Every customer is different and so is every customer journey. All retailers must build their own customer journeys, based on the diverse range of possible touch points. What’s more, the variables of the customer journey can be adapted in real time, depending upon the guests who are in store at any given moment.

Multifaceted by nature, the customer journey calls for a solution that integrates the entire process into a seamless brand experience with a unified look and feel. This may well entail a mix of channels, campaigns, and strategies, but it is vital that the customer’s diamond-buying experience be smooth, flowing, and inviting. Customers must sense that the journey is an integral part of their diamond purchase and ownership experience—one they want to return to time and again.

As expected in our digitally driven world, the solution to creating a seamless customer journey lies in technology. Connected as we are 24/7 via smartphone, tablet, laptop, and now even smartwatches, the online nature of life makes digital the natural solution to the customer-journey interface that extends from online browsing to the in-store experience, purchasing the diamond, sharing on social media, and post-sales communication. Software apps are the key to linking all the players in the diamond supply chain—from the trader to the retailer to the couple in the jewelry store who are making the diamond purchase of a lifetime. And the app must be intuitive, easy to use, and customized to the brand identity of the seller. Don’t be fooled by the apparent simplicity of a well-designed app; the most comfortable UI can disguise a depth of sophistication in the technology that drives it.

The customer journey demands complexity of information about the diamond story combined with a seamless user experience. This is the key to creating a deeper connection between the customer and the diamond. This powerful combination of diamond information and digital technology is what makes the customer journey count. —Tzafrir Engelhard, VP business development, Sarine Technologies

JCK