Why QVC Is Brilliant

Nearly 25 years after its inception, the QVC network has become "one of the most effective retailing machines ever invented," writes self-described "closet fan" Megan McArdle at the Atlantic. The network didn't reinvent retail, but it's perfected many of its tenets, she explains. Among them:

• Intimacy: QVC's approach is "less a sales pitch than a coffee klatch where friends trade tips on hot new products." The hosts connect by telling a story—"a story about the viewer, and the product’s place in her life."

• Feels so good: The hosts know how to push the right buttons to trigger the pleasurable sensations of shopping. They make it clear how the product in question will make you a better person, "amping up the anticipated reward."
• No pain: QVC makes it supremely easy to pay. "Lots of stores take credit cards. But only QVC strips away all the negative cues."
• Real-time vigilance: Producers keep a constant eye on call volume. "Whenever it spikes, the host hears a voice in his or her ear: 'Whatever you just said, say it again. It’s working.'" It all makes its way into extensive training.

Read the full article here.
(More QVC stories.)