Shopping for engagement rings is usually the most exciting part for most couples. It’s the point where they get to learn most about their significant other and give them a gift that they carry for life, i.e., the engagement ring.
Traditionally, this part of relationship development occurs such that the partners secretly learn about their significant other’s preferences and then surprise them with their unique pick. Usually, it’s a diamond ring with the question at a romantic location.
Or even more, traditionally, couples opt to arrange a complete engagement ceremony, wherein they invite all their family and friends and make their engagement known and official.
However, these traditions are now changing – quite a lot. Couples are choosing to exchange rings privately, announcing the exchange on social media instead. They’re opting for gemstones in place of diamonds.
But we’re witnessing even more significant changes in engagement ring buying trends. The buying journey is not all about the partner’s preferences anymore. It involves a lot of other factors, most of which are coming from Instagram, i.e., the biggest influencer platform of the current times.
Now, why do we say that – allow us to explain.
How is Instagram Changing Engagement Ring Buying?
According to a survey of 2017, 33 percent of brides-to-be get connected with wedding band brands via Instagram. As of 2022, the number must’ve surely escalated by 10x because that’s how massively Instagram and its influence have grown ever since.
The reason brides and grooms would rather get connected with wedding band brands via Instagram is because that’s where big names sell. Plus, they’d rather trust Instagram with their engagement ring buying journey – they would let the platform influence their choices because it’s all-inclusive, (according to millennials) more personalized, and, of course, in sync with the buzz of the world. Here’s how:
1. Greater Exposure
As mentioned earlier, Instagram is the biggest influencer platform to exist. About 50 percent of people discover a new brand every day on Instagram, which means they’re either shopping for a particular product/service or casually browsing in a shoulder niche. Hence, it ultimately brings more exposure to the brands. Now, this also generates a vice versa. Brands get discovered, so more business for them. People discover more businesses, so more options for them.
With that said, about 44 percent of people that browse Instagram also make weekly purchases. Again, this observation clearly represents how Instagram provides exposure to quality material and options. If we compare this against brick-and-mortar store shopping, it makes shopping for 100x more convenient. You get to visit multiple stores at once without spending money on the commute or getting confused about which design you saw at what place.
In fact, you can even browse stores from another country. If you like a design, you can have a local custom jeweler craft it for you. Or perhaps, you can order it from another country if you wish to carry a designer engagement ring.
2. Celebrity Influence
Another way how Instagram is changing how we buy engagement rings is through influencer marketing. Many known engagement ring brands sponsor celebrities and Instagram influencers. They send in trendy engagement rings to them, which the celebrities and Instagram influencers promote via Instagram stories and posts. At times, these brands also sponsor wedding rings or actual engagement rings of celebrities. In this way, they market their product to their potential audience that’s present in the sponsored celebrity’s following.
Other than that, fans that dedicatedly follow their favorite celebrities on Instagram are also indirectly influenced by their respective engagement ring choices. For example, Lindsay Lohan recently shared a picture of her engagement ring on Instagram. And it set off a trend of square-cut diamonds in the engagement ring market as the demand for the design came to a high rise. It was a custom-made Harry Winston ring.
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3. Manufacturers’ Marketing Tricks
Ring manufacturers are also using their easy access to their potential customers quite innovatively. Instead of sitting around and waiting for a customer to knock on their door, they are choosing marketing strategies to fetch customers themselves.
They run sponsored ads, contests and campaigns, arrange giveaways and live online sessions to reach out to more and more customers. In the process of reaching out, they not only promote their product but also advise their clientele about what rings to buy and what’s trending. And this, in turn, influences the engagement ring choice for many.
4. Trends
As mentioned earlier, Instagram is a place of trends. This is where trends originate from. And hence, the engagement rings that we witnessed back in 2021, such as engagement rings with oval-shaped and pear-shaped stones, all of these originated from Instagram. They became trending either when a celebrity carried a design on their big day. Or perhaps, when someone posted an aesthetic picture of their personalized version of the engagement ring and the masses loved it – it got to trend! Visit The Red Playground to learn more about the most recent dating trends.
5. Aesthetics
Several gemologists and stone experts are also changing how we buy engagement rings. They are bringing stone knowledge to us and guiding us on how to choose an engagement ring. So couples are also considering their wise words of advice instead of only considering their partner’s preferences.
Plus, the super aesthetic pictures on such accounts also allure and influence ring choices for many. And if you don’t believe us on that note, check out the clearcut and heidigibsondesigns. You’ll fall in love with the engagement ring designs on here! (And of course, you’d want these for yourself.)
Final Thoughts
By now, we hope you have a clear vision of how Instagram is influencing how we buy engagement rings. The platform is influencing our choices big time, and we ought to say it is doing so for good. With Instagram’s influence in the engagement ring market, we are, at least, witnessing a diversity in the engagement ring designs, which used to be quite too monotonous.
Even so, we’d recommend you to be equally vigilant of your partner’s choices. Make sure that you don’t get too lost under Instagram’s influence!
Written by: Shawn Mack is an experienced content writer who offers ghostwriting, copywriting, and blogging services. His educational background in the business and technical field has given him a broad base from which to approach many topics. He is also fond of writing interesting articles on technology & digital marketing-related topics. He occasionally writes for The Pro Linkers.