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By Ron Perlstein
Eight secrets to grand-slam sales.
Home shopping is a merchandising phenomenon unlike anything we've ever experienced in modern civilization. It's a 24-hours-a-day shopping mall without a parking problem, without a dress code, and without kids or husbands slowing down the driving force behind this $10 billion product pipeline.
Yes, I said no husbands.
Because, truth be told, it's the female of our species who has made home shopping the miracle of modern merchandising.
So, if your target market is females over the age of 40, get ready to turn home shopping into a home-run derby for every product in your line.
A Loyal Fan Base
To get a sense of just how powerful home shopping has become as a sales and distribution channel, just look at the statistics. The Home Shopping Network's (HSN) audience is a good example. HSN has a loyal base of viewers with a household income of $61,000 or more, and 75 percent of them are females between the ages of 25 and 54. Yes, it's a woman's world.
Home shopping truly is a shopper's dream—a combination of a women's talk show and a fashion show, with rotating hosts … and it's on 24 hours a day.
These hosts are some of the most talented people in television today—true superstars who aren't given nearly enough credit for the charismatic genius they demonstrate on a round-the-clock basis.
Just listen to and watch any one of the four major home shopping networks: QVC, HSN, Shop at Home and ShopNBC. What you will see is relationship-building that defies comparison in the world of mass media. Each host has her or his own style, but they all have infectious personalities. They are pros at mass communication, able to establish and build on relationships in a friend-to-friend way that is irresistible. In fact, each one has her or his own fan base, legions of loyal viewers who strongly identify with that host's tastes and personal style. And it's live!
No wonder home shopping sales keep increasing 10 percent a year. And what's selling is what women love to shop for most: clothes, jewelry and anything and everything for the home. However, the field is wide open. Although a couple of the networks have concentrated on certain product areas, America's fastest growing means of mass merchandising is aggressively seeking product across all categories—everything from brand-name goods to garage-hatched inventions.
How to Hit a Home Run
But enough about this medium's potential. The question is, where does your product fit in? How can you capitalize on the future growth of this amazing distribution channel known as home shopping? That brings us to the eight secrets of home shopping success.
Eight secrets to grand-slam sales.
Home shopping is a merchandising phenomenon unlike anything we've ever experienced in modern civilization. It's a 24-hours-a-day shopping mall without a parking problem, without a dress code, and without kids or husbands slowing down the driving force behind this $10 billion product pipeline.
Yes, I said no husbands.
Because, truth be told, it's the female of our species who has made home shopping the miracle of modern merchandising.
So, if your target market is females over the age of 40, get ready to turn home shopping into a home-run derby for every product in your line.
A Loyal Fan Base
To get a sense of just how powerful home shopping has become as a sales and distribution channel, just look at the statistics. The Home Shopping Network's (HSN) audience is a good example. HSN has a loyal base of viewers with a household income of $61,000 or more, and 75 percent of them are females between the ages of 25 and 54. Yes, it's a woman's world.
Home shopping truly is a shopper's dream—a combination of a women's talk show and a fashion show, with rotating hosts … and it's on 24 hours a day.
These hosts are some of the most talented people in television today—true superstars who aren't given nearly enough credit for the charismatic genius they demonstrate on a round-the-clock basis.
Just listen to and watch any one of the four major home shopping networks: QVC, HSN, Shop at Home and ShopNBC. What you will see is relationship-building that defies comparison in the world of mass media. Each host has her or his own style, but they all have infectious personalities. They are pros at mass communication, able to establish and build on relationships in a friend-to-friend way that is irresistible. In fact, each one has her or his own fan base, legions of loyal viewers who strongly identify with that host's tastes and personal style. And it's live!
No wonder home shopping sales keep increasing 10 percent a year. And what's selling is what women love to shop for most: clothes, jewelry and anything and everything for the home. However, the field is wide open. Although a couple of the networks have concentrated on certain product areas, America's fastest growing means of mass merchandising is aggressively seeking product across all categories—everything from brand-name goods to garage-hatched inventions.
How to Hit a Home Run
But enough about this medium's potential. The question is, where does your product fit in? How can you capitalize on the future growth of this amazing distribution channel known as home shopping? That brings us to the eight secrets of home shopping success.
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