MVI offers Web services to jewelers

MVI Marketing Ltd., a marketing-intelligence company for the gem, jewelry and watch industries, has announced that it has acquired an interest in IT firm ITECH Solutions, a move that will allow MVI to offer Web-development services to retail jewelers and manufacturers.

San Luis Obispo, Calif.-based ITECH specializes in providing Web development, computer and network services for growing businesses, and its co-founder, Forrest Hatfield, said in a media release that studies show visitors to a Web site make a decision on whether or not to stay within just a few seconds.

"The jewelry industry is faced with a tremendous opportunity to level the playing field in the battle with its competitors," Hatfield said. "Our affiliation with MVI will provide clients with innovation, creativity, cost efficiencies and hard-core sales growth from day one."

MVI and ITECH have already begun to work on several Web-development projects for jewelry manufacturers and retailers. These include inventory management and integration, search-engine optimization, customer-relationship and affiliate-relationship management, e-commerce and shopping cart solutions, newsletter development and deployment, integrated customer-satisfaction research, viral marketing, adword campaigns, and banner development and placement.

"The trend toward online research and shopping is not going away," MVI Chief Executive Officer Marty Hurwitz said in the release. "In an increasingly tougher competitive environment, the jewelry retailer, designer and manufacturer must learn to embrace the offerings of the Web and utilize them to their advantage. With MVI's insight and knowledge of the jewelry industry and ITECH's technological sophistication, we will help the jewelry industry leverage the Web opportunity to its best advantage."

MVI is offering a free, confidential Web review and recommendations to any company that is considering beginning, expanding or improving its Web presence. For more information about this service, visit MVI's Web site, Mvimarketing.com.