Blue Nile to open 50 new showrooms in 3 years

By

Robin Driver

Published
Oct 6, 2020

Blue Nile, the world’s largest online retailer of graded diamonds, announced on Monday that it is embarking on an aggressive brick-and-mortar expansion, revealing plans to open 50 new showrooms targeting the top 50 markets in the next three years.

 
The first showroom to launch as part of the Seattle-based company’s expansion efforts opened on Monday at Park Meadows in Lone Tree, Colorado, and will be followed by two more locations before the end of the year. November 2 will see a showroom open its doors at Irvine, California’s Fashion Island, while the Oakbrook Center at Oakbrook, Illinois, will welcome its own Blue Nile location on November 9.
 
The company’s plans include setting up new showrooms in both traditional, high-end mall environments, and open-air malls, as well as urban street-side locations.

With this wave of new openings, Blue Nile is hoping to offer its customers a “seamless” inter-platform experience, allowing them to browse a large range of jewelry online before coming into a showroom to see their selected pieces up close.
 
“Our customers value our wonderful and expansive assortment, incredible quality and accessible internet-based pricing, and they love coming into a physical showroom to feel and touch our jewelry before they purchase,” commented Blue Nile CEO Sean Kell in a release.
 
“We want our customers to feel confident in a milestone purchase like a diamond engagement ring, so we're growing our store network to connect in-person with those seeking to try-on our products and receive advice from our diamond experts to create the engagement ring of their dreams,” he added.
 
Blue Nile has been offering virtual appointments for the last 20 years, but in light of the increase in demand for this service due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the retailer also announced on Monday that it is enhancing these appointments with a new online tool.
 
Set to roll out later this fall, the new tool will allow shoppers to see the diamonds they're shopping for through remote capabilities, while Blue Nile’s jewelry consultants will be able to co-browse the site with customers as they provide them with guidance concerning their purchases.
 
Prior to Monday’s opening, Blue Nile operated five physical showroom locations in Salem, New Hampshire; Long Island, New York; Portland, Oregon; Fairfax County, Virginia; Bellevue, Washington and Lone Tree, Colorado.