Re: QVC Earnings for 3Q released....

50Mickey · ‎05-21-2010

Television Home Shopping is a dinosaur. Malls are becoming dinosaurs also. The heyday of QVC shopping is over. Most of us shopping here are seniors. Millennials and most Gen Exers are not shopping on television. While I hope to see QVC survive I think it will be very hard.

People seem to think if they just bring in new products or solve shipping problems things will pick up. And a lot of people think QVC is here to entertain us because that's the way it used to be. I am probably more pessimistic than most but I can't see TV shopping channels around much longer.

NYCLatinaMe · ‎01-14-2017

@50Mickey wrote:
Television Home Shopping is a dinosaur. Malls are becoming dinosaurs also. The heyday of QVC shopping is over. Most of us shopping here are seniors. Millennials and most Gen Exers are not shopping on television. While I hope to see QVC survive I think it will be very hard.
People seem to think if they just bring in new products or solve shipping problems things will pick up. And a lot of people think QVC is here to entertain us because that's the way it used to be. I am probably more pessimistic than most but I can't see TV shopping channels around much longer.

I don't watch QVC on TV, just shop online. I think it has been a long time since anyone looked to QVC for entertainment. I think older people leave it on for companionship. I prefer news or, for calm, HGTV. Get to see home desgn and what people think about it. I know many people who watch cooking shows that don't cook or eat the food on TV. I guess it's calming.

What I like about shopping the QVC website that is rare and honestly, they should promote more, is that they offer garment measurements. Makes it easier to shop fashions. Amazon is the wild west of fashion, and I am surprised that it is so popular so as to have even viral fashion items. I have no idea how long the garments, or how the models in the still pictures measure up, though there are size charts that give me an idea of fit. The fabric content, and style may vary from size to size. I guess easy returns helps them a lot, something that QVC is making harder. I won't shop for fashions without a size chart. But I have been buying my underwear at Amazon and doing well. The Breezies quality is gone. The materials are not good and the bra sizing is inconsistent. Amazon has tons of brands. I bought a bunch of different brands and sizes, and easily returned everything that didn't work. Getting items delivered at home and going to the nearby UPS for returns is a ton easier than shopping in stores that I have to get to and have limited inventory, or ordering low quality QVC undergarments. And Amazon refunds right after you drop the items at the UPS. So fast delivery and easy returns is the winning combination. QVC should take notice.

I do think QVC is moving away from TV, which is why they push facebook and the streaming, which I won' watch either, because, why should I, but streaming is a format young people grew up with and may seem familiar. They love Tik Tok! I do like QVC's product videos with human models and hate the ones where they just video still pictures. It is the dumbest thing they do.

So even if QVC TV goes away, just hope they don't drop the live models, since I like to shop fashion and accessories and want to see them on moving people whose sizing I am familiar with, not stills of people whose size I don't know, and the length of the garment may be different on me.

Video product demonstrations are also needed. Amazon offers those for non-fashion and accessories.

QVC's streaming push is consistent with their decision to sell their real estate holdings. No need for studios to do streaming, as Tik Tok, etc, has proven.

50Mickey · ‎05-21-2010

@NYCLatinaMe I don't shop for clothes frm QVC I still prefer to go to stores. I like to feel the fabric and see how clothes fit my body and decide then and there either to purchase the garment or not. I am retired so I don't need to buy a lot of clothes. On the other hand my millennial daughter shops only on line mostly from Amazon.

If QVC survives it will most likely not be on cable TV. But they have built the brand by appealing to people who watch a lot of TV and in many cases strongly relate to the hosts. The younger generation dosen't care about this. It's going to be very difficult to rebrand themselves to appeal to a different cohort of shoppers.. Years ago Sears tried this tactic, remember "Come see the softer side of Sears" campaign appealing to women by bringing them into the stores for the soft items not just appliances and hardware. It was a complete failure. It will be interesting to see what happens with the shopping networks.

NYCLatinaMe · ‎01-14-2017

@50Mickey Did you ever buy anything from QVC? If it is the shows that appealed to you and not the items you could shop for, I see where you are coming from.

I don't know that the Sears experience is relevant to QVC. They are not a television channel. They were a brick and mortar store where people shopped for appliances and tools. I never shopped for fashion at Sears. Are they still around? I don't know. I don't know anything about their fashions. Did they sell a lot of them? I don't know what they have to do with QVC.

When QVC started, their fashions didn't work that well for me, but with the more casual lifestyle, their clothes fit my short height better than the offerings of brick and mortar. Nearly impossible to find petite in brick and mortar. I am happy to shop the QVC website. Don't care for QVC TV. Except for Dennis Basso that I just wrote a long post about. He is a true designer and knows how to speak about fashion. Sears never had that.

50Mickey · ‎05-21-2010

@NYCLatinaMe I have bought plenty from QVC over the years but very very little clothing. I prefer to shop for clothes from B&M stores.

I don't think that you understand what I am saying. I am not part of the group that tunes in to watch QVC. What I said is that QVC built a brand around getting customers to tune in and watch the hosts and the vendors and the friendly banter. If you read these forums there are many people who still do this. However times change and the TV shopping platform that QVC depends on is going by the wayside. I would wager to bet the the majority of QVC shoppers are over 55 and getting older. At some point they will not be sitting in front of the TV or on the computer ordering. It is going to be difficult for QVC to appeal to a younger audience. But if they are going to survive they will have to find a way to do this. Pretty sure that I am not saying anything that the powers that be at QVC are not aware of.

CalminHeart · ‎03-09-2010

I'm not surprised that Q lost more money in yet another quarter.

The so-called entertainment by hosts is ridiculous. So much of it is childish and unprofessional.

The same dozen or so products (or variations of) are on air week after week after week. Snooze fest.

Prices are not competitive. Identical (or nearly) items are easily found elsewhere for less money, free shipping, REAL sale prices, etc. Why pay more for something?

Q needs to up their game if they want to stay alive. They need revamp and remember they aren't the only online retailer.

ellaphant · ‎12-13-2010

@Rockycoast wrote:
Not surprised in the least QVC's sales are still down. Why would they not be. TPTB don't care to listen to their customers. They don't fix the IT problems, the website problems, they don't fix the stale, old, repetative items problems, the obnoxious host problems, the lack of quality problems, the high price for lesser quality problems. I could go on. They think the way to fix the problems is to fire and hire a new CEO. I ask the Q...how is that working for you?

Agree Rocky. I have not watched a full program of QVC in few years.

The main reason is when IM changed his unique and wonderful line - and I bought A LOT-

and now follows the Q design of endless tunics, big shirts etc.

There are numerous places to shop that have more interesting items, faster delivery and return times and yes, BETTER PRICES AND DEALS. You've lost me Q.