Jewelry and gifts merchant Ross-Simons is heading straight to video. On Dec. 15 the Cranston, RI-based company is launching a series of videos on its Website to showcase the most popular items in its jewelry line and give viewers a look at the company’s range of offerings.
“Today’s online shoppers are looking for legitimacy and can be so much more motivated by moving images,” says Dante Bellini Jr., executive vice president with RDW Group, the Providence, RI-based advertising firm that worked with Ross-Simons on the videos. “What could be better than having the president of a company you know and trust talking to you about what that company is doing and how it relates to you?”
The Web videos feature Ross-Simons president Darrell Ross and actress Lauren Koslow, who in addition to starring in long-running soap opera “Days of Our Lives” is a longtime customer of the company. Ross and Koslow speak directly to the camera, combining stories about how the company discovered certain products with shopping tips. The goal down the line is to provide talking points on how to select a great diamond and pointers on what makes the perfect Valentine’s Day gift, among other topics. “Once we get up and running, we believe that imagination will set the only limits,” says Bellini.
From a functionality standpoint, the Web videos will feature clickable images. At anytime during each of the videos, the user can click on an accompanying link and get more information on a product or go directly to a purchase screen. Prices of the featured products will range from $14.95 to $19,995.00.
Bellini says that the increased demand for online interactivity was one of the reasons this format was chosen, and he hopes that this new protocol will enhance the company’s multichannel approach. “Ross-Simons believes very strongly in the merits of the overall multichannel approach, and these days the Web has become the Heisman Trophy winner.”