Could this be a reason for QVC's decline?

Without a doubt. You could apply for funding to back up your theory.

Well they keep selling these tablets, laptops and all in on pc's which then allows the viewer to price compare and in the majority of cases you can find the items cheaper elsewhere.

If we pooled all the wisdom that gets aired here we could probably snap up all the Nobel prizes!

So: we have the following considerations
1. rise of freeview and decline of anologue.
2. The rise of internet shopping and resultant price comparisons.
3. The cost of p & p both ways and the recent postal price rises.
4. The poor range of fashion available on Q that in the main is targeting the American market
5. Linked with 3- the inability to pay one lot of p & p per order.
6. The reliance on "sets" in particular in beauty products. The bargains are becoming few and far between even with this.
7. Simple price comparison often shows that many items are far cheaper elsewhere.
8. The "grey market" getting older, the ones who phone in. They are slowly being replaced by a much more savvy shopper.
There are many more that can be added to this list no doubt. And yes there are positives. However the big positive- the MBG - is now looking far less attractive because they do not do free returns. Why can QVC not have more confidence in their product that the risk of free returns is lessened?

stratobuddy said:

I first saw QVC at a friend's house many years ago where they had bought a new-fangled freeview box, so they were no longer limited to just 5 TV channels.

I was fascinated by the shopping channels, especially QVC.

Eventually I got a freeview box (they were well over £100 at that time) and I got totally sucked in to QVC.

It took years for the novelty to wear off. The freeview boxes gradually became cheaper, so more and more people bought them, got sucked into QVC, so kept their sales up.

My area was one of the first to lose its analogue signal, so EVERYONE then had to buy a freeview box and perhaps get hooked into QVC.

Now NO-ONE has analogue TV so everyone has a box or a TV that gets QVC.

I think this happened about a year ago, so a big boost of sales for QVC.

But now I'm sure the novelty is wearing off for all the people who discovered QVC when they lost their analogue TV.

Hence, QVC sales are reclining.

Do you think I could extend this into a thesis and get a doctorate for it?

PS QVC were still selling analogue-only TV's long after it was morally justtifiable to do so, knowing they would become obsolete before long.

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Are QVC's sales in decline? If sales are down are they selling more products that give them a better return to cover the decline?

This is so interesting, and I think you've summed it up perfectly Weathergirl.

I too started buying from QVC after discovering it on Freeview and being someone who can't be bothered shopping in actual shops, I was in my element. I think you are right that the bargains on QVC just aren't bargains anymore. When you think back to the Molton Brown TSVs and such like which really were bargains. Now the kits are not a good buy, especially on the like of the make up kits. I bought the Mally TSV with the mascaras, lipglosses, eyeliners and shadow pencils for around £48 plus P & P, it's silly money really, which is what I am only just realising. Much better to just get the make up I need from Boots or Superdrug instead of buying these kits for tons of money and throwing or giving away more than half of them because they don't suit me (pale, pasty redhead). I am one of those people you are talking about who is becoming a more savvy shopper and is now doing price comparisons on the web and finding that I can get what I need much cheaper and without paying extortionate P & P and getting stuff I don't want or need which I then need to get rid of. Like I mentioned in another post, I really can't give friends and family any more of my surplus QVC supplies, they are sick to death of them. And to be honest I am getting pretty bored with my purchases lately myself, I've been buying the same things for over 10 years now and they haven't lived up to expectations, especially the beauty products. For clothes I am liking getting things online from Joe Browns, a bit different and I get lots of things in the 70% clearance section.

Is QVC in decline then?

Thanks for this thread

I like Joe Browns too Jackanory.

My view is that sadly it is in decline in the UK but probably not in the USA.

It will be a slow decline though as sales will have to plummet before this company will alter it's business plan and overhaul some of their policies and practices. Not very forward thinking is it?

Weathergirl said:

So: we have the following considerations
1. rise of freeview and decline of anologue.
2. The rise of internet shopping and resultant price comparisons.
3. The cost of p & p both ways and the recent postal price rises.
4. The poor range of fashion available on Q that in the main is targeting the American market
5. Linked with 3- the inability to pay one lot of p & p per order.
6. The reliance on "sets" in particular in beauty products. The bargains are becoming few and far between even with this.
7. Simple price comparison often shows that many items are far cheaper elsewhere.
8. The "grey market" getting older, the ones who phone in. They are slowly being replaced by a much more savvy shopper.
There are many more that can be added to this list no doubt. And yes there are positives. However the big positive- the MBG - is now looking far less attractive because they do not do free returns. Why can QVC not have more confidence in their product that the risk of free returns is lessened?

Click to expand...

Totally agree . In terms of the grey market lol Qvc has done a major disservice to them with all this "twitter" malarkey, many of the older viewers dont use twitter yet they push that on every show, Few years ago every show would have a least one T caller, now its lucky if they get one a day. Almost like they feel like they have conquered that age break and are looking to attract the younger viewers instead, which wouldnt be a bad thing if there range of products catered for that market.

How old is an older viewer ? I`m on a small pension and I suppose I could loosely be called an older viewer but that`s all the more reason I want value for money so I have the time and the inclination to look around. I don`t do twitter and I don`t have an ipad or a phone with internet but I do have a computer. Many older people nowadays are doing internet classes, my own local college do them for free for anybody over 60 and I know several people in their late 60`s and 70`s who have recently gone online. The point I`m making is that the " grey market " are catching up and will no longer be fobbed off with tat.

