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

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Nov 282011
 

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

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Mike George Patiently Explains QVC’s Business to Bloomberg News

 Distribution Channel, DRTV Retailer, Worldwide Web  Comments Off
Nov 232011
 

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.

 Posted by Walter Verfenstein at 8:12 am  Tagged with: , , ,

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

 Distribution Channel, Geography, International, Research, Trends, Forecasts, Worldwide Web  Comments Off
Nov 222011
 

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

 Posted by Walter Verfenstein at 4:00 pm  Tagged with: , ,

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

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Nov 212011
 

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

 Posted by Walter Verfenstein at 10:41 am  Tagged with: , ,

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

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Nov 182011
 

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

 Posted by Walter Verfenstein at 11:50 am  Tagged with: , , , ,

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

 Distribution Channel, DRTV Retailer, How-To, Worldwide Web  Comments Off
Nov 152011
 

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. Continue reading »

 Posted by Walter Verfenstein at 11:29 am  Tagged with: , ,

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

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Nov 152011
 

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

 Posted by Walter Verfenstein at 10:51 am  Tagged with: , , , ,

JTV Announces Partnership with Game Show Network’s Digital Division

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Nov 142011
 

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

 Posted by Walter Verfenstein at 11:27 am  Tagged with: , , , ,

QVC is the Latest Front for Dell in the Tablet Wars

 Consumer Electronics & PCs, Distribution Channel, DRTV Retailer, Product Categories, Worldwide Web  Comments Off
Nov 142011
 

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

 Posted by Walter Verfenstein at 10:51 am  Tagged with: , ,

Jewelry Television Boasts of its 100,000 Facebook Fans

 Distribution Channel, Uncategorized, Worldwide Web  Comments Off
Nov 092011
 

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:

 Posted by Walter Verfenstein at 11:38 am  Tagged with: , , , , ,
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