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Made Up by Marketers, Cyber Monday’s Sales Volume is Very Real

admin — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:34:53 +0000

Just six years old and made up by Shop.org as a way to jump-start Holiday shopping, Cyber Monday came into its own last year when — for the first time — it became the biggest online shopping day of the year by sales and the first day ever that online spending surpassed $1 billion.

This year promises to be even bigger, according to comScore (the research company that measures web use). Online jewelry merchant Blue Nile doesn’t expect today to be their biggest sales volume day of the year; that will likely be the last day for free shipping by Christmas. But Mark Vadon, Blue Nile’s chairman, explains that — in addition to a sales jolt — the day gives marketers insights they can exploit for the rest of the Holiday shopping season. “It is the first time online retailers get substantial data on which products are most popular, where they will need more inventory and where they should offer promotions.” The New York Times Nov. 28, 2011

Mike George Patiently Explains QVC’s Business to Bloomberg News

Walter Verfenstein — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:12:05 +0000

As part of his continuing effort to jawbone the Liberty Interactive stock up a few ticks, QVC CEO Mike George sat down with Bloomberg News last week to talk about $8 Billion-a-year business in a five-minute video segment here. Mr. George said that he expects web sales to increase to half of total sales by 2014, but expects video — whether accessed on TV or via the web — to remain a key selling tool for the company. Opening package of the video includes short interviews with Isaac Mizrahi and Lori Greiner.

China May Overtake U.S. in Online Sales within Next Four Years

Walter Verfenstein — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:00:56 +0000

According to Boston Consulting Group, e-commerce sales in China almost quadrupled between 2008 and 2010 to 476 billion yuan, as 23 percent of the country’s urban population shopped online last year, the consulting firm said in a report released yesterday. The report states that, “China’s massive geography hampers the effectiveness of physical retailing,” and that the country enjoys a low cost of shipping (roughly $1 on average to ship a 1-kilogram parcel, versus $6 in the U.S.) Those facts should suggest an opportunity for companies that specialize in virtually every kind of non-brick-and-mortar retailing, you know like HSN and QVC.

All of this leads one to wonder, why haven’t the U.S.-based shopping networks entered the Chinese market yet? Yes, Liberty Interactive said that they would look into such an expansion in the coming year. And yes, we know that finding the requisite Chinese partner company is a costly, cumbersome pain. But, come on, already! Bloomberg News Nov. 21, 2011

QVC Once Again Makes NRF’s Top Ten List for Best Customer Service

Walter Verfenstein — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:41:44 +0000

QVC has once again been recognized as one a Top Ten company in terms of customer service, as selected by shoppers in the seventh annual NRF Foundation/American Express® Customers’ Choice survey. The survey, which asked 9,374 shoppers which retailer provides the best customer service, was conducted by BIGresearch and commissioned by the NRF Foundation, the research and education arm of the National Retail Federation. The complete list of recognized retailers, across multiple channels and formats (listed in alphabetical order) is: Amazon.com, JCPenney, Kohl’s Department Stores, Lands’ End, L.L.Bean, Newegg, Nordstrom, Overstock.com, QVC and Zappos. The official ranking of each retailer in the top ten will be unveiled at NRF’s Annual Retail Industry Luncheon on Tuesday, January 17, 2012, during NRF’s 101st Annual Convention and EXPO. The complete list of 46 retailers that shoppers selected as having the best customer service will also be released at that time. National Retail Federation Press Release Nov. 18, 2011

Online Travel Agency Vayama.com and Dell Computers Team Up to Offer QVC “Foodie” Sweepstakes

Walter Verfenstein — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 16:50:14 +0000

Vayama.com, the online travel agency that specializes in discounted international travel, today announced that it is teaming up with QVC and Dell Inc. to provide an Italian vacation getaway to the winner of “The Ultimate Foodie Getaway Sweepstakes.” The grand prize will include two round trip tickets to Italy and hotel accommodations along with “foodie” activities, which will presumably include at least some meals. In addition to the Italian vacation, Dell™ will provide the Grand Prize winner with a 17″ Dell Laptop. Four First Prize winners will receive the Dell laptop and a $200 Vayama Travel Voucher to be used towards Alitalia Airlines travel during 2012. QVC fans can enter the contest at https://www.facebook.com/DavidVenableQVC

https://www.facebook.com/QVC

http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/app.html/params.file.|stories|StoriesITKWD20111116,html/left.html.file.|leftnav|StoriesITKWD20111116_nav,html

Vayama Press Release Nov. 18, 2011

As a Public Service, JTV Offers Tips for Saving on Holiday Shopping

Walter Verfenstein — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:29:32 +0000

It, perhaps, will not surprise you that saving time and gas by shopping from home is among them. There is also this rhetorical question, “Why not check out the deals on television while you’re basting the turkey?” In fairness, the release does recommend scouring the web for discount codes and trying Holiday sale item aggregators like BlackFriday.com. The release in its entirety appears after the jump.

Jewelry Television Offers Tips for Saving Big this Season

Shopping network offers time- and money-saving tips for busy professionals.

We offer great deals with convenience in mind so shoppers can have more time to relax during this festive season.

Knoxville, TN (PRWEB) November 15, 2011

The holiday season is supposed to be a time of relaxation, but for busy professionals it can be a time-consuming burden. The experts at Jewelry Television have offered some time- and money-saving tips to assist busy professionals in shopping this holiday season.

“We understand the importance of our customers’ time,” said Natalie Parman, vice president of merchandising at Jewelry Television. “We offer great deals with convenience in mind so shoppers can have more time to relax during this festive season.”

