As a Digital Retailer, I Find That Being in the Room Is Essential

Needless to say, so many things have changed in our everyday lives during the pandemic. We gather together less. We communicate through digital interfaces like Zoom more than ever before. We certainly shop differently, often relying on grocery deliveries and e-commerce for everyday necessities.

As a digital retail business in this new reality, Gem Shopping Network (GSN) makes for an interesting case study. We have always been a virtual marketplace selling a luxury product, with our typical jewelry sale averaging about $2,500. Our customers view our merchandise on a screen and therefore at somewhat of a distance, and make purchase decisions based on what they see (rather than touch).

At the heart of the business, though, are some crucial in-person interactions. I hold the jewelry that we consider selling on GSN in my hands, vetting it carefully. That process won’t change, even during a pandemic. I’ve still been getting on airplanes over the past several months, always taking the proper safety precautions, to see up close our vendors’ many offerings. On a given day out in the marketplace, I look at hundreds of pieces of jewelry in order to narrow the selection down to the best of the lot. I visit dealers with whom I have developed trusted relationships over many years. Some vendors are not comfortable with visits during the pandemic, and that is of course something I understand and respect. I just know that we will have to wait to work together until next year, when the world is back to normal again, and I can see their gems up close.

During my quest for world-class merchandise, I’m no different from a customer walking into a brick-and-mortar jewelry store. From the first glance, a gemstone has to be visually appealing. Before I inquire about cost or the grade of a stone, it must speak to me in some way. I ask myself, “Would I give this to my daughter or girlfriend or mother?” If the answer is yes, only then do I dive into a more technical exploration. I pull out my trusty kit containing a magnifying loupe, my favorite pair of tweezers and three different flashlights that allow me to observe how a gemstone reacts to various types of light. That’s when the deeper scrutiny begins. For me, it’s an important gut check that can only happen when I am in the room, holding the stone, my tools at the ready.

In the end, our viewers trust us to be the in-person experts so that they can shop from home. It’s a pact that fuels — and fortifies — our reputation. There is a very committed human presence behind an effective digital marketplace. That reality remains unchanged, even during a pandemic.