earrings and other knick-knacks, so dear to women’s hearts.
What is our advantage? The answer is evident - we help you, dear buyer, to find your ring without intermediaries and, hence, for the best price. We live in the age of information, which is our most important assistant and a wizard allowing a ring you like, made by a jewelry master’s caring hands, to reach the hand of destination with our help.”
PURCHASE OF A PIECE OF JEWELRY
An immutable apanage of an online store is a step-by-step instruction (basically, standard for any website), which “will allow you to become a happy owner of a piece of jewelry.”
Step 1. Choosing an item in the catalogue:
For your convenience, jewelry items are located in the corresponding sections of the catalogue. You can choose items according to the price, insert, and metal. In addition, a part of the items is placed in thematic collections that, certainly, will help you in your choice.
Step 2. Registration of an order:
After you have chosen and put the items you need into a basket, it is necessary to press “Basket” in a menu bar, after which an order registration form will appear on the screen.
In an order form you should specify your surname, name and patronymic, contact phone and e-mail address, and also your full address a preferable time for the delivery.
Step 3. Confirmation of the order by an operator:
After the order is done, one of our operators will call or e-mail you to confirm the order. You can receive the information about the terms of formation and delivery of your order, as well as the information about discounts. In addition, you can ask the operator any questions you are interested in.
A confirmation of the order will also be sent to you by e-mail to the address specified at registration.
Step 4. Reception and payment for the order:
You can receive your order in the center of processing.
The order can also be delivered to the address you specified (for more detail see “Delivery and payment”), in this case, after your order is received by a local representation of the courier service, a courier will contact you to confirm the address and the time of delivery of the order.
The order is delivered by the courier service directly to the buyer. In the moment of receiving, the Buyer checks the conformity of the delivered goods to the ordered samples and all the necessary accompanying documents. Payment for the order is done to the courier after the order is checked out. Payment is made in rubles only. The following documents are given to the buyer: a copy of the receipt of the courier service, a sales receipt of the Supplier.
We pay your attention that in case when the Buyer is in the places remote from the regional centers, the Buyer can receive a notice of the necessity to independently receive the order in the nearest regional center, where the courier service office is located.
In case when the order is delivered on the territory of the Russian Federation, you can make either a 100-percent advance payment (in this case, after having paid the order by a credit card or a bank transfer, you are granted an additional 4-percent discount of the total sum of the order), or pay the order by cash to the courier at the reception (no additional discounts are granted at that).
PAYING FOR PURCHASES IN AN ONLINE JEWELRY STORE
For maximum convenience, we offer you the following ways of paying for your order:
1. Payment by cash to a courier: payment for the goods and delivery is made to a courier by cash, in rubles, only after the delivered goods and accompanying documents are checked.
2. Payment by a credit card: if you wish to pay for your order by a credit (or debit) card you should go “Pay by a credit card” which you can find in the e-mail sent to you after registration of the order in the store. After our operators receive your inquiry about payment by a credit card and the confirmation of cost of the order, a letter with confirmation of the sum of the order and the link, where you can pay by a credit card, will be sent to your email address. Payment is made with the payment system Cyberplat. If you registered the order by phone and wish to pay for the order by a card, operators will send you a letter with the link to the email address you specified.
3. Payment by a bank transfer: you can pay for your order in any office of the Sberbank of Russia. A payment of the order by a bank transfer is made only after the cost of the order and delivery is coordinated with an operator.
ONLINE SALES LEADERS
The online jewelry store “Magic Gold” has been working in the Internet jewelry market for over 3 years, and during this time its assortment has increased from several hundreds up to several thousands of jewelry items.
The online jewelry store “Magic Gold” is a project of the company Gold, being, in turn, a retail division of the large jewelry holding Silver Age. The Silver Age holding was established in 1992, and has won a strong position as one of leaders in Russia’s jewelry market.
The Silver Age holding (as well as its retail project - the online jewelry store “Magic Gold”) is an exclusive distributor of the following brands:
-
French jewelry “Morgan de toi”;
-
A silver jewelry collection “Chete and Laroche”;
-
Polish silver products with amber “
S&A”;
-
A legendary jewelry collection “Ted Lapidus”;
-
A jewelry collection “Venezia” .
