QVC adds 24/7 beauty network
Lights. Action. Makeup. QVC, Inc. of West Chester announced Tuesday that it's launching Beauty iQ, the first live multi-platform dedicated to exclusively selling beauty products. The network will also feature beauty experts sharing advice ranging from makeup tips to skin care.
Lights. Action. Makeup.
QVC Inc. of West Chester announced Tuesday that it's launching Beauty iQ, the first live multiplatform dedicated to exclusively selling beauty products. The network will also feature beauty experts sharing advice ranging from makeup tips to skin care.
QVC, which dubs itself the world's leading video and e-commerce retailer, plans to launch the network Monday.
Within a month of going live, Beauty iQ will be able to be viewed in over 40 million homes in the U.S. via distributors including DirecTV, U-verse, Dish, and Roku.
It will offer beauty programming all day long, 24/7, including live programming five nights a week, Wednesday through Sunday, 8 to midnight Eastern Standard Time, and repeated immediately afterward for the West Coast audience.
It's another attempt by QVC to bolster its digital and emerging-platform creds among intensifying competition from the likes of Amazon.com and other retail websites.
Beauty lovers are being promised content they crave in one place that's accessible everywhere -- via the Beauty iQ network, BeautyiQ.com, QVC.com, on the QVC mobile app, and via social channels including Facebook and Instagram.
For QVC, the beauty category represented 17 percent of global sales in 2015, but it is considered one of the fastest-growing categories in the U.S. retail industry.
Case in point: The retailer Ulta Beauty is expanding its brick-and-mortar footprint by several dozen stores in the coming year.
According to Euromonitor, the beauty industry in the U.S. generated revenue of $80 billion in 2015. Of that, $32 billion is said to have come from "prestige" or top beauty brands such as Givenchy IT Cosmetics, Becca, and Edward Bess, to name just a few.
IT Cosmetics cofounder and CEO Jamie Kern Lima said: "Our relationship with QVC has allowed us to reach women across the country with this message. We are so honored and excited to be part of QVC's new Beauty iQ. This amazing platform will allow us to further spread the IT love, and transform the way women view their own beauty."
"QVC has always been a trailblazer," said Mike George, QVC president and chief executive officer, in a statement. "We have a 30-year history of discovering beauty brands and trends, and bringing new products to life by leveraging the best storytellers in the business, our experienced hosts, and innovators behind the brands.
"We know that an amazing shopping and entertainment experience knows no boundaries," George said. "We've listened to our customers and fans . . . and we're engaging with them on all the platforms they love and providing a new experience that caters to their passion for beauty."
Christa Hart, senior managing director at FTI Consulting who leads the retail and consumer practice, said the move toward a multiplatform beauty network was a good one for QVC.
"I think this is a fabulous idea for QVC," she said. "Beauty blogs and vlogs have become the dominant way that young women are learning about makeup and skin care. However, their success requires a vibrant and engaged user community that contributes and delivers new content. They have to 'trust' the channel is being fair and working with them to deliver the very best products at fair prices. This should be a winner as long as the consumer is and stays a trusted partner."
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