How to Sell Jewellery Online

Hello again Sea Changers and welcome back to the site where we discuss all things online business so that you too can fund that all important sea change. Today I am going to discuss the key aspects around how to sell jewellery online. Jewellery, jewelry – whichever way it is spelled – there is a ring for some and a necklace for others and if you can target your market successfully, there is, I believe, probably some money to be made.

That is not to say that you can just start promoting jewellery willy-nilly. This is an extremely large and popular market so you will need to be clear on what it is that you are trying to promote, and whom you are promoting it to. So today I will check out a number of ways that you can make money from selling jewellery online – some you may be aware of, some you may not have thought of. Either way, grab yourself a nice cool drink and let's see what we can find out…

Note: it seems that with this market, there are two distinct ways to spell the word jewellery – being that way, and jewelry. That is the funny thing about the internet, even if the dictionaries say to spell it one way, it appears that what ever is popular is what it is. At the end of the day, the text books will tell you that jewelry is the preferred spelling in American English, whilst jewellery is preferred in British English. My advice – write it whichever way that will rank you better within your keywords.

How do we get started?

As usual, if there is no online market for this type of product, then we are wasting our time with everything else that we are looking to do as marketers within this niche. So let's do our usual due diligence and see if there is an actual market to sell jewelry online.

What are people looking for?

To start let's just confirm our market numbers:

1. Number of monthly searches

The first thing we need to do here is check (or confirm) if jewellery is actually worthwhile pursuing as a potential online business. And the best way to determine this is to see what searches are being undertaken within the search engines. You will need to find yourself a good keyword tool (I use Jaaxy) and enter in the keywords that best describe your market. In this case, let's start with the basics:

Yep, over 13,000 searches for the term jewellery, that is pretty good – and as an illustration of my comments above around jewellery vs jewelry however, let's check online searches for the second spelling option.

There are some great numbers here (there are a lot of variations further down not visible in the pic above) and it definitely shows that people are at least looking jewellery online. We can also see from these results above that there is some decent interest in making jewellery rather than just purchasing it. That opens up another niche avenue around the review and promotion of jewellery making materials as well. Oh, and who could not have thought about Harry Potter jewellery??

2. Growth trends

Another important aspect of online sales and niche selection is to check that interest is maintained or increasing over time. To gain an insight into this let's check out how jewellery related searches are trending online.

And just to be sure, let's check the other spelling:

So what does this tell us? Well let's break it down:

• There is a good constant demand for both – interestingly similar numbers for both spelling variations.
• There looks to be a slight drop in demand over the past 5 years but certainly nothing in my opinion to worry about.
• There are definite spikes in online sales trends at certain times of the year – looking to be around Christmas and Valentine's day – something to keep in mind for seasonal promotions in the sales niches.
• That said, interest is still well maintained all year round.

All in all, I see a really good opportunity here.

What is our niche?

Ok, now the fun part begins – we need to start looking at breaking down our market into a niche or sub niche. Jewellery in general is a such a huge niche that I would expect that you might need to choose to break it down a little and specialise. Regardless, based on some research (albeit not extensive), here are some ideas

• General jewellery
• Luxury jewellery
• Making jewellery
• Jewellery for weddings, proms, special events, babies (these are all BIG and evergreen markets)
• Hobby jewellery – (Harry Potter, Warcraft etc.)
• Jewellery for men, women, children
• Jewellery care and maintenance
• Electronic Jewellery – Apple, Samsung watches etc.
• Jewellery collectors

There really is no limit to the amount of subject content here, however as you work through narrowing your targeted niche, consider the following:

• Are you able to solve a problem – Most people undertake searches on the internet to solve a problem – see next section.

• Is it a subject that you have an interest, or knowledge in– I am guessing that you are in this post as you know about, or have an interest in jewellery. If you don't have either of these, maybe consider another market as, to be honest, you might struggle to produce solid content if you don't know much about it – or worse, have no interest in it.

Let's investigate this a little further by discussing the problem solving elements of niche selection.

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What problem are we solving?

Now, you may already know what it is that you are trying to sell. If not, then maybe start to look at it from the perspective of solving problems.

Think about your own search behaviours when you are online – I would hazard a guess that most searches you do are in order to solve a problem. These can be in a number of ways such as:

1. You know that you want to purchase a new watch for your partner but don't know which one is best for their needs
2. You have a problem and need a solution – I.e. “I want to make a crystal bracelet but don't know how?”

Your goal here is to determine just what problem/s you are trying to solve for your readers. This may be one problem that spans your site or differ for each post that you write. For example, if you have chosen jewellery making for your niche, then problems might be:

• Equipment choice – they want to make necklaces for a wedding party but don't know which equipment they need.
• Which to buy – they are tossing up between two types of string for their bracelets- but which is best?
• Wearing techniques – they want to know what to make to wear with a certain clothing type.

In these cases, people would be searching for those topics based on having a problem and needing a solution. Your site would outline and review the best options for them.

