Diamond retailer Brilliance digitized the diamond shopping experience with a new mobile application to give consumers a quick guide while shopping in-store.

Offering a full diagnosis of cut, clarity and color options, among others, Diamond Finder aims to combat retail prices meanwhile promoting its own offerings in diamonds. Lending the power to the consumer, the retailer provides mobile-ordering possibilities alongside its recent launch of a 3D ring-printing tool for try-ons, sizing and visibility. 

?Our main goal is to empower people looking to purchase a diamond by giving them a tool to leverage when they are in a jewelry store,? said Ethan Wasserman, director of marketing at Brilliance, LLC, Fort Lauderdale. ?Imagine someone walking into a store and being quoted a price that is much higher than the diamond they can find on their phone. 

?And with filters for not only the 4 C?s, but for dimensions such as certification, depth, fluorescence and more, a potential customer can find a diamond nearly identical to the one they are being showed by the retail store clerk. Using our app as leverage can help them get a better price.?

Filtering a solution
The Diamond Finder user experience begins with an intricate search process including shape, carat, color, clarity, price and more. 

Once a search is submitted, the app generates a collection of results including stock numbers, images, retail price and symmetry and polish ratings.

The retailer has utilized its YouTube channel to host educational videos to inform its consumers the minute details of diamond shopping. These videos can also be viewed on the app. Videos include ?Diamond Cut Guide? and "Buying Wholesale Diamonds.?

The app also hopes to inform its users through informational summaries of cut, clarity, shape, etc., details allowing the consumer to make a more educated choice.

The inspiration of the creation of the app stems from overblown retail prices.

?The app was designed to give customers a tool they can use when shopping for diamonds,? Mr. Wasserman said. ?The slogan we adopted for the app is ?Never Pay Retail Again.? The diamond industry is particularly notorious for inflating costs and as a wholesale diamond retailer, and it bothers us when people do not have an easier, more affordable option. 

?With that in mind, we designed the app that lists over 100,000 diamonds that we have available and all at wholesale prices.?

Trying before buying
Consumer-facing apps attempting to provide valuable information for the buyer before making a purchase are leading the way to a more comfortable and confident user experience. Augmented reality has served as a successful tool to further the effectiveness of the apps.

Sephora, a leading specialty retailer in beauty, announced partnership in the Milan location launch of a 3D augmented reality mirror by ModiFace that simulates cosmetics on a user?s face photo-realistically in real-time, with expectations to transform how women shop for cosmetics.

The augmented reality technology, which was first debuted at the 2014 International CES in Las Vegas, expects to make color testing easier by simulating makeup products on a user?s face to show what they would look like in real-time and without having to upload a photo. Created by ModiFace, the technology is also being introduced to standalone retail kiosks equipped with a touchscreen monitor and camera, as well as a mobile application that can be used on tablets at beauty counters or on consumers? own handheld devices. While 2D try-on tech has been increasing in popularity among online and in-store merchants, ModiFace said 3D is naturally progressive step (see story).

In June, beauty marketer L?Oreal Paris released Makeup Genius, a mobile application that allows consumers to virtually test beauty products. 

The user can create lists of her favorite products, but is unable to purchases directly through the app. Despite a lack of mobile commerce, L?Oreal?s Makeup Genius also offers the latest on beauty trends in the virtual space (see story).

Targeting a similar goal as the aforementioned beauty establishments, Diamond Finder aspires to introduce a different way of diamond shopping. 

?As an online retailer, we hope that customers see the value we provide and choose Brilliance to buy their diamonds,? Mr. Wasserman said. ?If a customer cannot negotiate a better price from the retail store, probably because of the overhead costs storeowners have, then they can order the stone directly on their phone or choose to speak with one of our diamond and jewelry experts who can help them.

?This app will not only provide customers with a chance to get a great deal on their diamonds, but it will start to hold jewelry store owners and large retailers accountable for the large markups they pass off to customers.?

Final Take
Caitlyn Bohannon, editorial assistant for Mobile Marketer, New York