The holding has its own production under the Golden Age trademark.
Magic Gold’s opening hours are 24/7/365 that allows prompt accepting, arranging and delivering orders to the clients both in Moscow and almost in all regions of Russia.
Unlike many Internet-projects, this website has an Agreement with a buyer, which would be useful to give here in full.
Agreement
Buying jewelry in the online jewelry store at
www.magicgold.ru, you, hereinafter referred to as Buyer, agree with the following:
1. The Buyer chooses jewelry items from the catalogue on www.magicgold.ru and sends an order to the Supplier.
2. The Supplier notifies the Buyer of the reception of the order, coordinates the list and additional parameters of the ordered items, forms and delivers the order to the Buyer within 1-3 working days across Moscow and 3-15 working days across Russia (it depends the Buyer’s location).
3. The Supplier undertakes to deliver jewelry pieces in accordance with the order, in the quantity, prices and terms beforehand coordinated with the Buyer.
4. The Supplier guarantees the conformity of a design of the ordered products to the catalogue’s samples. Weight of the items, as well as weight, quantity and size of the inserts in the items can differ from those specified in the catalogue of the online jewelry store www.magicgold.ru, because of peculiarities of a jewelry manufacturing technological process.
5. The Supplier guarantees that the quality of the products conform to the RF jewelry standards.
The standard of gold in all jewelry items corresponds to the standards required from precious metals of the Russian Federation, this being confirmed by a hallmark of the state assay inspection of the city of Moscow.
All inserts in products with precious and semiprecious jewels are natural stones. Characteristics of stones correspond to the characteristics specified on a label and are confirmed by an expert gemologist of the company Gold Age.
6. The Buyer undertakes to correctly and completely specify his contact phone, address and the time of delivery.
7. The Buyer undertakes to meet a courier of the Supplier at the time agreed and at the specified address of delivery.
8. The Buyer has the right to reject the delivered order, in this case, the Buyer pays for a delivery specified in a receipt of courier service, including in Moscow.
9. According to the governmental regulation of the Russian Federation ¹55 as of 19.01.98 “On approval of the sales Rules for separate kinds of goods, the list of durable goods free from the buyer’s requirement of unpaid placing of similar goods at his disposal for the period of repair or replacement, and the list of nonfoods of proper quality, not subject to a return or exchange for similar goods of other size, form, dimension, style, coloring or set”, jewelry from precious metals and stones of proper quality are not subject to a return or exchange.
10. All information given by the Buyer to the Supplier is confidential, except for a written consent of the Buyer to use this information and the cases stipulated by the Russian or international legislation and/or authorities in compliance with regular proceedings.
This website posts additional and rather useful information, including “Rules of jewelry maintaining.” “A few words about Gemmology,” “Magic of stones in the Vedic astrology traditions,” “A promotion campaign ‘Make your girlfriend happy or open your own jewelry store,” “Jewelry reflections,” etc.
Magic Gold’s website is the only one in the first ten, where a registration certificate issued by Russia’s Assay Office, is posted, though it was given to the company Gold Ltd.
GUARANTEES
An online store E- zoloto (www.ezoloto.ru) has a new section – “Guarantee.” Let us look at what online sellers guarantee:
“All information received on ezoloto.ru, and also the information received by phones specified on the website from our operators, contains essential offers of purchasing the goods, made on the behalf of a legal person - Open Company PISIMAN and are the offer according to clause #437 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.
Acceptance (consent to purchase) is the fact of payment for the goods by the buyer, clause 438 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.
We guarantee the conformity of quality of products to the RF standard requirements to jewelry.
We guarantee the conformity of design of the ordered products to the samples in a catalogue. Weight of the items, as well as the weight and size of inserts in the items can differ from those in the catalogue because of the peculiarities of technology of jewelry manufacture and is agreed at the registration of the order.
On receipt of a jewelry item you should closely examine it to make sure of its conformity to the accompanying documents and lack of damages.
