QVC 101 – How it Works, Fees, and More

We recently had the chance to chat with Taylor Smith, the founder of Broma, to learn how the company landed a spot on QVC  —  one of the largest home shopping platforms in the U.S. 

Broma is a first-of-its-kind almond butter mixed with lentils to create a vegan, gluten-free, and refined-sugar-free complete protein in a convenient squeeze pouch. Learn more about them here.

Thanks to Alison Mooradian of Wildgrain for the question on our Slack channel!

Watch Broma’s QVC segment here

Starting the QVC Process

Broma was connected with e6 Marketing, a broker who specializes in QVC deals and QVC segments.. After some initial conversations, Broma was invited to pitch their product directly to QVC buyers. Luckily, they liked the product, and invited Broma to the show for a segment!

QVC’s team guided Broma through the preparation stages — covering everything from paperwork to logistics like understanding QVC’s order management platforms and figuring out whether Broma or QVC would handle shipping products to customers.

All in, the process took about 6 months — give or take a month or two.

What about Fees?

The foundation of QVC is to offer significant discounts on products, which means your brand should not expect to see ROI like you would with retail or DTC.

While minimal, there are some costs that come with the QVC territory, such as broker fees, styling fees, return fees, and order placement fees. 

It should also be noted that QVC covers shipping and handling, which is beneficial for brands and consumers alike.

What’s QVC Segment Preparation Like?

Leading up to the show, you can expect to do media training with QVC that will help prep you for an on-air presentation. Make sure you have a brand pitch, and be ready to do a mock segment with a “host”. Note: the founder does not need to be the one who participates in the segment, but it should be someone comfortable being on screen and talking about your products.

While QVC does not take care of hair and makeup, they will have a set stylist on site to style your products – so make sure you ship your display products to the show!

The segment itself is fast-paced, typically lasting around eight minutes, with the host guiding the conversation. Taylor described the experience as being very much like having a casual chat with a neighbor, as the host leads the discussion and helps answer questions about the product.

Taylor’s advice? Have a few key points that you know you want to hit when you go in, so you can walk away feeling successful as long as you get those points across.

Note: Segment prep happens virtually, whereas on-air segments happen in West Chester, PA.

The Aftermath: Was It Worth It?

The exposure did lead to an uptick in website traffic and increased visibility for Broma, and pointed out that QVC’s audience is incredibly loyal, with many customers returning to the platform regularly to shop. As a result, Broma continues to see trickling sales even after the initial segment aired. Note: volume of products moved can vary depending on category and time of year.Aside from sales, Broma received an influx of outreach, including LinkedIn messages and requests from other brands wanting to learn about the QVC experience (like us!). The real benefit, Taylor emphasized, was the long-term marketing boost that comes from having your product in front of millions of potential customers.

Tips for First-Timers: What You Should Know About QVC

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE. The QVC demographic tends to skew older, so it’s crucial to consider how your product will appeal to this group, or how your product would appeal as a gift for people the audience would be buying for. For example, you could be pitching to customers focusing on aging healthily, so find out how to market your product that way. Considering tailoring your pitch to meet the specific desires of the QVC customer is key.

TIMING MATTERS. You don’t always know what product will be pitched before or after yours, but being placed immediately after a high-demand product can eat into your segment time. Although not guaranteed, you could request to be placed after a less popular segment, it could work in your favor, and customers would be more attentive to yours.

SCHEDULING. Be aware that you may not be given an exact date or time to appear on the show, so you should be ready to go within the timeframe they give you, so make sure you’ve got product in stock and ready to be on site for your segment!

Would Broma Go on QVC Again?

Absolutely! In fact, Broma returned to QVC for a second time – that time, it was completely virtual and held via Skype.

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