Jewellers urged to become multichannel retailers to boost sales

The Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG) and Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index have revealed that UK shoppers spent £250bn online in the last decade, with sales in 2010 alone expected to hit £56bn. The e-Retail Sales Index reported online sales of £1.8bn in its first year in 2001, which has grown by 5,772% in the last decade.

IMRG retail sales index IMRG director of information Tina Spooner said she expects the online market to double in the next 10 years, and urged jewellers to invest in transactional websites and become multichannel retailers to boost profits and strengthen trade in store. She said: ” With the majority of consumers now shopping and researching across multiple channels it’s no surprise that multichannel retailers continue to outperform their pureplay counterparts online, with sales for this group growing 24% to date this year. Retailers that deliver a seamless customer experience across all channels will continue to be the winners online.”

London-based jeweller Kiki McDonough launched its own transactional website this month to cash in on the growing online market. Owner Kiki McDonough said having a website was a necessity for jewellers wanting to tap this growing market. She said: “Consumers have become ‘trained’ to shop online, particularly in buying clothes, so I think jewellery is the natural next step. Having a website is a great way of driving up sales, as people who can’t reach the store can shop online, and it also helps business in the shop as customers browse and then come in to buy.”

Brighton-based jeweller Goodman Morris developed the five-year-old online side of its business into a transactional site this month, and has seen its customer-base grow as a result. Owner Alex Goodman said: “Consumers use the internet all the time and we’re hoping the site will spread the net a little further and catch more sales. The benefit of being online is that it opens you up to a global market, and since launching our transactional website we’ve gained international clients, including one sale from Saudi Arabia.”

Jewellers are now being offered the chance to join TheJewelleryGuide.co.uk, an online jeweller directory that allows shoppers to search by product and area. Founder Martin Weatheritt agreed that jewellers should have an online presence to boost sales over the internet and in their bricks-and-mortar stores. He said: “Online retailing is a recession-proof business, and retailers are realising they need to move on from advertising in traditional mediums such as papers to online businesses. It’s not enough to be just sitting pretty, you need to up you game on every level to remain competitive and having a website can do wonders for your shop.”

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