Who's that bride?
A love-struck groom has figured out what makes the woman he wants to marry tick, but what about jewelers? Retailers who want to close the bridal deal and launch a lifelong relationship with their customer should get to know the bride.

April 01, 2008

With women more involved than ever in the engagement ring purchase, jewelers are courting the brides-to-be as much as the hopeful grooms.

By Mary Wisniewski

Knight-in-shining-armor fiancés might be a thing of the past, but at Robbins Bros., bringing the medieval Romeo archetype back to life is always possible—if that's what a bride-to-be wants.

The third-generation jeweler, with locations in California, Illinois and Texas, offers its trademarked "Perfect Proposal" service, designed to help bridal customers plan every detail of their marriage proposal with as much razzle-dazzle as desired. Even if it means getting the hopeful groom to dress up as a knight, climb atop a white stallion and gallop to the local park to pop the question, the jeweler will arrange, and in fact has arranged, that scenario and more.

Engagement consultants, on hand at every Robbins Bros. location, have orchestrated proposals at the Eiffel Tower, in hot-air balloons and at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, to name just a few examples.

Deciding how to arrange the proposal is a study in finding out who the bride is and what her dream proposal—and ring—would be. And that information is critical in today's competitive retail climate, with jewelers vying for business alongside brick-and-mortar competitors and cyberspace retailers, experts say.

Gary Wright, the chief executive officer of the National Bridal Service, says the market for diamond engagement rings has changed drastically in recent years.

"The diamond engagement ring has always been considered the bread-and-butter [category], but it has been attacked like crazy," he says.

One of the key assailants is the Internet, but another is a bridal jewelry market that hasn't grown in terms of size for 20-plus years. To stay competitive, retailers need to offer the best value possible and a personalized approach.

"Jewelers have to relate to the people who are buying the goods," Wright says.

A salesperson who can suss out whether or not a bride is looking for a traditional, couture or funkier ring is well on the way to making a sale.

Marilyn Oliveira, a senior editor at bridal Web site Weddingchannel.com, says personalization is currently the largest wedding trend, but it's also important that brides do not regret the ring 20 years after the vows. Even edgier brides will want a ring that encapsulates a sense of timelessness, she says.

Wright stresses it is important to note that before the bride can appreciate how much the sales associate knows, she wants to know how much the associate cares.

A. Jaffe engagement ring from the "Signature Collection" in 18-karat white gold with fancy bullet and round side diamonds; suggested retail price is $10,369 without center stone.

Targeting classic white-picket-fence brides Robbins Bros. is one retailer that recognizes the importance of caring and markets itself to people in love by treating them with love. And the retailer's bridal customers respond, often sending the stores e-mails to let them know how wonderfully the proposal went, says John Cordova, the chain's vice president of human resources.

"That's how we know we touched them," Cordova says.

Other special services that Robbins Bros. offers its customers include a free concierge service featuring such perks as restaurant recommendations and reservations as well as vacation planning services.

Besides the special touches, it's important the company also emphasizes its bridal merchandise—the company's tagline is "world's biggest engagement ring store" after all—by offering a wide range of classic, traditional, vintage and contemporary designs. To achieve this, Robbins Bros. flies to diamond centers to buy directly, carries designers such as Scott Kay and A. Jaffe, plus offers jewelry customization and lifetime diamond warranties.

Robbins Bros. zoomed in on the engagement category because it resonates with the retailer's philosophy—and its financial goals.

"We wanted to make dreams of couples come true, and the best way to do it is through the wedding category," Cordova says, adding that bridal is also a lucrative niche, given that one percent of the population between the ages of 18 and 90 is getting engaged at any given time.

Robbins Bros. locations are freestanding stores, which make them destination stores, Cordova says, and although each layout has its own unique characteristics, the quality is consistent. Top sellers are traditional solitaires with round brilliant or princess cuts, and Scott Kay and Jeff Cooper rings sell especially well.

Over the years, brides may change in terms of what type of rings they want, Cordova says, but one thing that hasn't changed is that these women consistently have a ring in mind. A relatively new trend is that many brides-to-be, bolder than their predecessors, are letting their sweethearts know what they want.

"Today's bride is much more involved," he says, attributing the trend to the fact that couples are getting married at a later age of 27 and 28, compared with decades past. Consumers in this age group typically have steady careers, and the bride-to-be makes her decision based on the realization that the ring will last forever.

"The guy welcomes it when the bride-to-be gets involved because it's satisfying for him to know he did the right thing," Cordova says. Still, traditional brides are still out there, wanting the ring to be a total surprise, he adds.

The biggest traffic generator for Robbins Bros. is word-of-mouth, but the radio and Internet help too, Cordova says. Of course, the Internet's transparent pricing poses competition, but Cordova says it is a healthy source of rivalry because it forces brick-and-mortar stores to be equally transparent about pricing, and that is something Robbins Bros. has strived to do.

More eclectic brides are taking wedding traditions in their own hands, even making their pooches part of the big day.

Here comes the funky bride "Indie" brides with a less traditional take on their weddings can find a ring to go with their funkier lifestyles at The Clay Pot in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y. Originally an urban ceramics store, the retailer transformed itself into a hot spot for brides-to-be after adding a selection of engagement and wedding rings to its stock.

Tara Silberberg, co-owner of The Clay Pot, describes the store as a destination spot with an eclectic approach.

"We really market toward alternative brides and partnerships," she says. "Ironically, we will still sell classic stones. Some of the most outrageous-looking customers buy the most classic rings."

Top trends at the store include rose-cut diamonds and hammered metals.

