Pearl Knowledge

Melissa Shepherd writes:

When American Pearl took its business online nine years ago, e-commerce was virtually uncharted territory. So the pearl importer made its own way, using 50 years of pearl expertise, across two generations, as the jumping-off point.

Now, with about 5 million online visitors and 20 percent sales growth per year, AmericanPearl.com is an established online presence, on a mission to educate its customers about pearls.

The transition from a small showroom in Manhattan's diamond district to the unlimited space of the Web was challenging, says company president Eddie Bakhash, who took over the business in 1990 from his father, Charlie, who founded the company. In the days before jewelry juggernauts like Blue Nile—when Google, Yahoo and Amazon were still start-ups—Bakhash developed the retail model for AmericanPearl.com largely through his own sweat equity.

"One summer I didn't go outside," says Bakhash, a longtime computer whiz, only half-jokingly. For three months, he worked after business hours to build the user-friendly format. Rows of picture icons on the homepage lead to every section of the site in one click, so viewers can quickly navigate what amounts to pages and pages of pearl information and product offerings—from new pieces to bestsellers, to a designer gallery to a collector's section of top-quality pearls.

Educating customers about the value and beauty of pearls is the main goal. The site's buying guide provides information on pearl varieties and pricing, how to identify quality and how to choose pearl size and strand length. There's also a glossary of pearl terms, a brief pearl history and a movie on how cultured pearls are made.

For a tactile business like jewelry, selling online comes down to building trust with consumers. This is particularly true for pearls, says Bakhash, since their quality is much more difficult to assess than diamonds, which have strict grading standards.

"Customers don't have access to the product knowledge, so we give them that resource," he says.

By developing the pearl niche focus, being consistent with customers and keeping pace with the rapid changes of the online marketplace, the site has become a strong brand, says Bakhash. But he admits getting online early was a big advantage. Since the site's launch in 1997, Bakhash has seen customer knowledge of pearls skyrocket, with word-of-mouth recommendations bringing a steady stream of new traffic to the site each month

Because of that success, the company is now expanding to a sister site, AmericanDiamond.com. Up and running but still under development, the site features Gemological Institute of America-certified stones, interactive features such as a build-your-own-ring section and, of course, lots of information on diamonds—all designed to create customer trust.

Whether it's dealing in diamonds or pearls, the company's success, like that of most family businesses, rests on strong relationships. Charlie, who founded the company in 1950 and spent 25 years in Japan building contacts, still goes on all the buying trips—bringing back top quality Japanese akoya and South Sea pearls for some 2,500 retail clients and AmericanPearl.com.

"There is no negotiating quality for us. We sell only the finest," Bakhash says. "When you build a site that's based on the quality of your product, you reach out to all customers."

More info @ http://www.nationaljewelernetwork.com/njn/content_display/colored_stones/e3i001b3e6344e49e3b7f8675ab6cf62f3d