Do you make jewelry with your own hands, or are you passionate about jewelry and want to take advantage of the boom in e-commerce to sell jewelry online?

Selling jewelery online has all the potential to become a profitable business: the demand is there, the jewelery trade is not a fleeting trend but a universal industry, as old as the world, and in this sense, solid and steady.

Many online stores dedicated to the sale of jewelry started simply with a passion, that of creating handcrafted jewelry until the day when this talent met a demand. What used to be a hobby has become a business in its own right, and a way to make money online

Most people who can be creative and like to use their hands will be able to create jewelry — you don’t really need any specialized skills. In addition, the Internet has the immense advantage of allowing you to get started without too much initial investment, and with minimal risk, unlike selling in a physical store.

The openness to many opportunities offered by e-commerce involves the other side of the coin: the market is very competitive. Many online jewelry stores are created each month. From then on, your main challenge will be to differentiate yourself: by your product positioning and your prices compared to the competition, by your brand identity, your relevance to the expectations of your audiences and trends, and of course, by your ability to promote your jewelry.

The latest figures published in 2021 in France show that the jewelery sector represents 2.246 billion euros in turnover and 275 million for costume jewellery. Of course, the sector’s figures fell in 2020 in the context of the pandemic, but the jewelery sector came out the best with only a 2% drop in turnover

In this article, we will guide you through the step of launching an online jewelry sales activity, particularly in terms of positioning and marketing.

The importance of positioning yourself to sell jewelry online

Fine jewelry or fashion jewelry? This is the first question to ask yourself. Perhaps you will prefer to position yourself halfway between these two categories. Each category requires you to make choices that will impact your business model, be it materials, manufacturing processes, selling prices and target customer profiles:

Includes all other types of jewelry, from jewelry made with mid-range materials (variable quality textiles, metals, gemstones, wood, acrylic, materials used for 3D printing, etc.) to collectible jewelry and crafts whose manufacture requires a higher level of skill.

Once you have defined a general category for your jewelry e-commerce site, we advise you to follow three essential steps: (socially engaged consumers, fashion enthusiasts, bride and groom, etc.),

Choose a niche for your products,

Define your target customers, their demographic profile, their centers of interest and online shopping habits (this is called defining your “persona” in marketing),

Determine the contexts or types of events that best lend themselves to wearing your jewelry (weddings, parties, everyday life, etc.).

Take inspiration from trends to define your niche

Analyzing trends will help you define and validate your niche. Get into the habit of checking fashion and jewelry-focused e-commerce sites, blogs, and Instagram pages daily for trends for each upcoming season. Follow influencers who are ambassadors of the latest trends.

The best ideas often come from observing competing practices. In order not to suffer the full force of the competition, you will find the strategic idea that sets you apart: offer a customizable experience (engraving, etc.), source your materials ethically with commitments that respect the environment or promote trade fair…

Of course, launching your online jewelry store and, therefore, your own business, should not be a copy-paste of current trends, because, as we know, fashion passes! Take inspiration from trends to identify best practices and adapt them to your own identity. Be true to your personal values, tastes and creativity.

Take care of the design to increase its attractiveness

To establish yourself as a new designer in the fashion and jewelry industry, several ingredients are necessary: ​​an attractive aesthetic, a unique product/design, and a coherent brand image . Before collaborating with a designer to develop your branding or design any piece of jewelry, you should go through some exercises that will help you define your brand’s overall signature.

The brand does not stop at the choice of the brand name . Your brand must have a tone, a mission, a vision, values ​​and commitments, which are reflected in your visual identity , as much as in your storytelling . A brand, especially in the field of fashion, must make people dream, offer a unique experience, appealing to emotions to connect you to your audiences.

Storytelling plays a central role in this bond that you are able to create with your customers: by telling your story, by injecting human, sincerity and convictions into your story that will echo those of your audiences, whose profile and expectations you have analyzed previously. Take the time towrite the “About  ” page, which you can also name “Our story”, or “Manifesto”, depending on the values ​​you hold.