In the era of the fourth industrial revolution, where the dictates of Industry 4.0 take the upper hand and digital becomes a mandatory element of business to keep competing on the international scenarios, which are the purchase standards of Italian buyers in the jewellery world, especially when faced with the infinite temptations coming from the web and the online business?
A survey promoted by Inhorgenta Munich intends to answer this question. Inhorgenta Munich is an exhibition (16-19 February, 2018, Munich, Germany) dedicated to the world of precious items and ready to set the 2018 trends in the sector of jewels.
The research was concluded in September 2017 and was carried out by interviewing a panel of consumers (1119 people participating in Italy) equally distributed in terms of gender (52% women, 48% men).
Jewels have a predilection for old economy, but…
Even if e-commerce is more and more widespread, transversally hitting all production sectors, it seems that, at the time of purchasing luxury objects such as watches or jewels, Italian consumers prefer to rely on the “old economy”.
As a matter of fact, more than three consumers out of four prefer to go directly to a “physical” and specialized store instead of purchasing products on the web. Why? The reason is obvious: the personalized advice of a competent jeweler represents still today an inevitable decisive factor.
Despite this, almost 40% of them wish the personal trader opened an online shop. Therefore, what seems to be a conflict of interests, in reality foreshadows wider reflections on the purchase perception and on the most current demands of consumers.
The price factor: the red line of e-commerce
From the Inhorgenta Munich survey comes a new basis for reflection. If the jeweler we trust offers the option between “physical” and online store, the decisive factor for customers in selecting their preferred channel is represented by the value of the purchase order: for about 60% of customers the threshold for online shopping is 100 euro maximum. In a price range not higher than 499 euro, the ratio is still almost 1 to 3 (32%) showing willingness to buy online. From 500 euro on, almost 1 out of 4 (23%).
71% of the interviewed wish there was a specific insurance for watches and jewels shipping.
Read the full article in the Vicenza Jewellery magazine – January 2018 (pag. 92).
by Chiara Marseglia