Ben Bridge partners with eDiamondselect
December 07, 2007
Miami—One of the nation's major jewelry chains is partnering with a virtual diamond seller, a partnership both parties hope will mean a boost for business.
Seattle-based
Ben Bridge Jeweler will install
eDiamondselect's new WebEmbed software in its corporate office as well as in the majority of its 80 stores.
The software gives users access to an online diamond exchange of suppliers' stones that jewelry store staff can make accessible to consumers during a sale, creating an in-store experience similar to that offered by popular online diamond seller Blue Nile.
The software can be installed on a touch-screen terminal, kiosk or on a jewelry store's own computer to give retail consumers access to a real-time selection of available loose diamond inventory.
"The main advantage of the software that we see is being able to give a quote on a diamond to the customer while they are waiting in the store. Once the customer has been given all the information about the diamond, we can then make a firm appointment with them since we can have the diamond in the store within 24 hours. We hope that with this information right at our sales associates' fingertips, it will help produce more diamond sales for Ben Bridge," said Peter Luplow, vice president and merchandise manager for Ben Bridge, in a press release issued on Wednesday.
Avrille Aronson, eDiamondselect's president and founder, said eDiamondselect is in talks with other retailers interested in implementing the software, and that the product is effective for smaller retailers too, allowing the independents to become "mega diamond" sites.
"At least 80 percent of the time, if you don't have the diamond in your inventory that the customer is looking for, you will lose that sale," Aronson said in the release. Through eDiamondselect, jewelry stores can show consumers an extensive online inventory of diamonds, help them choose a stone and then have it in the store within a day, a level of service that rivals online diamond sellers, she said.
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