Last but not least from the Professional Jeweller 2015 Reach List, we present to you the top 5 online players from the auction houses category.
The top 5 digital doyen auction houses are as follows:
- Christies
Facebook likes: 132,192
Twitter followers: 79,000
Instagram followers: 110,000
Alexa UK ranking: 4,610
Reach ranking: 69
- Sotheby’s
Facebook likes: 130,249
Twitter followers: 63,400
Instagram followers: 143,000
Alexa UK ranking: 7,285
Reach ranking: 46
- Bonhams
Facebook likes: 6,546
Twitter followers: 26,900
Instagram followers: 8,852
Alexa UK ranking: 4,141
Reach ranking: 10
- Phillips
Facebook likes: 21,575
Twitter followers: 30,200
Instagram followers: 34,800
Alexa UK ranking: 39,648
Reach ranking: 2
- Fellows
Facebook likes: 8,601
Twitter followers: 4,956
Instagram followers: 8,208
Alexa UK ranking: 17,544
Reach ranking: 1
While it is impossible to break down just how much of an auction house’s general traffic or engagement is dedicated to jewellery – well, not impossible but it would certainly require figures unavailable to us – the influence of auction houses in the online jewellery market cannot be ignored.
This category of the jewellery industry has perhaps seen the most change during the digital revolution – dusty rooms ruled by gavels have turned into techno-centric reception halls for online bids beeping in from here, there and everywhere. But while the changes have been radical, the auction houses have embraced them with a passion that was most unexpected for such a traditional trade, steeped heritage and white-glove gravitas.
Setting up a facility for online bidding is one thing – if the bids flood in online, that is more of a facilitation than a solicitation – where you really see the high levels of engagement the auction houses are investing in online is social media networks. A once closed-o_ world is shared through videos and images documenting the sales process and the treasures being sold.
Christie’s, our top auction house online, measures its social media followers in the tens of thousands, and you have to wonder just how many of them have ever actually stepped inside the doors of an auction house. But whether they do now or in 10 years time, online is bringing the excitement of the bid to a whole new generation, with Christies at the fore with a digital reach that eclipses all of our other Reach List auction houses.
As well as the chance to bid for a jewel online, there are pages and pages of past catalogues to pore over, as well as informed features on topics such as blockbuster diamonds, the work of JAR and Art Deco jewels.
Delving into the stats, the UK is the second-biggest generator of traffic to Christies.com, accounting for a little more than 11%. Its biggest market is the US, with a near 30% share, while other key online bidders are coming in from France, Italy and Brazil.
Last year, jewellery sales hit an all-time high of US$750 million (£485m) at Christies. While we can’t say how much of those sales were made online, anyone who has been in an auction room lately will know that there’s not much action from the floor any more.
