Reasons why qvcuk.com loses custom

[AllThatGlitters]

It's the age of web commerce, yes? Companies bust a gut to make sure they many as many sales as possible via the website.

The QVCUK site doesn't seem to have got this message. It's poor compared, not just to the US site, but to similar sites in the UK.

Here's my list, with examples where I can find them.

1. Items with no photo and no video: see http://www.qvcuk.com/ukqic/qvcapp.aspx/app.detail/walk.yah.UKCL~UK48~UKAF.. I doubt if B&W will make many sales of this particular Last Click.

2. Items where few of the choices are shown, even when they're available: see Kipling bag http://www.qvcuk.com/ukqic/qvcapp.aspx/app.detail/params.item.129496

3. Items where there could be a video, but it's not available because the presentation showed a TSV price or Easy Pay. On the US site, they simply display a disclaimer about the price shown on the video. See the recent Kipling TSV: http://www.qvcuk.com/ukqic/qvcapp.aspx/app.detail/params.item.142748

4. Items where there's lots of verbiage but no hard facts, such as size. What length do you reckon these earrings are?: http://www.qvcuk.com/ukqic/qvcapp.aspx/app.detail/params.item.690300

5. Items where there's a video claimed, but nothing actually there, such as this Lapson bag: http://www.qvcuk.com/ukqic/qvcapp.aspx/app.detail/params.item.143717
or these Lola Rose earrings: http://www.qvcuk.com/ukqic/qvcapp.aspx/app.detail/params.item.335739

6. Videos that last 50 seconds or less.

7. Items that have been recently presented, but the video has never been put on the website, such as these South Western Silver earrings: http://www.qvcuk.com/ukqic/qvcapp.aspx/app.detail/params.item.690311.

8. Items where someone's obviously not know how to measure things. Where does the 3cm drop start on these?: http://www.qvcuk.com/ukqic/qvcapp.aspx/app.detail/params.item.682320


9. For much of the time the website will not accept online orders, and will not show the Guide page.

10. It can take ages for the QVC product videos page to update with the last hour's show. Sometimes it's a minute, sometimes it's more like half an hour.


All of this drives me mad - it's so damn SLOPPY. It's not down to poor site design, it's down to poor management of the website and lack of quality control. I design websites, and I know it doesn't matter how gorgeous your site looks - if the people running it don't have good processes in place, and if there isn't careful monitoring of what goes live by people who care what gets published, the site will be a failure.

They really need to review their website management.


Grrrrrrr.

 

[clevercat]

There are lots of simple spelling mistakes on the website entries which looks awful and suggests that no one really bothers about even the the most basic errors. Also some descriptions are inaccurate but thank heavens for the reviews. I won't buy if there isn't a review to check out.

 

[Ruthmay]

reasons why qvcuk.com loses custom

I can only hope those reviews are genuine. I mostly order on cheque hold now and then check the reviews. if they are bad, I cancel.

So agree with all your remarks, you went to a lot of trouble to do your research, why not send a copy to the CEO? Altho why customers should do their work for them is another matter. they should be appreciative and take your very sensible comments on board.

 

[NIKKID]

Totally agree with you and just expanding on what you have already said. Often the pics are close ups - great, but you get no prespective of size. Much better to see a ring on a finger to guage more accurately.

 

[Themroc]

I have to agree with you on this, The big issue I have is over the postage they charge. By the time you add this to the cost of the product, it becomes very expensive.

An example is today's TSV 24 Strwberry plants and baskets for £26.97 with £5.95 postage making a total of £32.92. Normal QVC price £32.75.

Why charge so much for postage????

 

[Kathy]

I think their CS is nowhere as good as it used to be, I ordered a product in the recent Judith Williams hour, after reading on here about how little is known about her or her products I cancelled my order on line that same night. They never acknowledged the cancellation and the product turned up on saturday...it went straight back. I will think long and hard before I order again.:54:

 

[sublime]

I'm also turned off by the cut'n'paste approach to the descriptions of items.

If I read any more descriptions that start 'You'll find any excuse to wear [fill in name of clothing/jewellery/bag/shoes here] I might scream.

I'm sure it's really difficult to think of fresh ways to describe endless polyester tops, but as soon as I see that sentence it suggests that I'm seeing same old, same old ...

 

[fairynuff]

souns like you'd do a brill job redesigning the QVC website, allthatglitters!

 

[watersiren]

because it is getting increasingly impossible to watch the shows. some presenters have increasingly become unprofessional. too giggly, very little information about the products, too much personal information and an overall improper behaviour. those watching Jill presenting the silver outlet show may understand what i mean. hopeless...

