Even today, with all the hype about e-commerce, most jewelry is still purchased in brick-and-mortar stores. In a 2014 Deloitte survey, 52 percent of consumer said they preferred to purchase jewelry at stores, 8 percent said online, but 40 percent were undecided.
Yet, plenty of jewelry is being sold on the Internet, perhaps more than the industry realizes.
Here, according to a recent Internet Retailer report on luxury e-retailers, are the top North American online jewelers by sales. This information is being reprinted here with the site’s permission:
Blue Nile $473.5 million
Signet (all brands) $275 million*
Tiffany.com $256 million*
Jomashop.com $140.7 million
Ross-Simons.com $112.9 million*
JamesAllen.com $96.8 million*
Ashford.com $89.4 million
Ritani.com $50 million
Ice.com $48.1 million*
DiamondNexus.com $39.6 million*
* connotes estimate
Source: Internet Retailer Luxury E-Retailers Report
The chart above excludes overseas companies. Chinese sites held the second and third positions in the original report.
Some thoughts:
– The data shows that the online market for jewelry is, like the offline market for jewelry, splintered, though dominated by one major player (Blue Nile). But there are also a lot of niche players, particularly in watches, including Jomashop and Ashford. Based on this number, online is turning into a significant watch distribution channel, perhaps under the radar. (We should note that at least one formerly prominent watch site ran afoul of copyright issues.)
– The big names in brick-and-mortar, Signet and Tiffany, are now significant players in online sales. Helzberg is way down the list, and Fred Meyer Jewelers isn’t listed.
