Bulgari Accelerates E-commerce Reach
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MORE ONLINE: Bulgari is launching new e-commerce platforms in seven additional countries through July 29. The new online shops will reach, in this order: Singapore, the United Arab Emirates (in English followed by an update in Arabic), Italy, France, South Korea, Mexico and Brazil. The Italian site will go live on June 4.
The Rome-based jeweler’s first e-shop was launched in 2000 and expanded to the U.S., Canada, China, Japan, U.K., Germany, Spain and Australia.
Bulgari’s chief executive officer Jean-Christophe Babin said the brand’s e-shop has grown more than 100 percent during the coronavirus pandemic, adding that he believes “it will reinforce its leading position” after the health emergency, which has been “an accelerating factor.”
“The key to this success lies in its smooth interconnection with the ‘physical’ boutique and the other digital channels — therefore, in our coherent omnichannel approach and total alignment of boutiques associates and consumer care advisers,” Babin said.
The company said more than 80 percent of the customers who now shop in a Bulgari boutique have had previous digital contact with the brand, whether through the web site or the official social media, hence the increased focus on omnichannel as a key growth driver.
In addition to its customer service, Bulgari touted its 3-D product images, augmented reality, free shipping and flexible deliveries and complimentary returns as some of the tools attracting online customers.
Online players such as Net-a-porter, Farfetch and Moda Operandi unveiled fine-jewelry hubs in the 2010s and the category emerged as one of the fastest-growing in e-commerce — defying skeptics. The sector continues to grow briskly with online sales of watches and jewelry up more than 10 percent last year, surpassing the $7 billion mark, according to Euromonitor.
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