Blue Nile Q4 Sales Down 2.1%

Online diamond and jewelry retailer, Blue Nile, Inc., said Wednesday that net sales for the fourth quarter decreased 2.1 percent, year-over-year, to $112.3 million due to a decline in high-end diamond sales and a rise in commodity prices.

Operating income for the quarter, ended January 1, was $6.3 million, compared to $9.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2010. Net income for the fourth

Q4 Retail E-Commerce Spending Nears $50 Billion

Online retail spending for the fourth quarter of 2011 increased 14 percent, year-over-year, to $49.7 billion, according to comScore, which measures digital data. This growth rate represents the ninth consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth and fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth rates. For the entire 2011 year, U.S. retail e-commerce spending reached a record $161.5

Royal Asscher and CoutureLab to Support the Seven Bar Foundation

This Shining Stars ring is among the Royal Asscher jewelry that will be available on CoutureLab. Photo credit: Royal Asscher


Royal Asscher said Thursday that it is selling jewelry from its Stars of Africa and Shining Stars collections on the website CoutureLab to benefit the Seven Bar Foundation.

CoutureLab is a luxury gift website that sells fine and rare products that focus on quality,

A Record-Setting Week for Online Holiday Sales

Online sales for the first full week of what is considered the true holiday shopping season grew 15 percent to a record $5.96 billion, according to comScore, a firm that measures digital data.The week from November 28 (“Cyber Monday”) to December 2 had three individual days that saw more than $1 billion in online spending, led by Cyber Monday, which was the heaviest online spending day on record

Black Friday Online Sales Total $816 Million, Cyber Monday Next

Black Friday saw $816 million in online sales, making it the heaviest online spending day to date in 2011 and representing a 26-percent increase versus Black Friday 2010, according to ComScore, a firm that measures digital data. Thanksgiving Day (November 24), while traditionally a lighter day for online holiday spending, achieved a strong 18-percent increase to $479 million.

Overall U.S. retail

Jewelry and Watches a Top e-Commerce Performer

Jewelry and Watches is one of several product categories that grew at least 15 percent in sales, compared to a year ago, according to comScore, Inc., a digital measurement and analytical firm. The Reston, Va.-based company did not give details on the jewelry with a report it recently published. However, jewelry and watches was a top performer, along with other categories that experienced

Blue Nile CEO Resigns; Q3 Sales Up 11%

Diane Irvine

Diane Irvine, Blue Nile CEO, president and director, who has been with the diamond and fine jewelry online retailer since the company was founded in 1999, has resigned, effective November 11. The announcement came just minutes before the Seattle-based company reported that third quarter sales increased 11.2 percent to $75 million. Operating income for the quarter totaled $2.9

Jewelry and Watch Brands Score Low on their Digital IQ

E-tailers and department stores lead the rankings and Jewelry & Watches and Accessory brands lag behind in their digital IQ.  Image source: Digital IQ Index: Specialty Retail, L2

E-tailers have the highest digital IQ, department stores saw the largest gain in their digital IQ during the past year and the digital IQ of home furnishings brands fell from the prior year. However, it is jewelry

Internet Retail Sales Up 14%

U.S. e-commerce sales in the second quarter of 2011 increased 14 percent, year-over-year, to $37.5 billion, according to digital measuring company comScore Inc. This growth rate represented the seventh consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth and third consecutive quarter of double-digit growth rates.“The second quarter of 2011 saw a continuation of this year’s solid double-digit

Blue Nile Sets First Quarter Sales Record

Blue Nile, Inc. reported Thursday that net sales for the first quarter of 2011 increased 8.3 percent to $80.2 million, a first quarter record for the diamond and fine jewelry online retailer. Operating income for the quarter totaled $3.5 million. Net income totaled $2.4 million."We delivered record first quarter sales reflecting the strength of our consumer proposition and our relentless focus

Double-Digit Growth Expected For Online Retail in U.S., Western Europe

Online retail in both the U.S. and Western Europe will continue on a double-digit growth trajectory over the next five years, according to two recently released forecasts by Forrester Research, Inc. Both U.S. and European online retail will grow at a 10 percent compound annual growth rate from 2010 to 2015, reaching $279 billion and €134 billion ($185.1 billion), respectively, in 2015. The

Blue Nile Reports Double-Digit Q4 and Full-Year Sales Increases

Blue Nile, Inc. said Thursday that year-over-year net sales increased 11.5 percent to $114.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2010. Operating income for the period, ended January 2, rose 11.8 percent to $9.2 million. Net income increased 13.6 percent to $6.2 million for the period. For the full year, the online diamond and jewelry retailer said net sales increased 10.2 percent to $332.9 million

Macy’s to Add 725 Internet Jobs

Macy's, Inc. said it will undergo a series of organizational expansions, totaling approximately 725 new positions over the next two years, to support the growth of macys.com and bloomingdales.com. The company said its fast-growing online businesses are being fueled by an “omnichannel” strategy that allows customers to shop seamlessly in stores, online and via mobile devices.

“Macy's, Inc. is

E-Commerce Customer Satisfaction Slips Among Large Retailers

The sixth annual ForeSee Results E-Retail Satisfaction Index (U.S. Holiday Edition) slipped by 1 percent to 78 on the study’s 100-point scale (compared to the 2009 holiday season), but is still significantly higher than previous years. The overall decline can largely be attributed to declining scores for some computer and electronics retailers and mass merchants.

“In a recovering economy, a lot

Fine Jewelry Flash-Sales Website Launches a Blog, Facebook Page and Twitter Account

While much of the jewelry industry is taking baby steps onto e-commerce, one company is taking a giant leap forward.
Ajaline is billing itself as the first members only flash-sales Web site for the luxury fine jewelry and watches market. The new site is set to launch in early February. It offers its members the opportunity to safely and securely acquire fine jewelry and watches at a 30-70

Jewelry e-Commerce Site Receives $10 Million in Funding

BeachMint, a start-up e-commerce operator, said it has raised $10 million to accelerate the growth and reach new markets. The investment is led by Trinity Ventures, with participation from Stanford University and existing investors, New Enterprise Associates and Anthem Ventures.

The Santa Monica, Calif.-based company operates the e-commerce site, JewelMint.com, an online jewelry club where

Holiday Jewelry Sales Up 8.4%, Luxury Sales Up 6.7%, Total Holiday Sales Up 5.5%

After a mild start, jewelry posted several weekly sales increases and ended the 2010 holiday shopping season with a year-over-year increase 8.4 percent, according to MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse. Meanwhile, luxury sales (excluding jewelry) started the season with a solid gain and then picked up steam, ending with a very respectable year-over-year growth of 6.7 percent.

During the 50-day