Small Business Spotlight Drives Consumers to Local Stores Across America
June 1, 2020: As the companies in our Small Business Spotlight initiative are finding, even a few brief appearances on QVC and HSN can generate buzz among our national audience that helps ease the impact of the pandemic.
For example, Marc Sherman, Owner and President of Stowe Mercantile (a local food and gift shop in Stowe, Vt.), had lost virtually all of his sales after he closed his doors due to the pandemic. But after his live broadcast aired on QVC and HSN via Skype, Marc reported a surge in orders on his website.
“We usually receive about 15 online orders in a typical week. Immediately following our first on-air hit, we took nearly 300 online orders in 24 hours,” said Marc. “We couldn’t be more pleased and excited as we fill these orders.”
Master’s Hand, a gift store based in Tekamah, Neb., reported its first-ever order from a customer in California, who saw the shop’s video on qvc.com. Garden Gazebo, a décor and gift business in Virginia Beach Va., saw a dramatic spike in website traffic and social media likes after the business appeared on QVC and HSN.
“After we closed our stores due to the pandemic, our online sales were primarily from our geographic area,” said Pamela Katrancha, Owner of Garden Gazebo. “But during the week of our on-air appearance, our online sales rose more than 300%. We’re filling orders from all over the U.S.”
Danny Reynolds, President of Stephenson’s (a fashion and special occasions boutique in Elkhart, Ind.), said Facebook page views for his store rose more than 90% during the week of his live broadcast hits. He also received a call from a viewer from the neighboring state of Illinois – about 100 miles away – who said she was coming to visit Stephenson’s (which was able to partially re-open in mid-May).
“We are beyond excited about the amazing opportunity and unprecedented exposure with Qurate Retail Group,” said Danny. “Having the ability to kick-start our gradual reopening with this nationwide presence on QVC, HSN, and Zulily is unparalleled. They are essentially lending a hand to our survival.”
The Small Business Spotlight program, launched in partnership with the National Retail Federation (NRF) Foundation, is part of our COVID-19 global relief efforts to help small businesses navigate through the current public health challenge. Together with the NRF Foundation, we chose 20 small businesses from across the country to receive increased visibility through dedicated promos and shows on QVC and HSN broadcasts, special Small Business Spotlight pages on QVC.com and HSN.com, promotions on Zulily’s digital platforms, and stories that we’re sharing on mobile and social.
Live broadcast hits will continue through June 6. Later this year, the companies will also have access to a virtual mentorship program, which will connect highly skilled Qurate Retail Group team members with the owners to help them solve a business problem created or exacerbated by COVID-19.
For more information on the businesses in the program visit QVC.com and HSN.com.