To the history of brand-on-brand slug-fests must be added a couple of robe/blanket hybrids whose wearers can only consider sweatpants, hoodies and moo moos too fashion-forward for such salt-of-the-earth persons as themselves. Coke/Pepsi and Boeing/Airbus, move over. Company in the annals of marketing rivalries is coming in the blob-like forms of the Slanket and Snuggie. Continue reading »
QVC Buyers Pay $72 Premium for First Purchase of New Dell Inspiron Mini 10 Netbooks
Consumer Electronics & PCs, DRTV Retailer, Suppliers
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Feb 272009
The price of the exclusive QVC offer was $559, while a model with the same configuration became available on the Dell website just a week later for $487. That’s a 15% premium for customers buying a new but decidedly entry-level PC. So, were the QVC shoppers willing “early adapters” or naïve dupes? PC World Feb. 26, 2009
Feb 272009
CEO Mike George said that QVC was quick to recognize the challenging environment in 2008, altering product mix and issuing mark-downs, but the result was a worldwide sales decline of one percent to $7.3 billion for the year, accelerating to an 8 percent decline to $2.14 billion in the fourth quarter. National Jeweler Feb. 26, 2009
European Retail Sales Drop for 9th Straight Month
Research, Trends, Forecasts, UK/Europe
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Feb 262009
This month, the Bloomberg purchasing managers index of retail sales in the euro region dropped to 42.3 from 44 in January. “The index is based on a survey of more than 1,000 executives compiled for Bloomberg LP by Markit Economics and a reading below 50 indicates contraction.” Bloomberg Feb. 26, 2009
Feb 262009
Cosmedicine is a niche brand sold on HSN and in Sephora stores that touts a “Hydra Healer” moisturizer as ideal for people with eczema and other skin problems. It retails for about $75 per one-ounce jar. Clinique’s new offering — Comfort on Call cream — is less expensive. But Dermatologists say that even cheaper, drugstore creams are often as effective as those from the luxury skin-care companies. Fortunately, however, eczema sufferers will go to great lengths (and spend considerable amounts) in search of relief. So, let’s chalk one up to marketing. The New York Times Feb. 25, 2009
Is “Obama-Mania” Offending Some Customers?
Collectibles, USA
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Feb 262009
Commemorative Throw Blanket Sold on ShopNBC
A columnist for a Canadian newspaper (who happens to admire George W. Bush and live in Tulsa, OKlahoma) cites ShopNBC’s selling of a Commemorative Barack Obama “Believe” Throw Blanket as an example of tiresome and unhealthy hero worship. He cites other, more forceful examples, such as CBS’s modifying its famous eye logo to look like the logo of the Obama campaign, but his diatribe poses an interesting question for the DRTV networks. Did they go too far with all the commemorative plates and other products, not to mention the live remote from an inaugural ball. Oprah Winfrey suffered a self-inflicted wound (well, nick) when she — as she put it — stepped out of her pew to endorse Obama in 2007. Did the shopping networks alienate a significant number of their loyal GOP customers by so eagerly embracing political events as a selling opportunity? The Chronicle Herald (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) Feb. 25, 2009
GE Throws ShopNBC a Five-Year Lifeline
DRTV Retailer, Investors
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Feb 262009
Yesterday, ShopNBC announced the restructuring and extension of its $44.3 million payment obligation on preferred stock to GE, which was scheduled to mature this spring. As a result of the new agreement, GE will now receive: an upfront cash payment of $3.4 million, warrants to purchase shares of ShopNBC’s common stock at $0.75 per share, and 4.9 million shares of a new series of non-convertible, redeemable, preferred stock. ShopNBC Press Release Feb. 25, 2009
Liberty Media Eyes Future Purchase of HSN
DRTV Retailer, Investors
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Feb 262009
Yesterday, Liberty CEO Gregg Maffei acknolwedged an interest in increasing his company’s current 30% ownership stake in HSN at some point in the future, saying, “…we do believe we are the natural owner at some point of that company [HSN]. We’re the one with the most synergies.” Multichannel News Feb. 25, 2009
Feb 262009
The retailer’s smaller European operations fared considerably better. Revenues at QVC UK dropped 4% in the fourth quarter, but increased 2% on the year. And at QVC Germany, revenue increased by 6% in the 4th quarter and 3% on the year as a whole. Broadband TV News Feb. 26, 2009
Liberty Media Interactive’s 4Q Revenue Drops on Weak QVC Sales
DRTV Retailer, Investors
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Feb 252009
“Driven by weak sales at its home-shopping channel QVC, Liberty Media Interactive (NSDQ: LINTA) reported a 4 percent drop in revenues to $2.4 billion, while Interactive’s operating-income-before-depreciation-and-amortization (OIBDA) decreased 4 percent to $432 million.” A bright spot for QVC was double-digit growth in e-commerce revenue, which come as the company effects significant upgrades to its web presence. paidContent.org Liberty Media Press Release Feb. 25, 2009
