WeddingWire Announces Results of 2013 Jewelry Survey

Leading wedding site reports findings from recent survey of engaged couples about the process of finding and buying engagement rings and wedding bands
 
Chevy Chase, MD – June 12, 2013 - WeddingWire®, the nation’s leading wedding technology company serving the $70 billion wedding industry, announced today the results of their 2013 Jewelry Survey.  The comprehensive survey, which asked more than 4,000 couples to share all the details of their ring shopping experience, delivered some exciting results about the behavior, preferences and research that goes into finding the right engagement ring and wedding bands.
 
According to the WeddingWire survey, the average cost of an engagement ring is $5,619 so understandably the engagement ring purchase is typically thoughtful and thoroughly researched. While some respondents had been searching for rings for years, the survey indicates that the majority of ring research begins 0-3 months before engagement.  Additionally, results show that both brides and their partners shared the task of researching, with the majority (59.6% of brides and 66% of partners) using the internet as their primary source of information.  Within the online space, the results show that retailer websites and wedding websites, such as WeddingWire.com, were the top online avenues couples chose for their research. 
 
“For WeddingWire, this data is essential in showing how important it is to provide comprehensive tools and resources for brides and their partners to use in the process of finding their engagement rings,” said Sonny Ganguly, Chief Marketing Officer, WeddingWire.  “This research further supports our goal of providing easy-to-access resources for engaged couples online and ways for jewelry professionals (both national and local) to showcase their products to our audience.”
 
For the ring selection process, the survey results indicate that 42.3% of brides “strongly influenced” the ring decision; however, when it came to buying the ring, it was mostly the partner who made the purchase; 80% of rings were paid for by partners.  In terms of ring style, shape and cut, the findings were that 87.1% of brides prefer diamonds to other stones, and round diamonds were the most popular shape. Furthermore, more than 60% of those surveyed had stones greater in size than one carat.
 
While wedding planning and jewelry retailer websites were the top choice for researching rings, results show that the majority of respondents actually purchased their ring through a physical jewelry store, with national chains Kay Jewelers, Zales and Jared topping the list.  Additionally, 58.3% of engaged couples note that they buy their wedding bands from the same place as the engagement ring.
 
For more detailed findings from WeddingWire’s 2013 Jewelry Survey, please visit http://wed.li/WWjewelry2013.
 
About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire®, the nation’s leading marketplace serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 100,000 reviewed wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers. WeddingWire also offers a comprehensive suite of online planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire is the only all-in-one marketing platform for businesses online and on-the-go. WeddingWire offers one simple solution to build a professional network, improve search visibility, manage social media and reach mobile consumers. Businesses that advertise with WeddingWire appear on WeddingWire.com, ProjectWedding.com and other leading sites, including Brides.com, MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), Weddingbee.com and Celebrations.com (part of the 1-800-Flowers family of brands, NASDAQ: FLWS).

Contact Information

Kate Hoffman

Senior Brand Manager

WeddingWire

press@weddingwire.com