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Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,328
Registered: ‎08-20-2012

Re: Good News For QVC And HSN...I Think.

[ Edited ]

    Due to the Pandemic, I think that most all on line retailers have raised their sales numbers.  How many people just decided not to chance a trip to a store where they 'might' catch Covid?  I was one....

      WalMart grocery home delivery and Amazon were my two first choices.  But I did order more food this year from QVC and HSN because it was easy and many items were good.

      I don't find that the 'friendly neighbor' approach has

any effect on me.  I am sure all hosts are nice, decent and friendly people.  But I certainly don't regard any hosts as best friends. In fact, the silly behavior and unnecessary chit chat makes me turn off the channel.  

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Re: Good News For QVC And HSN...I Think.

Excellent article.  It was fascinating to read about their mindset.  I wonder how many of the "names" actually design and get their own product on air without help from QVC.  

 

Do any of you know a 35 year old who watches QVC or HSN often?  Seems like their appeal would be to the 55+ crowd.  Even when COVID is tamed, many people like myself will continue to watch and rely on QVC/HSN because going to a shopping center or store is a daunting task.

 

The entertainment factor is a biggie. I watch all the fashion days start to finish. The garden shows and electronic shows get muted but play in the background.

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Re: Good News For QVC And HSN...I Think.

[ Edited ]

@stevieb wrote:

 @Spurt  While Amazon has been a blessing to me throughout this pandemic, they have a number of issues facing them that they'll need to deal with going forward. Not even addressing huge corporate issues looming, they simply aren't the expert customer service entity they once were.

 

Recently, over a two week period, I experienced too many problems with their delivery services and while their agents make an effort to address problems and rectify them, they aren't as consistently capable, committed or, for that matter, as understandable... as they used to be.

 

In one instance, after waiting far longer than the scheduled delivery time for an Amazon Fresh order, having to get them to 'call me' multiple times, and receiving different excuses each time, they finally admitted the order had never been picked up by the driver, and would I like them to send it out right away... Uh no... I wanted a refund, felt forced to make a trip to Safeway and meanwhile wasted an entire day waiting for them and dealing with multiple layers of their agents... 

 

That was the most significant of the glitches I'd experience over a short time, but after having been on the phone with them virtually every day for an entire week, had twice spoken even with dispatchers and regional 'managers', along with their usual CS folks, and had drivers routinely not follow instructions, items delayed because of drivers that apparently didn't even read instructions or know their corporate policy of contacting a higher up when in doubt about what to do, and an order delayed for several days, despite two managers promising it would be there that day or the next, I decided it was time to put them on time-out...

 

I fear Amazon might have reached the point of diminishing returns, has bitten off more than they can chew and is possibly hiring out of desperation rather than competence... I will go back at some point, but am in no hurry... I'll also say that while there is much to recommend their 'Fresh' program, there are also several very critical downsides that involve very limited variety and typically inadequate supplies, so that it's almost impossible to put together a complete order 'on demand' with them... 

 

After months of finding them infinitely reliable it really did feel as though the bottom had somehow completely fallen out. I have no idea if there's something going on regionally or if this is indicative of larger corporate issues, but it's disappointing...

 

As noted, I'll place a small order at some point and see how it goes before attempting a large order of things I deem essential...


@stevieb 

 

That sounds like you went through a nightmare!!!! And even good Customer Service can only say "we're sorry", and apologize and try to mend it only so many times---it just gets tiresome as they fail to meet the anticipated results ..... Shopping elsewhere is a good idea! (after several bad experiences  I stopped shopping with them myself....and there wasnt even a pandemic in place they could use as an excuse)..............

 

Yep, Amazon has gotten too big for it's britches----while they pardon the pun "delivered" and impressed shoppers with their promptness for a long time, then they started to just "get by" during the holiday season handling the tremendous increase in online orders....And I think the pandemic did them in and made it too difficult to keep up when their online orders went out of control!!!!  They had to turn to unreliable contract labor for deliveries (which is probably what happened with your delivery) and some of these contract labor delivery employees even got caught stealing customer packages.....And it didnt help when their employees went to the media with tales of horrible work conditions (like people urinating in bottles because work was too busy to enable them to take breaks and go to the restroom)---yep, they got labor problems...... Breeches in their website security...and spammers and fraudsters imitating them...And now their "loopholes" are under attack..... And when QVC can do something better than them that's a sure sign that Amazon's in trouble 😄... Yep thought it would be just a matter of time.....Maybe instead of Bezos buying newspapers, and teaming up with Musk on his mission to Mars, he should be scrutinizing his corporation, correcting problems, and improving his company instead of announcing he's taking a step back and letting others take control of Amazon.....It doesnt seem like its good timing.....  Other "Kings Of Retail" looked invincible and have fallen, and Amazon is not immune....

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Re: Good News For QVC And HSN...I Think.


