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Blue Nile to Open First West-Coast ‘Webroom’
Mar 30, 2016 3:03 AM
By Rapaport News
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RAPAPORT... Blue Nile will open a ‘webroom’ in Portland, Oregon, this
summer, marking the online retailer’s fourth foray into the bricks-and-mortar
business and its first physical presence on the U.S. West coast.
Blue Nile is
pioneering the online-offline hybrid retail model with one store already in operation in New York and two more set to open on the East coast by early summer.
The concept
allows shoppers to try on jewelry and browse Blue Nile’s selection on an
in-store iPad with the help of non-commissioned consultants. Overheads are low
and customers can still benefit from online prices.
The fourth store will be located at the Washington Square Mall, about three hours’ driving time south of Blue Nile’s Seattle headquarters.
“Expanding the
webroom concept to the West coast is a huge move for us and one we
think will benefit customers in
the Seattle and Portland markets who might want to see an
engagement ring in person before buying online," said Julie Yoakum, Blue
Nile’s chief merchandising officer, in a statement March 28.
"Washington
Square is a bustling mall and we are going to bring a whole new way of shopping
to the people who are there to buy jewelry.”
Blue Nile
launched its first webroom in Garden City, New York, in June 2015 and plans to
open a further two on the East coast by early summer: one in Fairfax County, Virginia,
and another in White
Plains, New York.
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Tags:
Blue Nile, online retail, Oregon, Portland, Rapaport News, retail, u.s., webrooms
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