"People are more interested in crafty things," she says, adding that organic designs are seeing a resurgence, and top sales always go to more fluid-feeling bands rather than modern-looking ones. The trend stems from a shift among consumers toward more environmentally friendly products that are made in America. Silberberg also believes the alternative culture-loving customers of The Clay Pot wear the rings as a badge of honor that allows them to say, "I got this at a small crafts store."

Customers are also drawn to The Clay Pot because of its more relaxed, low-pressure shopping environment. Sales staff do not work on commission, and most bridal sales take two and a half months from start to finish, with couples making multiple trips.

"Undulation" band in 14-karat gold by Carla Caruso; suggested retail price is $655 at The Clay Pot, www.clay-pot.com.

Silberberg describes the typical customer as a college-educated person between the ages of 28 and 35 who is more "indie" than "suburban" in terms of lifestyle.

"We tend to get a lot of people [fitting that description] in Brooklyn," she says.

Romantic grooms-to-be shopping alone to surprise their partners make up The Clay Pot's clientele during the Christmas and Valentine's Day season, whereas brides-to-be tend to join their partners in shopping for rings during other times of the year.

For the soon-to-be grooms shopping solo, Silberberg advises them to buy the samples just in the case the future brides don't like what they choose. This makes returns simpler.

"Most engagements aren't total surprises anyway," she says, citing the trend of couples shopping together, and the man returning later to make the final choice.

Sometimes this choice is simplified by the Internet, which allows customers to know exactly what they want before entering the store.

The Clay Pot in Brooklyn, N.Y., caters to a highly educated and bohemian clientele.

"Customers know way more than they ever did," Silberberg says.

To make sure they know about The Clay Pot, specifically, the store uses its Web site, Clay-Pot.com, to display products, and in the future aims to put all of its stock online.

"The Internet serves us well," she says, adding that the Web will never fully take engagement ring sales from the brick-and-mortars because of the price commitment.

"Sure, people will buy a ring online, but those aren't my customers," Silberberg says, adding her store generally sells smaller stones with intricate details.

"We aren't the one-stone, four-prong ring store," she says.

In terms of promotions, The Clay Pot offers occasional discounts, puts out advertisements, maintains its Web site and lets word-of-mouth drive traffic.

A model walks the runway during the Vera Wang bridal collection show held at the Ukrainian Institute in New York City last October.

Calling on couture-caliber brides For high-end retailer Shreve and Co., brands drive customers into the store, and since many of those brands—such as Hearts on Fire—keep expanding their aggressive advertising campaigns, customers often enter with some idea of what they want, says Richard Horne, president of the California-based company.

This increased knowledge, mostly stemming from Internet and bridal magazine research, forces the sales staff to know their stuff.

Clients of the high-end retailer demand high-end service, and Horne says the jeweler complies by offering the expertise of professional sales associates with 15-plus years of experience, some of whom are especially knowledgeable about diamonds.

"As big as our store is, we do have sales associates that are a little more trained in different categories," he says.

When bridal customers visit the store, these specialized associates sit them down, show them options and educate them on the possibilities.

Besides offering this expertise, Shreve and Co. uses a marketing campaign to draw customers into its store in the first place, employing a series of radio advertisements to keep its name out there.

Shreve and Co. in San Francisco serves the high-end customer, playing up its staff expertise and brands such as Hearts on Fire.

But many also already know Shreve and Co.'s name, with much traffic driven into the store solely on the basis of a reputation that dates back more than 100 years. Shreve Jewelry Store opened its doors in 1852, and became Shreve and Co. in California by 1894.

Longevity, however, doesn't necessarily stave off the heat of competition.

"Anyone who is selling diamonds is competition," Horne says. This applies to the Internet too, though Shreve and Co. hasn't endured too much Web-induced damage save the occasional customer who purchases a stone online and then asks to have it set by Shreve. More often than not, customers enter the store seeking what they cannot find online.

"People look to us for our expertise," Horne says, adding that consumers gain a lot of information from the Internet, which is a good thing.

Since San Francisco is a large city, the clientele tends to be college-educated, between 25 and 35, with higher incomes compared with the national average. They are accustomed to paying more for everything, luxury included.

And although Shreve and Co. is a high-end retailer, Horne says, the stores sell everything from 0.5 carats and up, with most sales occurring between 1 and 2 carats. Currently, cushion cuts are in demand, while princess cuts are slipping.

Hearts On Fire "Enrichment Solitaire" in 18-karat white gold; suggested retail price is $6,600 with 0.5 carat stone.

Most bridal customers at Shreve and Co. enter as couples, with the occasional guy taking on the endeavor solo. Since there are fewer rushed marriages occurring these days, with wedding dates often as much as 12 months off, there is more time to pick out the ring.

"Somewhere, the future bride is brought into the deal," Horne says, adding that since 2000, the engagement ring shopping process has become a mutually agreed upon undertaking involving bride and groom.

"Guys don't want to make mistakes," he says. "Guys don't want to get it wrong."

The same thing, it seems, is true for jewelers.

Unveiling the bride

Traditional:

*When asking your customer questions, focus on the romance of getting engaged and not just the size of the ring.
*Offer concierge-style services, such as making restaurant reservations, to make the couple feel special.
*Diversify your stock to meet every bride's needs.

Funky:

*Offer made-in-America or environmentally friendly products.
*Avoid hard sales pitches; instead, maintain a laid-back atmosphere.
*Since more bridal consumers are doing pre-purchase research, have a Web site that includes pictures of what your store offers.

High-end:

*Salespeople need to know what they are selling so they can educate their customers and make the educational experience as high-end as the products.
*High-end customers often shop for a particular brand, so carry a wide range.
*Make sure your store is a brand in and of itself so customers visit based upon its reputation.

Editor's note: This article first appeared in the March 2008 issue of National Jeweler.