 

[Mommabear]

If QVC's is bad, then what does that make IW's? :54:

 

[watersiren]

has there ever been a comparison between the two?:33:

 

[star234]

I think their CS is nowhere as good as it used to be, I ordered a product in the recent Judith Williams hour, after reading on here about how little is known about her or her products I cancelled my order on line that same night. They never acknowledged the cancellation and the product turned up on saturday...it went straight back. I will think long and hard before I order again.:54:

I hope you rang CS and demanded a return label so you did not have to pay for postage yourself! I hate lousy customer service:20:

 

[fairynuff]

because it is getting increasingly impossible to watch the shows. some presenters have increasingly become unprofessional. too giggly, very little information about the products, too much personal information and an overall improper behaviour. those watching Jill presenting the silver outlet show may understand what i mean. hopeless...

quite agree, watersiren. learnt more about what she'd done at the weekend, how saintly she is to be teetotal etc than about the jewellery...and the way she struggled to pronounce "labradorite" as if she'd never seen the word before!

:19:

 

[Moth]

I hate all the falseness that is on air. Such as kissing each other and guests when they start a show. Try doing that in your local supermarket - you'd probably get arrested!

(I'm not a JF fan - have to turn her off. She's never seemed professional enough for the job)

 

[katiesallybliss]

There are lots of simple spelling mistakes on the website entries which looks awful and suggests that no one really bothers about even the the most basic errors. Also some descriptions are inaccurate but thank heavens for the reviews. I won't buy if there isn't a review to check out.

I agree wholeheartedly with what you say. As a blind person reliant on descriptions, and also listening to the text on the site spoken to me by a synthetic voice, bad spelling, and lack of descriptions is one of the most annoying things. I also find some of the colour names rather difficult to understand, often I have to ask my daughter what is for example Lapis blue, dark or light blue, smiles.

Due to the websites poor design I am also unable to put reviews on, as I cannot mark off the stars, which is also very annoying.

Katie

 

[Lemonsqueezy]

I think the 5-7 days delivery time is appalling,especially when you take in to account the postage charges.
I don't want to wait up to 10 days for my orders and longer sometimes.
Other big companies can get things out in a few days,so why can't QVC???:25:

 

[Akimbo]

quite agree, watersiren. learnt more about what she'd done at the weekend, how saintly she is to be teetotal etc than about the jewellery...and the way she struggled to pronounce "labradorite" as if she'd never seen the word before!

:19:

...not forgetting her constant "Bran new" wtf? maybe that bran's keeping her skinny but it gets on my nerves.

Another ignorant Franks moment this morning with Howard it works Binder; she didn't understand what he meant by linoleum and covered her ignorance by making Howard feel uncomfortable. Cringeworthy!

Jude x

 

[Mrs James]

yes, when someone cares to tell her that lino is short for linoleum she ought to apologise for being not only rude, but thick too....

 

[watersiren]

...she also said, a couple of times during the 'silver outlet' show, that she got for the wedding (she had attended) accessories on loan from LG and LR. unless you are talking to somebody very familiar to you, that's is a very redundant piece of information. my immediate thought was "couldn't she afford it or she thinks she is celebrity endorsing brands?" pointless...pointless...:34:

 

[AllThatGlitters]

souns like you'd do a brill job redesigning the QVC website, allthatglitters!

Fairynuff, thanks :1:, but I think the website design isn't too bad.

It hasn't kept pace with other websites, for example in offering comparison facilities or wishlists (which are now common), or in allowing zoom-in views (it used to have that, but now doesn't).

I don't think QVC UK have quite grasped the fact the their web population is different in nature to their traditional TV audience. I first encountered QVC when googling a Smashbox product and finding it on the QVC site. I bought goods from QVC for over a year without going anywhere near the live broadcast. I wasn't interested in the presenters or the 30-day mbg or the Easy Pays.

That's how many people will find themselves on QVC site these days.

QVC is still stuck in a mindset of the TV selling environment, with a captive audience and the need to build up the idea of 'the QVC family', loyalty to individual presenters, loyalty to brands, eager anticipation of the TSV, the EPs, the OTOs. Let's be honest - I get quite excited by these too, but I'll also probably go off and check that I can't get the actual item cheaper elsewhere.

You build brand loyalty in a web customer base by giving them an exceptional experience in terms of ease-of-use, information delivery, clear categorisation and multiple navigation routes, and by being alert to what competitors are doing and offering more than they do.

I don't think QVC have quite grasped the fact that they need two business models for the two channels of delivery. They may be depending on the rollout of digital TV to expand their TV market, but I think it's a mistake to invest so little in web commerce.