Forevermark Expands E-Commerce, Launches Capsule Collection

The De Beers-owned diamond brand has partnered with stylist Micaela Erlanger to create a diamond and platinum bridal capsule collection.

Michelle Graff michelle.graff@nationaljeweler.com

This summer, Forevermark will launch a capsule collection of bridal jewelry created in collaboration with stylist Micaela Erlanger.

New York—Forevermark is expanding its website’s capabilities and launching a bridal capsule collection in collaboration with a well-known stylist, executives announced at the recent, virtual Forevermark Forum.

In a presentation streamed Thursday, Forevermark U.S. President Charles Stanley gave a long list of updates on developments to Forevermark.com, which included the brand selling more jewelry online directly to consumers while still profit-sharing with retailers.

The diamond brand will sell all Forevermark collections online—the Engagement & Commitment Collection, Classics, the new Forevermark x Micaela bridal collaboration and Tribute, which it has sold online since late 2018.

Retailers that carry Forevermark also now will be allowed to sell these collections online.

Stanley also listed a number of other improvements on tap for Forevermark.com, including:
— Updating the site to have a single store locator that includes icons representing which collections each store carries;
— Linking a store’s actual inventory to the site so consumers can see the in-store availability of exact product;
— Developing a “legally compliant” process to share the information of customers who buy on Forevermark.com with jewelers; and
— Introducing a virtual try-on tool that can be used by consumers both on Forvermark.com and in stores.

More information about when these enhancements will go live is forthcoming, he said.

“Our new normal means we can no longer think of physical stores and e-commerce in separate buckets, as U.S. consumers have meshed the two channels together.” — Charles Stanley, Forevermark U.S.

Stanley cited statistics regarding the importance of integrating the in-store and online experiences.

He said while more than 80 percent of all diamond jewelry is still bought in physical stores, 78 percent of shoppers use at least one omnichannel service, like booking an appointment or looking up inventory online, or buy online, pick up in store.

Of shoppers who choose to buy online and pick up in store, also known as BOPIS, 21 percent made an additional purchase when they came in to get their item, and 15 percent did so when coming in to return an item they bought online.

“The current crisis has accelerated consumers’ online activity, resulting in them wanting even more dynamic and seamless shopping experiences,” Stanley said during his presentation.

“Our new normal means we can no longer think of physical stores and e-commerce in separate buckets, as U.S. consumers have meshed the two channels together.”

The ninth annual Forevermark Forum originally was scheduled to take place

Banner will be right here …

in March in Miami but, like so many other events, was moved online because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to Stanley, the 600-plus retailers, manufacturers and diamantaires who tuned into the virtual conference heard from Nancy Liu, Shanghai-based CEO of Forevermark.

Liu gave insight into consumer trends in China following the reopening of retail, noting that the Forevermark business in the country has returned “more rapidly than anticipated,” with like-for-like sales up 23 percent in April.

“In China shoppers have begun to return to luxury goods, with branded jewelry and bridal leading the recovery,” she said. “We see strong self-reward and pent-up demand, and two key bridal seasons compressed into one.”

Also during the Forum, Forevermark announced the launch of a capsule collection created in collaboration with celebrity stylist Micaela Erlanger, who’s dressed numerous clients in Forevermark on the red carpet, including Lupita Nyong’o at the SAG Awards earlier this year.

If Erlanger’s name sounds familiar to those in the jewelry industry, it’s because she’s the brand ambassador and curated a collection for the “Platinum Born” line distributed by Suna Bros.

For the Forevermark capsule collection, Erlanger turns to the white metal once again, as the assortment of wedding bands and diamond engagement rings will be made exclusively in platinum.

Forevermark x Micaela will launch this summer and be sold on Forevermark.com and by authorized retailers.

Michelle Graffis the editor-in-chief at National Jeweler, directing the publication’s coverage both online and in print.

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