@Spurt wrote:

@Foxxee 

 

All I want to say is DUH....live demos of products has been Qurates/QVCs strength......  glad they finally figured that out along with who their base customer actually is....something we've been telling QVC on these Forums for years😄 But it hasnt been all roses for QVC & Qurate....Before the pandemic, their revenues and sales in recent years have been flat or in decline, it was the  pandemic that actually helped them turn it around financially as people experienced lockdowns and stayed home more...but what happens in the future when the pandemic is no longer a concern can they maintain it.....thats the question!!!  And certain product categories still remain in decline in sales

 

And as the article said Amazon tried live product demos already, back in 2017...and it flopped and they said it needed to be retooled, so it looks like they are going to try again... But Amazon has much bigger problems heating up on the horizon ----once again the spotlight has focused on Amazon regarding loopholes in tax deferrals and credits that allows Amazon not to pay a single penny in corporate tax, creating an unfair advantage in the retail world......(which other retailers have been crying about for years)......STAY TUNED!!! 


 

@Spurt 

 

Yes, you are right.  

 

"Sales rose just 5% in 2020, hardly the numbers posted by a game-changing growth business. 

 

Even Walmart admitted their unusually high Covid increases in sales weren't going to last.

 

Two years ago, George was talking about targeting Generation Z - Millennials.  We said, "No way."  Now, he's admitting they don't have the "disposable income or experience to buy what QVC's sells."  ( We told you so. Mr. George. )  Older shoppers are back in his good graces again.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 33,629
Registered: ‎03-20-2010

Re: Good News For QVC And HSN...I Think.


@Foxxee wrote:

@Spurt wrote:

@Foxxee 

 

All I want to say is DUH....live demos of products has been Qurates/QVCs strength......  glad they finally figured that out along with who their base customer actually is....something we've been telling QVC on these Forums for years😄 But it hasnt been all roses for QVC & Qurate....Before the pandemic, their revenues and sales in recent years have been flat or in decline, it was the  pandemic that actually helped them turn it around financially as people experienced lockdowns and stayed home more...but what happens in the future when the pandemic is no longer a concern can they maintain it.....thats the question!!!  And certain product categories still remain in decline in sales

 

And as the article said Amazon tried live product demos already, back in 2017...and it flopped and they said it needed to be retooled, so it looks like they are going to try again... But Amazon has much bigger problems heating up on the horizon ----once again the spotlight has focused on Amazon regarding loopholes in tax deferrals and credits that allows Amazon not to pay a single penny in corporate tax, creating an unfair advantage in the retail world......(which other retailers have been crying about for years)......STAY TUNED!!! 


 

@Spurt 

 

Yes, you are right.  

 

"Sales rose just 5% in 2020, hardly the numbers posted by a game-changing growth business. 

 

Even Walmart admitted their unusually high Covid increases in sales weren't going to last.

 

Two years ago, George was talking about targeting Generation Z - Millennials.  We said, "No way."  Now, he's admitting they don't have the "disposable income or experience to buy what QVC's sells."  ( We told you so. Mr. George. )  Older shoppers are back in his good graces again.  

 

 

 

 

 

 


@Foxxee 

 

 And didnt many of us say here on the Forums, that QVC should concentrate on pleasing it's niche market (45 plus) instead of trying to lure in the Gen Z/Millenials which he had no chance of ever capturing....I think Qurate should listen to his customers a bit more, we seem to know more about his business then the high paid Execs...😉

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Honored Contributor
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Re: Good News For QVC And HSN...I Think.

Imo, QVC excels in shopping, mainly because we feel that we have a long-distance 'relationship' with the hosts and some of the vendors.

 

It's entertaining 'company' in our homes.  Especially now-a-days that we've been somewhat 'house bound' in many cases.

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Re: Good News For QVC And HSN...I Think.

[ Edited ]

"Qurate Retail CEO Mike George wants viewers to feel like they are having a conversation with a neighbor over the backyard fence, a concept established during the company's early days."

 

If my next door neighbor tried selling me things over the fence I would think they had started Amway and would avoid them.

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Esteemed Contributor
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Re: Good News For QVC And HSN...I Think.


@ROMARY wrote:

Imo, QVC excels in shopping, mainly because we feel that we have a long-distance 'relationship' with the hosts and some of the vendors.

It's entertaining 'company' in our homes.  Especially now-a-days that we've been somewhat 'house bound' in many cases.

-------------

       I really don't feel I have any long distance relationship with any shopping channel host nor vendor. And I don't feel the need to develop one.

       To me, they are simply sales people.  Not any  different than a sales person at my local Home Depot or Alberston's.


 

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Posts: 3,405
Registered: ‎03-29-2020

Re: Good News For QVC And HSN...I Think.


@Porcelain wrote:

"Qurate Retail CEO Mike George wants viewers to feel like they are having a conversation with a neighbor over the backyard fence, a concept established during the company's early days."

 

If my next door neighbor tried selling me things over the fence I would think they had started Amway and would avoid them.


 

 

LOL! great observation! Smiley LOL

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Posts: 456
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Good News For QVC And HSN...I Think.

Enjoyable read.  Thanks.  I am glad these channels are doing better - I had read otherwise a year or so ago.  Even with all these new players I still have a trust for QVC/HSNs customer service that I would not necessary have "random dude selling on TikTok."  One advantage these channels have over these new players, even if any of them experience some success, is the level of trust.  I know I can always get help with an order at QVC and won't be ripped off.  But those others?   I may like their product but be afraid to try them.

 

I do wish these channels would go back to 24 hour live on their main channels.  I also wish they would give new hosts more time to develop a rapport with customers.  It can take years.  For example I did not like Alberti when he started - now I think he is awesome.  One of their best.  "Getting to know" these personalities is important - and another advantage Q may have over "random tiktok dude".