Jewelry Television suggests the following tips for busy professionals:

Create an online shopping list – Planning ahead can save time and money. Shopping sites like http://www.blackfriday.com offer deals from multiple retailers. Major retailers often “leak” Black Friday specials in advance to generate interest. Many items available in stores are also available online, so it’s really not necessary to run all over town to save a few dollars.
Pre-shop and save – Black Friday is no longer a 24-hour shopping event. Many major retailers offer deals early to guarantee holiday revenue goals are met.
Organize discount codes – Many online retailers have discount codes for items that guarantee additional percentages off or free shipping. Compile a list of the discount codes you want to use later. At checkout, copy and paste the discount code for instant savings.
Look for “tiered” pricing – Many retailers offer the lowest price for a specified period of time only. If you know you want an item, research when the lowest price will be available and plan accordingly. For example, JTV is offering special “Doorbuster” pricing on certain items the entire week of Black Friday.
Shop from home – Sleep in and shop from home. Multichannel retailers like JTV offer more ways to shop than traditional brick and mortar retailers. Why not check out the deals on television while you’re basting the turkey? You can always order from the network’s website later if you don’t have time to pick up the phone.

With these simple tips busy professional can save time, gas and money and get back to relaxing at home with family. For more information about Jewelry Television, visit http://www.jtv.com.

About Jewelry Television®
Jewelry Television® (JTV) is the only broadcast shopping network that focuses exclusively on the sale of fine jewelry and gemstones. The privately-held company was founded in 1993 and broadcasts high definition programming 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to over 80 million unique households in the U.S. Jewelry Television® was recently ranked the 14th largest retailer of fine jewelry in the U.S. by National Jeweler. JTV.com is the fifth largest jewelry destination on the internet according to Internet Retailer’s Top 500 Guide for 2010. For more information, visit JTV.com.

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QVC to Celebrate its 25th Anniversary on Black Friday, Nov. 25th, with Special Sales Event

Walter Verfenstein — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:51:10 +0000

QVC will make Black Friday, November 25th, and Cyber Monday, November 28th, bookends of a four-day sales event themed “The Joy Of Giving Weekend.” On the first day of the event, the retailer will also celebrate its 25th Anniversary, and call it a “Better than Black Friday” event for good measure. Here is what QVC promises:

“The Joy of Giving Weekend” will feature QVC’s largest selection of special “event prices” on thousands of products that are in stock. This extended assortment allows customers to easily find great values – and is not limited to early bird shoppers, who quickly deplete limited Black Friday deals at traditional retail stores. Free standard shipping and handling will also be offered during Cyber Monday on the most ever gift items.

The event will also mark the debut of two new interactive tools to aid in shopping for gifts. QVC.com’s Gift Finder, powered by Gifts.com, will help shoppers find “a personalized assortment of items to fit every taste.” (Actually, the service accepts a few inputs like gender, age, hobbies and interests, and then spits out a list of products likely to appeal to that demographic/psycho-graphic profile.) QVC will also roll out a new Gift List application for the iPhone^® that will enable customers to create, edit, and save personalized gift lists for friends and family. The mobile app will also allow users to set up reminders for gift-giving occasions all year round and share their wish list items with family and friends. QVC, Inc. Press Release Nov. 14, 2011

JTV Announces Partnership with Game Show Network’s Digital Division

Walter Verfenstein — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:27:07 +0000

Jewelry Television (JTV) today announced a partnership with GSN Digital, the interactive division of the Game Show Network (GSN), to run sponsored game contests and sweepstakes on GSN.com, a website that features prize-driven games.

Starting today — and again in December — Jewelry Television™ will be GSN’s premier sponsor for a Jewelry Week promotion event. First up, from From Nov. 14 to 20, is “Diamond Week,” during which players can enter daily sweepstakes and auctions, and compete in a week-long Bejeweled 2 tournament for a chance to win mystery jewelry prizes from JTV. In addition, Jewelry Television™ will provide additional product discounts to GSN customers who make purchases on JTV.com. JTV’s director of online marketing, Brian Wilhelm (Personal Website, LinkedIn Profile), explained the thinking behind the partnership in the release:

JTV customers are predominately female and many enjoy playing casual games online. GSN.com’s demographic closely mirrors ours so it is a natural fit … We see our partnership with GSN as an opportunity to engage a larger audience for both of our companies through this joint promotion.

Jewelry Television Press Release Nov. 14, 2011

QVC is the Latest Front for Dell in the Tablet Wars

Walter Verfenstein — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:51:44 +0000

Looking to rebound from its unsuccessful foray into tablet computing with its 5-inch Streak, Dell Inc. is selling a 3G/4G-capable model of the 16GB Streak with two months of free service on T-Mobile on QVC at a price point of $319. “The QVC deal, which is being made available online ahead of TV, beats Dell’s own price and is competitive with others found on the Web. The offer includes free, standard shipping and the QVC’s “easy pay” plan of five monthly payments of $63.80 each plus tax. The prices above reflect the product page on QVC’s website; the source article in TabTimes linked below mentions a price of $299. In any event, as of this morning the product is not available through QVC.

Get ready for a slew of Tablet deals on “Black Friday.” TabTimes Nov. 11. 2011

Jewelry Television Boasts of its 100,000 Facebook Fans

Walter Verfenstein — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:38:32 +0000

The jewelry-only DRTV network made a little hay out of reaching the social media milestone in an announcement yesterday. In it, veteran on-air presenter Heidi Kouns, seemed to be channeling HSN CEO Mindy Grossman, when she offered this quote, “It’s really important to develop a two-way conversation with our customers … Social media tools are providing valuable interaction that helps us improve our presentations and drive tune-in for our shows.” Jewelry Television Press Release Nov. 8, 2011

Here are the retailer’s top social media outlets:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jewelrytelevision
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jewelry
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/jewelrytelevision