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Finding the perfect wedding bands for you and your partner should be a joyful experience. This is a huge milestone, and you want to cherish it for many years to come. Whether you're considering traditional gold or a durable tungsten wedding band, you need to buy the rings from a trustworthy retailer offering high-quality options.
This brings us to the question: is it better to buy your wedding band online or in-store? Our guide covers the advantages of each. Read on to find the beautiful precious metal or ceramic wedding band of your dreams.
Online shopping is increasingly common - around 230.5 million U.S. consumers were projected to shop online in 2021. It's only becoming more popular, too, as retailers make their online stores more attractive and accessible.
If you're looking for rings made of specific materials like a tungsten wedding band or ceramic wedding band, you might also find a wider variety online. Let's consider the key advantages of online jewelry shopping.
Shopping in stores can be a daunting experience. This is especially true of jewelry stores, simply because everything is so nice (and expensive). The staff looks their best and is wearing formal attire. Being surrounded by attentive, well-dressed professionals can be a wonderful experience, but it can also be intimidating.
If you're looking for a hard-wearing tungsten wedding band that is suitable for a hands-on job (e.g. laboring or roofing), you might feel ill at ease in a jewelry shop. There are so many reasons people find in-store shopping stressful, and online stores can make finding your ideal ceramic wedding band much more accessible.
You're also likely to find a wider range of options online. Even stores that have physical premises typically offer a wider range online, because space in the shop is limited. Particularly if you're looking for an attractive range of options for non-precious-metal rings like a tungsten wedding band or ceramic wedding band, you're going to find more options online.
This is important when you're buying for two people, as it can make it easier to find a matching pair of wedding bands made of niche materials. Gold or platinum can be prohibitively expensive, especially for larger, heavier men's rings. However, some stores offer limited women's options for a tungsten wedding band or ceramic wedding band. Shopping online opens up your options.
Websites are open 24/7. You can order a tungsten wedding band at any time of the day from the comfort of your home. Whether it is 5am or 11pm you can place an online order. Many jewelry shops are only open from 9am until 6pm. You will have to take time out of your day to drive to the store and back. You might also be working during the day. Can you afford to take time off work to visit a shop to order a ring and then go back to pick it up when it is ready?
Almost all jewelry store staff members are impeccably well-mannered, knowledgeable, and helpful. They have a good reason to be - your purchase is their sales commission! However, this also means that they're under pressure to make sales.
Gently nudging the customer towards a purchase is just part of the job, but if being “suggested” makes you uncomfortable, in-store jewelry shopping might not be for you. When you're online, you can take as much time as you want without feeling like you're wasting anyone's time or that you need to make a purchase today. It's very relaxed compared to buying in person.
Similarly, taking even an affordable tungsten wedding band back to a shop can feel somewhat embarrassing. Shops will process refunds without question or incident (as long as their terms & conditions are met), but they don't enjoy doing it. It's a lost sale, and that can be an awkward environment.
There's also the possibility that you're returning a metal or ceramic wedding band for unfortunate reasons. Online returns remove the need to feel as if someone's wondering why you're making the return, which cuts a lot of stress and upset out of the process.
You don't need to be at a physical store to receive expert guidance. You might even get better expert assistance online, as you can ask the same few questions to different store help desks and choose the one that provides the most useful responses. Doing this in person would mean browsing through several physical stores which takes much longer to do.
It's in online jewelry retailers' interest to have an expert providing customer service and advice. Customers still expect help when shopping for high-value items like a tungsten wedding band online. Just because e-commerce is less hands-on than in-store, service is all-important in jewelry shopping!
You can also search for the best materials for your needs online. Your in-store assistant will have some expert knowledge, but search engines can quickly inform you that a tungsten wedding band possesses incredible strength and hardness with relevant comparisons.
There's also no limit to the questions you can ask online, whereas you might feel less comfortable with a long list of queries in-store.
You'll tend to find better offers and bargains in digital stores. Of course, buying a ceramic wedding band isn't an area where we want to spare expense - it's our lifetime display of commitment. However, there's no reason to voluntarily pay more than you need to!
While financing is common to physical and digital jewelry stores, you'll be able to check out a wider range of financing options online. Remember to vet any online jewelry retailer thoroughly before using their financing service.
So what advantages do brick-and-mortar stores have when shopping for wedding bands? There's still plenty to be said for the in-person experience.
For many people, there's nothing quite like walking around a physical store looking at beautiful objects that represent your undying commitment to each other. It can also be a huge relief to shop around a store after “they said yes”! Picking out an engagement ring is often furtive and stressful, whereas purchasing wedding bands together is a joy, and you have the luxury of time.
Sometimes the personal touch is just what we need. Some of us will always prefer speaking face-to-face with a knowledgeable professional to using an online service. It helps that jewelry store staff tend to have excellent training and - in most reputable jewelry shops - are immaculately turned out.
While you can usually return wedding bands that you purchase online, finding an option that fits perfectly the first time isn't as easy. Even if you know your size it might be better to try the ring on - not every tungsten or ceramic wedding band that is apparently “the same size” will fit perfectly.
You can also use a store to get your ring finger measured, even if you subsequently purchase the band online. Remember to check online retailers' returns policies and trust ratings before making a purchase. Finding the right size doesn't always happen the first time, and you need to be able to make returns with confidence.
See our other blog on how to check your ring size: Check You Ring Size
Dread the thought of your tungsten wedding band getting lost in the post? An advantage of physical stores is that you can leave the store holding the ring without having to hope it shows up.
If your online retailer also has physical premises, you can order the right size to their store and pick it up. This means that the retailer is 100% responsible for postage and there's no chance that it gets delivered to the wrong address! Of course, this kind of nightmare situation virtually never happens - reputable jewelry retailers have numerous checks in place to ensure that items are delivered to and signed for by the right customer.
If you're concerned about delivery options when shopping for items like a wedding band online, find out about the online store's delivery policy before you consider making a purchase. It should be transparent and include details of how they'll verify that your precious items have been delivered safely.
Shopping online is the best way to view all your options, find the right price, and buy wedding bands that suit you and your partner perfectly. Remember to:
Whether you're looking for a hard-wearing tungsten wedding band or a gorgeous, bespoke ceramic wedding band, online retail has everything you could dream of and more. Enjoy!
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