Short clip: Blue Nile takes on Tiffany, Zales

April 29, 2008, 11:54am PDT | Length: 00:01:32
Darrell Cavens, senior vice president of marketing and technology at Blue Nile describes the online jeweler's competitive advantage over its brick and mortar counterparts such as offering a better selection and a larger inventory of diamonds.

Transcript

Short clip: Blue Nile takes on Tiffany, Zales

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>> Now that "just in time" delivery does that give you a significant advantage over competitors such as a Tiffany's or a Zales'?

>> Yeah, I think consumers really are able to get a selection that they wouldn't be able to get at a typical off line jewelry store. So if you go into a jewelry store they may have 10 or 15 diamonds behind the counter they just can't hold the inventory selection that we have access to and make available to our customers, so we think we have a better selection there. We run on very low overhead and very low margins so we're passing on that value back to consumers where they're coming in and saving a significant amount, having a better selection. I just really think it's the perfect retail model and we're able to provide a better experience where our consumers just, they absolutely love it, they come in, they tell their friends. Our number one source of sales is referral and I think a big piece of that is we're redefining the way this product is sold. And, you know, removing the anxiety away from it, you know? These guys come in and they're typically telling us things like, "I went into the store and the commission sales person ran over to me." It's a very anxious purchase and we put a lot of education, information, guidance, it's really what we lead with. You know, we don't negotiate on price. We have no commission sales folks, so it removes that anxiety and able to provide just a better shopping experience, better selection, better pricing. And the model has just taken off and we're really excited about where the business is going.

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