Alternatively, if your site is about men's jewellery for example, then you would be addressing problems such as the fact that I want to buy a new high end watch but don't know whether a Rolex or Tag Heuer is best. You could then discuss the details of both such as:

• Price
• Weight
• Water proof specs
• Band types
• Electronic versions
• Battery life (and replacement costs)
• Resale value

Note: You do not need to identify every possible problem that your readers may have straight away. In many cases, the more you write, the more ‘problems’ will present themselves so initially you really just want to make sure that there are some that may need solving as we have found here.

How are you going to convince them to buy?

The main thing to keep in mind here is that jewellery fits into a number of evergreen niches including hobby and romance meaning that people will spend money on it but will need to be confident that it is worth it. So at the end of the day, you need to find ways to convince people that you know what you are talking about and that they can safely purchase from you. Here are some ways that you can do that:

• Provide information without sales – That's right – write your posts in a way that actually makes it easy for people to do their research without having to purchase from you. By doing this, you are solving problems and helping readers out. If they trust you, they will be more likely to return next time and buy from you then – especially if you follow up with posts on ways to get the most our of their purchases by wearing with different ensembles etc.

• Jewellery is a ‘feeling' product – If you check out the advertising campaigns of the high end jewellery manufacturers, you will notice that many push the ‘feeling' and ‘exclusivity' that comes with wearing their pieces. This is obviously manged this way to get around the fat that if you are purchasing online, then you are unable to see how it looks on you. So if this is your niche then your posts and more importantly, your social media pages will need to not only discuss the ins and outs of the jewellery but provide lots of feel good visuals as well.

• Highlight advantages – Are you cheaper, does your vendor provide a good warranty, free shipping or a bonus discount? You will be surprised how many will suddenly not need to go elsewhere if they are saving money. Also, be clear to outline returns policies etc.

• Know your audience – A big mistake many make here is to not target the real needs of the buyer. This is especially important when dealing with the different types of jewellery. For example those looking for a broach for the prom will probably be a little more interested in price. Serious collectors on the other hand will want to know exact features and usually be interested in either the latest and greatest technology or resale value details. Make sure that you understand what it is that your target audience is after and what they like and don't like. That way you can appeal directly to them and keep then interested in your site.

Tip: Still not sure? Have a look and see what others are doing. It might just help you with some ideas.

Don't forget to think outside the box a little here too. For example if your niche is targeting jewellery for brides and their wedding party, don't forget the groom – after all, he might like a nice watch as well!

How do we sell it?

Ok, so will all that in mind, we now need to consider what products we are going to promote. It should be noted here that the main process that I will be discussing is to sell them via an affiliate marketing arrangement. In short, this means that you will write about jewellery and all of their problem solving goodness and then refer your readers to a link where they will purchase directly from the vendors. You then make your money via commissions from those vendors. That is not to say that the other methods listed can not be just as effective however so let’s have a look at some of the best avenues for those looking to sell products within the jewellery niche:

Affiliate programs

Affiliate programs are setup directly by companies or marketplace platforms (Amazon, Ebay etc.) that allow you to join and then refer traffic to them via customised affiliate links.

To find affiliate programs in the jewellery space, simply type “affiliate: jewellery” into your search engine:

Oh, and look – Google has included both spelling types – helpful!

From here you can search through and find programs that:

• Relate to your niche/problems that you are solving.
• Have quality products – your brand can be severely damaged if you promote poor quality products or fake brands.
• Have solid payment and customer service arrangement.
• Pay decent commissions.
• Have good testimonials covering commission payouts and quality of product.

In most cases, you will need to apply for the program before you are allowed to promote their products – don’t take this step lightly or you will be rejected. Affiliate programs will generally want to know:

• Your website name.
• Traffic levels.
• Why you want to join – (so I can make money by selling your necklaces is unfortunately not generally a good enough answer).
• How you plan to promote their products.

One thing to be aware of here I guess is to keep in mind the issues we discussed earlier in regards to selling jewellery online – especially if you are selling high end luxury items. You need to make sure that the programs you choose can be trusted and that the consumer is comfortable that they have recourse if something goes wrong. For this reason you will need to make sure that your chosen programs are going to resonate with your readers and your niche. That said, some marketplace programs such as Amazon and EBay can give you access to these types of products and as they are more trusted, then they may be worth a look for sure. Some Amazon examples are as below:

Dropshipping

Dropshipping is similar to affiliate marketing in that you are generally promoting the products of others without the need to actually hold any inventory. With affiliate marketing, you are paid a commission on whatever price the vendor sets but do not manage any customer service, sales processes or post sales requirements. The main difference with dropshipping, is that you perform the following (there are a number of variations to this but this is the guist of it):

• Strike a relationship with a wholesaler.
• Promote the product for whatever price you see fit – often via a marketplace site such as Shopify, Amazon or Ebay.
• Manage the sales processes and customer service.
• Send the final order and payment to the wholesaler for packaging and shipping.

