Fashion-conscious consumers cherish silver jewellery for its beauty, its use in contemporary designs, and its affordability in relation to other precious metals, according to the Silver Institute’s latest Market Trend Report, “Trends in Silver Jewelry Purchases”. From the wealthy Silent Generation to the Gen Z consumer, every generation has a unique approach to silver jewellery purchases, the paper notes.
The report explores the key drivers in jewellery purchase decision making and the characteristics of the silver jewellery consumer and examines silver jewellery purchases among various key demographics.
The report was commissioned by the Silver Institute and authored by trade magazine The Jewelers Collective. It examines silver jewellery purchases in the US among the Silent Generation (Born 1945 or before), Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964), Gen X (Born 1965-1976), Millennials/Gen Y (Born 1977-1995), and Gen Z (Born 1996-mid 2000’s).
The report takes a deep dive into Millennials and their jewellery spending habits and what motivates them to buy silver jewellery. The report also reviews silver jewellery trends and silver’s status versus gold jewellery purchases and concludes with a review of silver jewellery demand post Covid-19.
Of note, even when the US economy was negatively impacted by Covid-19, jewellery consumers were still shopping and giving to family, friends, and themselves. Emotional attachment to silver jewellery have helped its sales boom since April 2020. “It is believed that this boom is likely to continue due to the consumer’s demand for quality and more meaningful items,” it noted.
The Jewelers Collective found that in 2020, the most recent data available, the age group purchasing the most silver was females between 20-40 years old. Millennials/Gen Y purchased the most silver jewellery at 51%, followed by Gen X at 26% and Gen Z at 13%. Baby Boomers accounted for 9% and the Silent Generation totalled 1%.
The report also suggests ways for jewellers to effectively reach various demographic groups as marketing tactics vary greatly for each generation. Silents for example, respond well to traditional marketing networks, whereas Millennials are reshaping the way that goods and services are being promoted by staying somewhat unresponsive to traditional marketing tactics.
The study said that the future looks bright for silver jewellery sales as continued growth is anticipated for branded collections and online sales. The brick-and-mortar retail jeweller remains important, as does customer service, because in-store purchases are expected to account for 80% of silver and fine jewellery purchases by 2025.