Cover Story: A Beautiful Marriage

"Our local presence is with some of the highest-end jewelers in the country," notes Kevin Flaherty, Ritani's vice president of marketing. "Our online shopping experience has to be as good as their in-store experience in order for our model to work."

In addition to expertly designing a clean, easily navigable website that showcases Ritani's merchandise, the retailer often plays the role of educator. Ritani is almost always dealing with first-time customers when it comes to the purchase of diamonds, and therefore needs to educate shoppers on the process — e.g., the different cuts of diamond, the price of the product depending on the size, the four C's (cut, color, clarity and carat weight).

Ritani offers site visitors free consultations with professional gemologists, who review with the shopper each of the diamonds they've selected. This service is in addition to the educational content Ritani has posted on its website, from defining the four C's to a section on the differences between ring settings.

"We spend an inordinate amount of time on the educational process associated with buying a diamond or an engagement ring," Flaherty says. "This is a trust-based purchase. If they trust the brand and jeweler, they're more likely to buy. Education is the doorway into that trusting relationship. Of all the content on our website, I'd say 70 percent of it's education oriented."

Ritani's 'Social Commerce'
Ritani is active in social media, interacting with consumers on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+. While the retailer has a different purpose for each social site — e.g., Pinterest is used to showcase Ritani's merchandise; Facebook is a forum to promote the company's latest news as well as ask and answer questions; and Twitter serves as a customer service tool — its overall social strategy is about building trust with consumers. And with that trust comes sales opportunities.