When we launched the Leibish.com website in 1998 we had our doubters.

Hard to imagine a world where Google was still in diapers and Marc Zuckerberg barely out of them (well, to be fair he just finished high school in 1998). Who in their right minds would dare buy a fancy colored diamond online? However, crazy or visionary, somebody has to forge a path.

Around the turn of the millennium, the concept of branding was reborn; customer sentiment and hunger for branded product evolved as did the shopping experience – online retailers began to grab market share from bricks and mortar stores. Consumers started to believe that the future was here and that the future was quicker, easier, reliable, and cheaper.

2010 is the year of digital branding in the virtual reality. For 20 years Leibish &Co. sold loose diamonds only to the trade. We supplied the finest European brands with Fancy Color diamonds. LEIBISH used to be a diamond company; today we are a virtual brand.

This virtual branding was naturally something that the second generation of the family brought to the business. Yossi, our CEO took it upon himself to ensure that the look and feel of our website was in keeping with our impeccable reputation. And Itzik, our e-Commerce Manager initiated system management to lift our company to multinational standards.

Of course, we did not forget our traditional role in the trade as Shmulik our GIA GG Graduate Gemologist raised the quality and grading of our fancy color stones to the highest level and Leibish’s daughter, Chavi Itzhakov added the flair of world class design to our image.

The sprinkling of the second generation with our other loyal employees - who we consider to be a second family, has generated an exceptional work ethic and camaraderie at LEIBISH

LEIBISH would forge a path in the virtual world, however not at the risk of forgetting where we came from or the values we maintained to get there.

This year we commemorated our first Cyber Monday Sale…and it exceeded our wildest expectations.

e-Commerce Manager, Itzik Polnauer:
“The success of our cyber Monday sales were stunning. Our office was open 24 hours non-stop and we made 70 % of our monthly sales in 24 hours. The phones didn't stop ringing and requests came in unabated. People knew the prices during this sale were TRULY attractive and many people bought outstanding items saving hundreds and thousands of dollars. We had the entire team in the office for 24 hours solid, running this like a military operation. I was overwhelmed by the response.”

What makes virtual shopping so appealing to our clients is what is known as the
50-50 ratio. You spend 50% of the time and 50% of the money to get the same product. No shopping center can beat that.

Sitting in the comfort of your office or home - no pressure, no crowds, no traffic, no pushy salesman, no need to dress up - and you can compare a range of products simultaneously. You are the only customer in a cyber space shop and all the products are waiting for you in a relaxed atmosphere. There are no geographic limits. You can be in Perth, Australia or Seattle, USA and purchase your favorite canary diamond ring from Tel Aviv. The world is at your fingertips.

What is the catch? The virtual brand. Only players with a proven track record need apply. Reliability and perceived value are the dominant factors in the rating of a virtual brand.

When a new customer visits the LEIBISH website, we urge you to look at the Testimonials section and at our recently Purchased items. This is proof positive that we are doing something right in the virtual world and we are very proud of this.

At LEIBISH we strive to promote our real world values in the cyber world…and seem to be succeeding.

Your truly,

Leibish

Virtual Brand - President corner, December 2010