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Retailers influence the diamond buying process

Luxxy

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 8, 2016
Messages
47
I read an article that talked about the influence that retailers have over the whole process of buying diamonds. What are your views on this? What are some of the factors that you think affect our decisions to buy?
 

LawmaLlama

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Apr 19, 2016
Messages
376
I think there are many, many articles on the influence of diamond marketing. Ever heard of De Beers and their 1930s campaigns? I believe it is well known that early in the film industry they paid several Hollywood stars to wear their diamond jewelry.

Try googling it, there is a prominent article from The Atlantic magazine about it.
 

tyty333

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
27,198
Or how about the one that said you need to spend "3 months salary"...that was a good one! Some people today come here still believing
that. :sick:
 

distracts

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 11, 2011
Messages
6,131
Retailers influence the buying process of anything you buy. It's hardly unique to the diamond and jewelry industries.
 

Bron357

Ideal_Rock
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Joined
Jan 22, 2014
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6,532
Most people who buy diamonds know nothing about diamonds. They are completely at the mercy of the sales assistant. Not that this is always a bad thing but the truth is they believe what they are told and that person may be good at sales but know next to nothing about diamonds. The lights in jewellery stores are specifically chosen to emphasis the brilliance of diamonds and this can be misleading. The lucky, and smart, novice buyers who find their way to Pricescope are "saved". Here people with superior knowledge and experience can enable someone to purchase a "good diamond at a good price". This is excellent and hopefully more "lost souls" find their way "here" rather than to the bright lights of the local Mall chain jewellery store where hope and aspiration abound but quality is in short supply!
 

Diamond_Hawk

Brilliant_Rock
Trade
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Apr 8, 2014
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1,229
Bron357|1477445478|4090573 said:
Most people who buy diamonds know nothing about diamonds. They are completely at the mercy of the sales assistant. Not that this is always a bad thing but the truth is they believe what they are told and that person may be good at sales but know next to nothing about diamonds. The lights in jewellery stores are specifically chosen to emphasis the brilliance of diamonds and this can be misleading. The lucky, and smart, novice buyers who find their way to Pricescope are "saved". Here people with superior knowledge and experience can enable someone to purchase a "good diamond at a good price". This is excellent and hopefully more "lost souls" find their way "here" rather than to the bright lights of the local Mall chain jewellery store where hope and aspiration abound but quality is in short supply!


Nicely put, Bron. PS is a wonderful platform for any shopper to educate themselves and to connect with experts. I am sure that with so much information available (forums, blogs or youtube channels) that people are more educated now than ever and will continue to become even more discerning as time goes on.
 

flyingpig

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 7, 2015
Messages
2,975
I don't mind marketing and upselling tactics by sales associates, who, often lack in diamond knowledge, genuinely want to make customers happy, show company's products, have fun, and of course, get commission in the process. At least in this regard, they are honest.

I just cannot stand these so call GIA Graduates who misguide their customers, avoid technical conversations, and give a false impression they represent GIA or stand above GIA.

One time, I asked a store for a GIA graded stone. The manager, who happens to be a GIA Graduate, told me "GIA is just a for-profit company. It is not to be trusted", devaluing her own education in the process.
 

Luxxy

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 8, 2016
Messages
47
I agree that a lot of us newbies are at the mercy of salespeople when it comes to buying diamonds. I, for one, have made the decision that I will take the time to learn about this whole process because I intend to be buying diamonds for the rest of my life, so I may as well get educated on how to do it.
 

pyramid

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 10, 2002
Messages
4,607
Yes retailers and vendors influence the damond buying process depending upon what is in their inventory and what they want to sell you. The retailers on this site promote Ideal Cut at the expense of colour from an upside down view which is how it is meant to be graded. To some the color from the side view when worn does matter to others it doesn't. It is how they make their money and it is how all retailers make their money. In all walks of life the professional people you meet to help you with things which take money, will influence you with their advice and that is how they make their money too. Even just the money to feed and cloth themselves and their families and provide shelter, nothing wrong with it.
 

LunaStar

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 2, 2016
Messages
24
I think that regardless of what the product is, retailers are usually going to try to influence a buyer to purchase the more expensive item. Fortunately, when it comes to buying diamonds, there are many resources you can take advantage of to help you make a more informed decision. I think you are in a very good place to do that right here at PS.
 

Texas Leaguer

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Jul 27, 2009
Messages
3,760
LunaStar|1479583022|4100588 said:
I think that regardless of what the product is, retailers are usually going to try to influence a buyer to purchase the more expensive item. Fortunately, when it comes to buying diamonds, there are many resources you can take advantage of to help you make a more informed decision. I think you are in a very good place to do that right here at PS.
I agree this is the general perception (my bold above), and it's probably true to a large degree where sales people are on commission. It's a natural consequence of that somewhat flawed business model. But many retailers are learning the longterm benefits of using best practices and a customer-first philosophy. If you put your energies into finding the right item or service that is a fit for the customer's needs and budget, you have a high likelihood of a satisfied customer who will be loyal and provide referrals. For the business this means much more to the bottom line than can be gained by a strategy of up-selling.

I think the power of the internet, review sites, and social media is creating positive change in the philosophy and behavior of merchants. This is both empowering for consumers and ultimately much healthier for merchants as well.
 

WinkHPD

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
May 3, 2001
Messages
7,516
Interesting thread.

Clearly, there are those who try to influence only to increase their own profits, whether it be badmouthing the competition, or upselling a client to a more expensive article than was originally desired. In some, if not many cases, the upselling is both justified and beneficial to the client if it allows the client to get what was actually wanted and the desired budget was unrealistic. In other cases, the upsell was completely not necessary for anyone other than the store and the commissioned sales person. The question then becomes, "How do you know which is which?"

I have no answer to that question for you, that depends on you doing your homework and actually learning something about your desired purchase, rather than blindly trusting the first sales associate that you speak with.

The good news is that there are more and more "enlightened" retailers who, while trying to influence you, are doing so ethically. They will spend hours with you to help you understand the complexities of this incredible diamond product. They will have great resources in the educational material about what they are selling, and the will encourage you to see various qualities side by side when possible.

These retailers are influencing you to YOUR benefit as well as theirs, since you will end up with a product that you are satisfied with for many years. They may be making less money per sale as a result of their influence, but they will be making more sales, especially when their happy clients care enough to share their experiences with their friends and family.

Just a few of my thoughts on this chilly Monday morning.

Wink
 

Garry H (Cut Nut)

Super_Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Aug 15, 2000
Messages
18,422
The biggest change is not what retailers have been doing since Eve convinced Adam to take a bite of the apple.
It is what happens online.
Consumers learn and know more - often more than the folk behind the counter in B&M stores. That simple relationship - people with a lot of money tend to be really smart and learn faster than people with less money (not sure about the Donald? though).

The Internet sadly though continues to spread total rubbish and historical mis-information like all these really dumb graphics started by De beers about 30 years ago https://www.google.com/search?q=dia...hWFQpQKHZ55DbcQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=ayRG_Kzlo5IjrM:

But the really big trouble and the change over the past few years is the proliferation of review sites that offer 'free advice' but direct you to buy a diamond from an online vendor that gives them the biggest hidden commission. Often 5% added cost to your purchase.
 
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