Eighty six percent of Australian consumers are “dubious” about purchasing jewellery online, according to a survey by Moi Moi Fine Jewellery.
The online survey of 650 people found that 43.8 per cent would only buy jewellery online if they knew that the store also had a physical outlet while 42 percent said they wouldn’t buy jewellery online at all.
In addition 86 percent of women aged between 26 and 45 said they preferred ‘clicks and mortar’ (an online store with a physical outlet) because they wanted to test the quality of the jewellery before spending a large amount of money.
“Many consumers coming into our store are becoming fearful of purchasing jewellery online when others have been left out of pocket due to dodgy websites,” said Moi Moi Fine Jewellery co-director Alana Chang Weirick.
“Fine jewellery is an investment. The experience of buying fine jewellery in-store offers a high level of customer service and expert opinion that you just can’t get from a website.
“In particular, when couples are buying an engagement ring, they want to enjoy the experience of trying on rings and choosing the right one together, as well as having the help of a professional jeweller to advise them on styles, types of stones, etc,” she said.
“Clicking on a button to buy an engagement ring doesn’t offer quite the same experience. Fine jewellery has many variables. It’s important to compare apples with apples.”
The survey also noted that 33 per cent of the men said they would spend over $5000 at an online jewellery store while just 11 per cent of the women said they would.