How the CEO of QVC deals with the threat of prices and Tiktok

On the QVC set a recent afternoon on weekdays, the studio cooking hosts were amazed by the many functions of a vegetable helicopter. The cucumbers were perfectly decided and the presenters were all smiles.

Outside the camera, things were more complicated.

President Trump had raised prices on Chinese products more than 100%, a blow for retailers who get a large part of their China stock, such as QVC.

The stock market was sliced ​​wildly. Consumer confidence flowed. The Chug & SIP water bottle launched the agreement of this day – $ 39.98 for a pair, against $ 48 – did not sell.

QVC, which began to broadcast in 1986, built its activities on one of America’s favorite hobbies: purchases of impulses. The network now runs 15 channels, including HSN. Last year, its 17,000 employees made nearly 80 million calls and sent nearly 200 million products.

Since 2021, David Rawlinson II has been managing director of QVC, which means quality, value and convenience. “These things will be more important than in a world where consumer demand is depressed or in a world where there are disturbances because of the prices,” he said, sitting on a sound scene that looked like an airy lounge in business studios in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

QVC was already under pressure from the drop in cable television – its main channels reach approximately 45% less houses than in 2018. And more recently, Tiktok, which allows users to buy directly from its application, distance buyers. In March, the company said that it would dismiss 5% of its workers and consolidate production at the Pennsylvania studio.