We draw your attention to the fact that jewelry from precious metals with jewels, from precious metals with inserts of semiprecious and synthetic stones, polished jewels of proper quality are not subject to a return or exchange. The governmental regulation of the Russian Federation ¹ 55, as of January 19, 1998.”
The E-zoloto online store’s distinguishing feature is that jewelry intended for the religious is systematized. For example, Christians are offered a small icon – The Vernicle Image of the Savior from 925-standard silver worth 2.013 rubles. Moslems are offered a pendant with diamonds from 14-karat gold worth 6.817 rubles. Jews are offered a pendant with diamonds “The Star of David.” Those keen on feng shui will find here the pendant “Double luck” at the cost of 1.959 rubles or a ring “Longevity” from 14-karat gold for 10.692 rubles.
‘TIDBITS’ AND DISCOUNTS OF ONLINE STORES
First of all, any online store aims at being recognizable and memorizable. This can be reached through the website’s original design, loading speed and a simple domain.
“Now we are accessible both on www.100karat.ru and www.585.ru. Now it is much easier to memorize our address – just recollect the 585 standard of gold, the most common in Russia,” so this problem was solved, for example, by this website, having passed from a karat to the standard.
The chain of jewelry stores “Silver World” (www.silver-world.ru) takes a great interest in giving “Helpful hints” to buyers.
These are some general hints on how to care of jewelry:
Jewelry requires to be attentively cared of. Avoid mechanic damages, impacts, interaction with aggressive chemical environment (synthetic washing-up liquids, medicines, cosmetics and perfumery); this particularly concerns items from turquoise, pearls, corals and malachite.
Care of jewelry with precious and semiprecious stones.Recommendations to the buyer:When buying a piece of jewelry, mind the presence of a hallmark of the Assay Supervision Inspection, etc., that has to be on every jewelry piece.
But the most important ‘tidbit’ of the site is that the company’s experts have created a “Determiner of a ring’s size”!
Define the size of a ring:
“You wish to surprise your beloved woman and solemnly present her with a ring, but you are afraid that it won’t fit? Specially for you we have developed a “Determiner of a ring’s size” (pdf, 300 Kb). Take one of your girlfriend’s rings without being noticed, print out the “Determiner”, measure the ring’s size and come to our stored.”
Most widespread are discount sections of the jewelry stores working in the world wide net. They can be named significantly – “Discount club”, or modestly – “discounts.”The discount club of GOLD4U.RU:
“Dear buyers!
A discount card of GOLD4U.RU can be used to receive discounts from participating partners of the promotion campaign. Below is a list of the partners, the size of the discount and conditions of its granting.”
The discount club of OLIN:
“The owner of a discount card has discounts in the online store olin.ru and also in a chain of enterprises that are members of the discount club OLIN.
Discounts for jewelry under the Countdown program
The online jewelry store Olin.ru grants discounts to the holders of cards of the international discount program “Countdown.”
For today, the program unites over 9 million holders of plastic discount cards “Countdown,” who use the services of 60,000 various trading and service enterprises in different countries of the world.”
The jewelry store Olin.ru was included in the official directories of the international discount program and gives a guaranteed 5-percent discount for all jewelry, regardless of the sum of a purchase, to the holders of the cards.
www.golden-dio.ru
Along with the Catalogue for wholesale buyers, www.golden-dio.ru draws your attention by the section “Promotion campaign”!
If a buyer makes a 100-percent advance payment for goods and delivery, he is granted a 10-percent discount. Having purchased jewelry for the sum of 3.000 rubles, you are granted a discount card with constant discount!
“If you still do not have our discount card, you can receive it. In this case, you become the owner of a discount card, entitling you to buy jewelry with a 5-percent discount! Having purchased goods for 10.000 rubles, you receive a discount card giving you a 10-percent discount. Also you can get a 15-percent discount card or a coupon on a 15-percent discount for wedding rings. Print the coupon, show it to a seller,” they advise at the store’s website.
Undoubtedly, sales through online stores are to see a new quantum jump. At the present stage, the Russian jewelry online-dealers have created a solid base for the improvement of servicing quality. I think in the near future the jewelry Internet-space will be filled with new, more active players, and it will essentially influence the competitive struggle for the consumer’s purse.
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