Blue Nile gets website makeover |
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Online diamond retailer Blue Nile has been plugging away on a website redesign for some time, hoping to make itself more attractive to buyers as many of the nation's brick-and-mortar jewelry chains succumb to the recession. Today the company unveiled the new site, which sports larger photos, more ring customization tools, and the ability to hover over jewelry images and get relevant data.
This is Blue Nile's first major website revamp since the company was founded a decade ago. The site's diamond images are now more than four times larger. I just took a look at the site's tool to build customized engagement rings -- a big business for Blue Nile. Shoppers can use sliding scales to adjust the shape, carat, color, price, cut and clarity of diamonds and then compare results side-by-side.
Blue Nile, like other jewelry retailers, has felt the sting of the economic downturn. But with many of its rivals falling into bankruptcy, liquidating or closing stores, Blue Nile is trying to lure more shoppers.
The company has a tricky task in expanding its customer base, however. According to the Wall Street Journal, the "vast majority" of Blue Nile customers are men, who are "drawn to the extra information and control -- as well as possible discounts -- they get by shopping online instead of at a high-pressure jewelry counter." Blue Nile wants to attract more women without turning off men, which is why the company junked an outside design firm's initial suggestion to make the website "bubblegum pink," and went instead for a more upscale look, the Journal reports.
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