Advantages and disadvantages of online jewelry shopping

To bring clarity in the very beginning I would like to stipulate that the quality of the merchandise is not a topic in this article. Any known type and quality of jewelry is already available on the net as it is in conventional (physical) stores. The task of this article is to outline the pros and cons of online buying of jewelry as opposed to the conventional buying over the counter in terms of convenience, price and service.
Advantages:

Massive choice - This particular point is one of the biggest advantages of online jewelry shopping and at the same time a disadvantage too. Having too much of a choice tends to have confusing effect on most people and blur their ability of an objective decision. On the other hand choice and diversity means that you will find what you are looking for, even if you are not very certain what exactly it is and you will find it at the best possible price, which brings us to the next point.

Competitive prices - Yes, it is logical for the prices to be more competitive online, exactly because of the massive choice. The convenience of being the only jeweler in town is replaced online, by the alternative of being a jewelry shop in enormous "jewelry only" shopping mall with thousands of jewelry shops next to each other, selling similar merchandise. It is getting even worst: the customer enters and exits the shop with a touch of a button without giving the merchant chance to state his case. The online jewelry retail stores are ran on very low cost, enabling the merchants to significantly narrow their mark up margins and still make reasonable profit.

Information - Any information about jewelry, diamonds and precious stones is widely available on the net and you don't need particular computer skills or a lot of time to obtain it. Armed with knowledge and ability to compare value for money at the click of the mouse the online customer is not to be taken for granted. Today's jewelers , whether they like it or not, will face educated customers, longing for the best value for their hard earned cash.

Time saving - This advantage of online jewelry shopping is very obvious. The time necessary to visit an online jeweler, looking for particular piece is an average of 6 minutes if you are using the assistance of JewelGateway and about 20 minutes otherwise, considering the search and checking the sometime surprisingly well positioned irrelevant hits. The time to visit a conventional jewelry shop depends on many factors, but it will suffice to say that it is not in the comparable margins.

Convenience - Very much connected to the time topic but there is more. I would like to mention, time taken from work, time taken on weekend (depending on the jeweler's trading hours), making an appointment (and stick to it), driving to and from, looking for parking etc. After all this effort the inventory you will be seeing will be limited in comparison to your online choice. The guidance and advice you will be given will be sale orientated and in most cases not 100% objective.

Disadvantages:

Relatively large amounts paid in advance - This is one matter with roots in the psychological background of most of us and it takes time to over ride it. The modus operandi of small scale trade for millennia is to immediately get what you paid for. In jewelry language: you put the ring on your finger, you pay for it and keep it there. Buying the same ring online lives you with this rather virtual feeling. You just paid a good amount of money (by the way, also virtual) and you got nothing. One can't be blamed for being cautious. Today more than ever the cyber space is crowded by con artists. There is however reliable ways to avoid them and stay on the safe side. Read more

Security of payment and shipping - Closely related to the above topic. The security of your payment is a serious issue and you have to make sure it is properly dealt with by checking the security policy of the jewelry merchant. In many cases though, the merchant is as exposed to fraud, as the customer and even more, since he have to ship an expensive jewelry before the payment is cleared. The customer have 3 to 7 days window to cancel the payment, while the shipping is irreversible. The shipping and insurance are handled by the merchant and in most cases is free of charge.  Read more

Impossibility to examine and try on - A major disadvantage, since very few pieces of jewelry fits well everybody. The touch of the polished gold or the glitter of a real diamond is impossible to simulate fully on the web page and thus, lives space for misconception. However this is promptly addressed with the implementation of proper return policy. A good return policy is one which provides a 30 day money back guarantee or possibly longer.

Overchoice - the advantage of massive and diverse choice in overdose turns into disadvantage. If you write "diamond ring" in your browser you will get approximately 8 million entries. Not all of them are jewelry merchants but a good deal are, besides how could one know. A customer seldom checks further than the first 20 to 30 entries, before she gets bored or confused and goes back or decides to buy over the counter. While Search Engine listing is done by stringent standards, it is automatic and done on the merit of marketing mastery rather than quality of the jewelry and service. You, as a customer might be missing this wonderful jewelry site, full of value packed offers on the jewelry you are looking for - just because they are listed 40th or 140th for that matter.

Impatience and Conservatism - These personal qualities of some customers, are big disadvantage to the online jewelry shopping and unfortunately there is no viable strategy to deal with them. My only advice to the customer in doubt is: Give it a chance. It may turn the hassle and hesitation into a pleasurable and exiting experience.

 

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