I wasn't tarring all older customers with the same brush Vienna- hope my post did not come accross that way. I was meaning those older customers who are not computer savvy, those who watch Q for company and use the phone to order. I think these are likely include many of the callers to the studio. It is these customers who's business has contributed to Q getting away with their antics for so long. Once these customers are no longer buying- surely Q will be forced to be more competitive?

Yep WG I agree. The silver surfers are expanding but there are still many who don`t want to or can`t access the internet. Q relies heavily on so few brands these days and sooner or later those brands will date and then even the younger customers will look elsewhere. I think the addictive thing makes up a large proportion of their sales, people who actually could look elsewhere but have become addicted to telly shopping, the ease, the spiel, the fact they can watch someone and often buy in secret, behind closed doors and when their partners etc are in bed.

The figures that QVC post for the UK shows that they aren't in decline. They may not be increasing in sterling terms but their figures are posted in dollars and in dollars they have shown an increase year on year. Jewellery sales have fallen but beauty sales have risen.

It'll be interesting to see their next quarterly figures but at worst they have flatlined.

I am one of the "grey" viewers, quite literally!, and I wouldn't give any of the so called fashion items house room. I have no wish to use twitter as I think it's pathetic. I have an I-pad (a couple of years), use the Internet for purchasing items etc.

I just wish QVC would be more creative in the ranges they offer.

I like qvc back in the day have watched since day one. what made me buy was the goods offered were unique and sometimes a good price. the GTECH air ram was one of those buys. its a good product well priced and no postage. the 4 easy pays swung it

stratobuddy said:

Now NO-ONE has analogue TV so everyone has a box or a TV that gets QVC.

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Actually, that's not quite true. In my area (7 miles to the east of Brighton) Freeview doesn't carry QVC. You can only get it here if you have Sky or FreeSat (and plenty of people don't!). And, as far as I know, QVC is only carried on main transmitters. As I do, if you receive from a relay, you likely won't receive it. I only get 12 channels, most of which are variations on Channel 4. There are no shopping channels of any sort.

That said, I had come on here to post about QVC and their prices. In the last couple of days, I've been doing 'net shopping on behalf of mum who has been stocking up on some of her regular products that she is getting low on. We've purchased a total of 5 items and, without exception, they were all at least 50% cheaper than the regular QVC price. All of them were P&P free and I can well expect to receive them before QVC can even push them out of the warehouse; many arrive next day. If QVC sales are in decline, these are likely to be the reasons why! And all my purchases come from reputable and trustworthy sellers, not Dodgy Dan's Bargain Basement!

We also received a Debenhams flyer in the mail. It appears that they are selling the Elemis anniversary PCMC pot for £20 less than QVC, with free P&P if you buy online. QVC's prices and charges are simply far too high when compared to the majority of larger or online retailers. They must be aware that the majority of us can (and do!) shop around for the best price. The added insult is that, if you didn't mind paying their inflated prices, the chances are that what you want isn't in stock. They seem to be relying on advanced orders more and more.

Yes I'm fed up of seeing advanced orders for almost everything. Lol at Dodgy Dan's Moth.

So many have said exactly what I feel about my Q shopping habits! At one time I could have several deliveries a week now I haven't ordered for a couple of months & the last splurge I had ended up with me coming to my senses & returning 3 items & cancelling 2 orders which were on advance delivery.I like Judith Williams skincare but am not prepared to spend the P&P to get cleansers, then toners, then moisturisers to my house.Thanks to recent comments I have read on here I am now going to investigate M&S.I get more pleasure now from seeing the cash stay in my bank ( & think of other things I would rather spend on) than the latest Gatineau/Elemis/L'Occitanne/Philosophy/Horora/Laura Geller & I could go ON &ON being delivered to my door!

Cooo-eeeee! Moth! I didn't know you were in Sussex, after all these years, I'm down the coast in Worthing!

There's a few hundred or so Q customers on here whose spending has fallen off to nothing in recent years, and that's just the ones who post, there maybe another bunch of readers who've seen the light thanks to the info posted on here. Communication between customers will be their downfall, there's always someone who'll trawl the interweb for a better deal and Q are promoting Facebook and Twitter but in doing so they are connecting even greater numbers of customers, and they're not all sycophantic numbnuts singing Q's praises.

Sorry if I'm rambling it's been a long day! and it's not 7pm yet!

Jude xx

I was last in the UK 13 years ago and at that time all the nice little unique shops were being out priced by the big chains plus visiting a shopping centre was more convenient as everything was in one place. So High Street shops were closing, being taken over by charity shops and the shoppers deserted the High Street.

Internet shopping started getting popular in my opinion, as people didn't want to look like a million other people buying the same things at the large chains, and there was the convenience of having it delivered rather than going out in all weathers, finding a parking place (and paying a fortune) and then walking around for hours to come back after finding nothing suitable.

QVC and the other shopping channels give you choice and deliver so makes the whole shopping thing easier.

If their sales are in decline, then its probably more due to the recession and people being more cautious with their money. Yes the postage costs are a pain, but when I order something I normally am sure that I will keep the item, so I am cautious about ordering rather than just getting carried away.