Diamond software solutions provider eDiamondselect announced a new partnership with jewelry chain Ben Bridge Jeweler that it says will enhance the retailer’s ability to sell more diamonds and expand the eDiamondselect ‘s presence in the jewelry industry.

The new partnership was unveiled following the completion of Ben Bridge’s beta test of the Miami-based company’s WebEmbed series 4.0 software—which essentially creates an “online diamond bourse” of suppliers’ stones that jewelry store retailers can make accessible to consumers at the point of sale. Ben Bridge will use the system in its corporate office in Seattle and for most of its 80 stores.

“When we tested the eDiamondselect software, we used it more as a pricing guide than to order diamonds from vendors, since we are in a different time zone than most of our vendors and it was very helpful to use after they had already closed for the day,” said Peter Luplow, Ben Bridge vice president and Merchandise Manager. “We have customized the system to work with both our corporate office and our sales associates. The main advantage of the software that we see is being able to give a quote on a diamond to the customer while they are waiting in the store. Once the customer has been given all the information about the diamond, we can then make a firm appointment with them since we can have the diamond in the store within 24 hours. We hope that with this information right at our sales associates’ fingertips, it will help produce more diamond sales for Ben Bridge.”    

Avrille Aronson, the founder and president of eDiamondselect stressed that the system also is ideal for smaller retailers looking to increase their diamond sales.

“Our system allows an independent retailer to become a mega diamond site,” Aronson said. “At least 80 percent of the time, if you don’t have the diamond in your inventory that the customer is looking for, you will lose that sale. But through eDiamondselect, jewelry stores can show consumers an extensive online inventory of diamonds, help them choose their perfect stone, and have it in the store for them within 24 hours.”  

Aronson said the secret behind the success of eDiamondselect’s Series 4.0 software is that it combines the power of the Internet with the convenience and trust of a retail jeweler. The WebEmbed system can be integrated into a store’s Web site, allowing customers to remotely search the store’s and suppliers’ inventories. The system empowers diamond retailers to capture millions of dollars in sales and profits routinely lost to Internet sellers.

The eDiamondselect software application can be installed on a touch-screen terminal, kiosk or a jeweler’s own PC located at the front of the store to give retail customers immediate visual access to an enormous real-time selection of the store’s available loose diamond inventory—all automatically pre-priced to reflect the retailer’s specific markup.

JCK