The money that you make is effectively the different between whatever you managed to sell the product for and the wholesale price that you owe the vendor. The other advantages of dropshipping over affiliate marketing is that:

• You own the customer list – which is another means of building an effective email list.
• You control the cost of the product and hence the profit margins.
• You can control when you put things on ‘sale', group them in packages or increase the price for high demand items.

The disadvantages however are the extra workload in handling payment and any ongoing customer service requirements.

To find dropshipping suppliers online, you can enter “jewellery: supplier” into your favourite search engine:

Note: These results will usually be based on your geographical location.

From here you can search through and find programs that:

• Offer dropshipping services – Not all product suppliers offer dropshipping as a service.
• Have experience and are helpful – If they are not helpful and/or appear inexperienced then you can expect the same when you are trying to process sales.
• Have acceptable fees – most wholesalers will charge a small fee for the dropshipping service – just make sure it is not so high that it eats into your profit margins.
• Provide fast shipping – One disadvantage with dropshipping when dealing with vendors is that the customer is yours, not theirs hence sometimes shipping priorities are not where they should be – make sure shipping times are acceptable.
• Have quality products – as with affiliate marketing, don't sell rubbish.
• Have a good name – do your research and see what others are saying about them.

Sell your own

If affiliate marketing or dropshipping are not your cup of tea, maybe you could try sourcing and selling your own product. This process is especially popular with those selling lower end or specialized items (beads, crystal bracelets etc.) and commonly referred to as White Labeling. Here you actually purchase your product from a vendor or wholesaler, add your own label and then on-sell them via your website or platforms such as Amazon and ETSY etc.

This process requires a much higher setup costs as you will need to purchase your products, create and affix your labels and manage orders and shipment. Some wholesalers/vendors however will affix the labels that you send them and then manage the packaging and shipment for you (see dropshipping above). This will cost you less to set up but obviously you will make less on the sale once they take their processing fee.

Again, to find out where to acquire your product, do a search for “white label: jewellery”:

Note: These results will usually be based on your geographical location so you may at times need to sort through a few pages.

From here you will need to follow the same processes as with affiliate and dropshipping programs in determining whether they are a good fit for your business plans including:

• Relate to your niche/problems that you are solving.
• Have solid delivery and customer service arrangements.
• Have good testimonials covering service and quality of product.

Alternatively, keep your eye out in your local area for exhibitions and swap meets. These are a great way to find and purchase your products at good prices – you never know, you might even find a solid supplier for future sales as well.

Tip: This method can be very effective in driving online traffic and sales via the implementation of more traditional sales methods such as kiosks and market stalls etc. As people get to know you, they can purchase from you there and then be directed to your website for future sales.

What do we need to do?

And finally, we need to choose and setup the media that we intend to use to sell our product. This can include:

Build a Website

If your jewellery niche is to do with sales or manufacture, then you will probably need to look into a website. Websites allow you to solve problems via blog posts, videos and/or ‘how to' demonstrations that people can view in order to identify the solutions that they need. Usually, this process is fairly straight forward in that you build your website, write posts (on the best watches for water sports for example), then provide links so that they can view/purchase the relevant products online.

Promote on Social Media

Social media is a powerful platform that can allow you to get your message out there into the big wide online world with the ability to reach thousands. It also allows you to target specific segments if you choose the correct platform. When it comes to jewellery, the platform of choice will be dependent upon your niche. If, for example you are looking at making jewellery, then YouTube will be your go to to allow you to demonstrate and discuss your pieces with your readers.

Alternatively, as we discussed earlier, jewellery sales tend to focus heavily on the ‘feeling' and ‘vibe' that comes with wearing it. In these cases, visual platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest would provide definite advantage in driving sales and promoting your brand.

Join like-minded groups

The beauty about hobby and romantic niches (such as making or selling jewellery) is that regardless of the sub niche you have chosen, you can really get amongst your target audience quickly as there is usually some sort of social media group, online forum or membership page that you can join to gain exposure to potential visitors and sales. FaceBook for example is a great place to gain access to hobby and professional groups alike and can not only allow you to interact with customers but also gain more information and education in terms of content ideas for your posts or products.

Note: Many of these groups will not allow you to spruike or promote your sites directly, however if you can interact and demonstrate your knowledge then people will ask you privately for the information. At the very least, as above, it is a great way to get ideas and insight into what people in this area really want to know about and what they are buying online.

Conclusion

And there it is – How to sell jewellery online. I hope it has been helpful and as usual, please do not hesitate to comment below if you have any questions, need some advice or have any experiences to share.

Do you want further assistance with any of the above or need help to build your own jewellery based website?

Are you looking for a comprehensive training platform that can give you step by step training, 24/7 support, tools to develop and host your very own jewellery based website, ongoing assistance with SEO and social media and access to some of the best affiliate marketing minds on the planet, then click on the following link to read more about Wealthy Affiliate.

Until next time

Have fun

Paul

Note: If you make a purchase from this page, there is a very good chance that I make a commission from it – these commissions do not increase your sale price.