Oded Edelman, CEO, James Allen one of the largest online retailers of diamonds, talks about customers being the focus of every single initiative of the company, the 360° Diamond Display Technology, engaging marketing strategies and more in a conversation with Vijetha Rangabashyam.

James Allen is changing the way people say “I do” in the West. People, the current generation especially, can be very exacting when it comes to choosing their engagement rings. Well, why not? It is after all an occasion worthy of being picky and this is exactly what James Allen is trying to address. You saw a ring you love somewhere but instead of princess cut, you want the diamond to be a 2 ct, emerald cut one set in rose gold - James Allen can make that happen for you. And what’s more? Everything happens in the World Wide Web. A company that thrives on customization, James Allen has been garnering patrons over a decade now. Their ecommerce website offers hundreds of stones of different cuts, carats and colours and their state of the art 360° Diamond Display Technology promises the shopper to give him/her “touch and feel” experience.

Q: Why did you find a need to create an online platform where people could purchase diamond engagement rings?
A: Consumer purchase behavior led us there. Buying online is the modern way to do just about everything these days – buying groceries, catching a cab, booking a vacation. People have grown accustomed to the convenience, transparency, and better value from buying online, and we thought, why should buying an engagement ring be any different? Browsing online puts consumers in the driver’s seat: you educate yourself on the product, decide what to browse, compare prices, and have access to tremendous inventory at the tip of your fingers. All of those benefits make what can be a very intimidating process (buying an engagement ring) something that’s more straight-forward, more transparent, and an overall better experience.

Q: There is still some amount of skepticism that surrounds buying luxury products online, especially with something as exclusive as diamonds. How are you managing to break this cynicism and gain the trust of your buyers?
A:Transparency with what you’re buying through our Diamond Display Technology (nothing beats trusting your own eyes) that allows you to see each and every one of our diamonds magnified up to 40x and in 360° HD rotation and a comprehensive risk-free retail policy – free returns including shipping, free resizing, lifetime guarantee, etc. Also, all our diamonds are certified by one of the top 3 grading laboratories (GIA, IGI, AGS) and come with a certificate. We offer 24/7 non-commissioned customer service from trained diamond and jewelry experts. We have got stellar online reviews from previous customers – customer recommendations are our number 1 source of referral today. Finally, credibility-building work on our brand through PR coverage, partnerships with influencers, and creative work with media outlets such as Buzzfeed, etc.

Q: When you started out, what were some of the biggest challenges you’ve had to face while entering the online space?
A: Creating awareness around the idea that you can buy an engagement ring online – we find even today that most people are not against buying a ring online, they simply had not thought to do so and building trust in our shopping experience and product, without consumers being able to see it in person. With our Diamond Display Technology, we have shown it is possible to provide consumers with a viewing experience that is even superior to the in-person jewelers’ loupe-much more highly magnified and in 360° HD.

Q: Everybody is talking about omnichannel retailing and how it is especially effective for the jewelry business. What are your thoughts on this considering at present you only have an online store?
A: We are always taking a critical look at the market and our customers and how we can provide the most value for them. It’s all about making the engagement ring buying process a simpler, more transparent one. Our showroom on Fifth Avenue in NYC allows people the opportunity to meet with our customer service team in person, for those who prefer that experience.

Q: Tells us more about your 360° Diamond Display Technology.
A: What truly sets us apart from any other jewelry retailer –online or traditional brick-and-mortar—is our proprietary Diamond Display Technology. It enables shoppers to examine every single one of our 150,000+ diamonds in a magnified HD 360° view that is superior to a jeweler’s loupe — and lets the customer see for himself, rather than relying on a certificate or a sales associate’s opinion. Because we inspect and photograph thousands of diamonds each day, we have an early chance to select and feature the very best diamonds on our site. What truly differentiates the Segoma images from other diamond photography is the consistency of the Segoma diamond images which allows customers or diamond professional to actually see the difference between one diamond and another.

Q: What are some of the key marketing strategies you’ve adopted to come this far?
A: Understanding consumer online engagement ring shopping behavior and sentiment, via listening studies, ongoing targeted online surveys, offline focus groups and onsite user testing. We leverage from these learnings to create a brand experience that ladders back to consumers’ needs and engages with them within the natural patterns of their day-today behaviors and information consumption. We try to naturally insert our messaging where our target shopper is spending their time, where they consume their news and information (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest). This means being present in search results when consumers are in-market, as well as in the surround-sound touchpoints and social channels when they may not be directly thinking about their purchase but are open to our messaging. The latter content ranges from product inspiration to interactive polls, to video entertainment and content creation partnerships with online influencers. Because the purchase cycle is quite long in our business, our marketing “conversation” with the consumer is long and involved. We rely on a range of remarketing tools to keep the inmarket consumer engaged with us, including personalized emails and behavioral-triggered ads.

Q: One of the biggest reasons why people choose to buy diamonds online is because of its competitive pricing. How do you think this going to change the course for those who are still in the brick and mortar space?
A: Brick and mortar stores will need to get competitive with their pricing if they want to come close to what the online players are offering. We’ll also see them double down on the differentiators of offline, stressing the importance of those factors beyond price.

Q: Could you tell us how the Segoma photography technology has helped you reach a wider audience?
A: We now have photography centers in the major diamond centers of the world, which allows our suppliers to photograph and list their diamonds with us. This in turn gives greater diamond selection range to the end consumer. We have found this rapidly expanded supply has naturally brought greater demand for the diamond jewelry on our site.

Q: What is next in store for James Allen?
A: We aim to become the number one destination for engagement rings and bridal jewelry, consistently providing quality that was only thought achievable with one-of-a-kind pieces. In the next few years we’ll continue to develop technologies that grant our customers the transparency and tools to take full control of their selection and purchasing experience and further streamline this important experience. We also will continue to focus on unconventional brand building initiatives to ensure James Allen is the top brand that comes to mind when a couple is planning their engagement and the life celebrations that follow.