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Study: Cost, selection top self-purchaser concerns

October 22, 2009

Paso Robles, Calif.--A new market research study by the Jewelry Consumer Opinion Council (JCOC) reveals that self-purchasing women remain a powerful consumer force in the marketplace, but that jewelry retailers have yet to fully capitalize on the demographic.

According to the study, conducted on behalf of the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA), self-purchasing women are seeking lower price points, a wider variety of selection and knowledgeable sales associates.

The study found that 35 percent of respondents purchase jewelry containing colored gemstones or cultured pearls at local independent jewelry retailers, however, 57 percent indicated that they only sometimes find enough selection and choices, and 61 percent only sometimes find pieces within their budget.

The findings also revealed that the most important value drivers for consumers shopping for colored gemstones and pearls are: knowing that the gemstones or pearls in the jewelry are real versus synthetic (rated 9.14 on a scale of zero to 10, with zero being not important and 10 being extremely important); having confidence in the person selling the colored-gemstone or pearl jewelry (rated 8.88); and being able to easily return or exchange a style of colored-gemstone or pearl jewelry (rated 8.71).

The study also found that a significant majority of female self-purchasers will buy new shoes for themselves between two and fives times a year (65 percent), with 12 percent saying they will purchase new shoes more than five times a year.

Forty-five percent of respondents said they would purchase a new dress or clothing outfit for themselves between two and fives times a year, and 29 percent said they would do so more than five times per year.

However, when asked how many times they would purchase jewelry containing colored gemstones or cultured pearls for themselves in a typical year, the following categories received the highest responses: one time (23 percent), not sure (19 percent) and none (23 percent).

"This study clearly identifies the need for stores to carry more selection of jewelry containing colored gemstones and cultured pearls and further defines the benefit of increased staff training," AGTA Chief Executive Officer Douglas Hucker said in a media release. "This study shows us that women shop to accessorize specific fashion outfits and need more selection and guidance from the store staff."

Additional findings from the study reveal that the vast majority of respondents (53 percent) said they would shop for more jewelry containing colored gemstones or culture pearls to accessorize their apparel if the jewelry was priced better. The next-highest percentage of respondents (14 percent) said they would shop more if retailers offered a greater amount of distinctive and innovative styles.

Twenty-six percent of respondents indicated they would shop for jewelry containing colored gemstones or cultured pearls approximately two more times per year if their concerns were addressed, while 18 percent indicated they would shop one time more, and another 18 percent said they would shop three times more.

In terms of what they are planning to spend on colored-gemstone and cultured-pearl jewelry in the next 12 months, the largest percentage (40 percent) said they would be sticking to items priced under $100, while 17 percent said they would spend in the $101 to $250 range, and 11 percent said they would spend between $251 and $500.

The self-purchasing study was conducted from Sept. 18-24, 2009, and was completed by 1,346 women.
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