West Chester, Pa. — A Sunday afternoon appearance on QVC by Dell chairman, founder and CEO Michael Dell may have helped the multimedia retailer enjoy its best sales weekend in the company’s 21-year history.
Domestic orders topped $105 million for Saturday, Dec. 1, and Sunday, Dec. 2, while online sales exceeded $25 million, a weekend record for QVC.com.
The weekend after Thanksgiving weekend is generally a slower period for retailers, following the frantic sales activity of the Black Friday period. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), sales for the week ending Dec. 1 fell 2 percent from the prior seven-day period.
On Sunday, a Dell Inspiron notebook and desktop computer were promoted as “Today’s Special Value” items, and during the 3 p.m. Dell broadcast Michael Dell demonstrated the product, discussed the company’s history and talked to customers about the QVC offering. In addition, eight customers who phoned in during the show were able to chat with Dell about their purchases. Shoppers reacted by ordering more than 31,000 units.
“When we provide our customers with compelling product offerings and great values, they respond and this weekend was an exceptional example of that,” said QVC president/CEO Mike George. “Not only did our current customer base log on and dial in for great products, but we also attracted more than 25,000 new customers who recognized QVC as a great destination for holiday shopping.”
Other big sellers for the weekend included the Bose Wave music system; a Kodak digital camera; a portable GPS navigation system; a Lexmark wireless printer, scanner and copier; and a digital picture frame.
QVC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media. Its CE sales were $330 million last year according to TWICE’s Top 100 CE retailers ranking, where it placed 36th.
