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FAQ & GLOSSARY
Still looking for a few answers? Scroll through some of our frequently asked questions below as well as our glossary. We've split it up into different sections for both marketing and fulfillment to make it easy. If you still can't find what you're looking for - contact us here!
Marketing FAQs
How do I grow my brand?
Why should I sell my product on TV channels such as QVC and HSN?
How do I get my product on TV at places like QVC and HSN?
What other companies do you work with?
What does it cost to sell my product on television?
Do people still shop on TV shopping channels?
Do you do other marketing than just broadcast?
What's an airing and how do I know if it's successful?
What is the halo effect?
What type of people usually shop on QVC and HSN?
What is the halo effect?
There are several ways to grow your brand overall. Here at
IMG we focus on television broadcast and website sales to increase brand awareness. We work with companies whose customer trusts them to recommend the best products available and thus have experiential relationships.
TV shopping networks offer a number of key benefits. They
are in close to 100 million households nationwide, with viewership on par with other major cable networks. This valuable market segment can help grow brands large and small.
Secondly, we are able to deliver key brand messaging the
way it was meant to be communicated via precise messaging and eye-catching demonstrations. Product presentations are about educating consumers on how to use your product and it's features and benefits, along with the education that viewers get via this medium which brand-friendly yet indicative of the true, expected customer experience.
Also, the loyalty to broadcast channels is second to none.
The customers that shop at QVC and HSN trust the hosts to offer them great products at a great price and are constantly checking the apps, website, and live shows to see what's new on the market.
We work with all of our partners to put together offers with
the right price/value proposition to appeal to the TV viewership. That includes presenting initial offers, proposing products for special promotions such as a Today's Special (TS) or Today's Special Value (TSV) to road mapping longer term programs.
IMG also manages the rigorous quality assurance process
that every product must go through before getting certified for on-air presentation.
Additionally, we will work with our partners to hone the
brand and product messaging to appeal specifically to the TV audience. This also includes top features and benefits, positioning, live demonstrations, and more.
IMG works with both established and emerging brands,
large and small. Some of our more well-known partners have included Philips, Roku, Kodak, HP, iRobot, and more.
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We also work with small independently-owned companies
that we believe will do great on the broadcast platform and we sell products on an assortment of websites such as Zulily, Groupon, Amazon, Wal-Mart, Macy's and more.
It varies by product category, however some cost centers
include retailer margins, on-air talent, and a sample expense. For information on a specific product or category please contact us here.
Worldwide, TV shopping channels generate more than
$18.2 billion in revenue. HSN and QVC together would be the 3rd largest retailer in the U.S. TV Shopping channels have also progressed beyond just showing up on your TV at night. They broadcast new items throughout each and every day, are very active on social media, and have a solid online platform.
Yes, we are active in other market sectors such as daily
deals, private sales, subscription boxes, liquidation, and more.
An airing is a slot of time during an hourly show on a
broadcast channel like QVC and HSN where they feature your product. An "expert" also known as a "guest host" spends anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes of the hour selling your product to the audience.
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Various metrics are taken into account to determine
success or failure, the most important of which is revenue dollars generated per minute of airtime. The dollars per minute generated during the presentation is compared to other products that have aired within that timeslot and on that day/date to determine expected outcome. These results are shown in the vendor portal and are relayed back to you so we can adjust and refine our strategy for future airings.
The halo effect is the unique influence a TV sale can have
on the rest of the retail market. Following a major event on HSN or QVC, many retailers experience a short-term increase in sales on the product or brand recently featured on TV. This happens because viewers see the item on TV but don't always buy it right away. They might wait a few days or weeks.
There are a few reasons that this happens:
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Some customers prefer to see/experience a product in person before making a purchase
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Some customers prefer to consider their purchase longer before making a buying decision
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Customers may choose to take some more time to price-compare
QVC and HSN customers are digitally savvy, multi-platform
shoppers. They are predominantly women between the ages of 35-64. "She" shops for herself as well as friends and family and is the primary shopper for her household.
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We also work with other companies and retailers like
Wal-Mart, Goedeker's, Amazon, Zulily, and others that have different demographics such as younger, older, and male.
The halo effect is the unique influence a TV sale can have
on the rest of the retail market. Following a major event on HSN or QVC, many retailers experience a short-term increase in sales on the product or brand recently featured on TV. This happens because viewers see the item on TV but don't always buy it right away. They might wait a few days or weeks.
There are a few reasons that this happens:
-
Some customers prefer to see/experience a product in person before making a purchase
-
Some customers prefer to consider their purchase longer before making a buying decision
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Customers may choose to take some more time to price-compare
MARKETING
FAQ
FULFILLMENT
FAQ
Why should I choose a warehouse near St. Louis, Missouri?
How does e-commerce shipping work?
Why should I outsource my warehousing?
What's the difference between storage and warehouse?
How do you handle customer returns?
What kind of companies do you fulfill orders for?
Who are you integrated with?
Are there any restrictions on the type of products you're able to store or fulfill?
How quickly are returns processed?
Do you require partners to sign a contract?
What areas of my company's supply chain can you help manage?
If we decide to partner with IMG, what is the onboarding process like?
Trucking is the backbone of many 3PL operations and St.
Louis, Missouri sits at the intersection of four major highways, so it's perfectly located for ground transportation. Additionally, St. Louis has a fast-growing workforce trained in warehousing, logistics, and transportation as well as access to several airports and the Mississippi River.
E-commerce shipping encompasses all services required
to transport products purchased online from a retailer to the customer’s delivery destination. With the right partner, e-commerce shipping can be manageable, affordable, and fast.
When you outsource your warehousing you allow for more
time and resources to focus on your core operations. Outsourcing allows you to eliminate distractions to help you focus your time, budget, and needs on what you do best: growing your business.
Storage is exactly as it sounds: storing your product(s) in a
safe facility. Warehousing on the other hand is a more full-scale operation where you not only store your product(s), but also reconfigure, process returns, and ship out your product(s).
Our retail partners can either have customers return
products directly to IMG or to the retailer where they consolidate the returns and then send them to IMG. In either instance, we process returns on a daily basis.
We fulfill orders for a variety of companies. A few that may
be familiar to you are Best Buy, Target, Amazon, Kohl's, Walmart, Macy's, Groupon, QVC, HSN, Zulily, and one of our newest partners, Fab Fit Fun.
We have EDI order integrations set up directly with HSN,
Amazon, and Shopify. We also connect to just about any other retail site through integrations with Mercury Commerce and Commerce Hub.
We typically house and ship electronic and household
products. However, our facility is FDA approved and we do have some climate-controlled warehousing available which allows us to hold nearly any type of product. We are constantly working with our partners to understand their needs and do everything we can to meet them.
Returns are typically processed the same day but we
guarantee they will be processed within 48 hours. Bulk returns are processed as needed when the retailer sends the returned product back to us.
Yes, we do ask our partners to sign a contract before we're
able to offer services in order to ensure everyone is in agreement as to the business terms. However, we do not require long-term contracts and are able to work with our partners to figure out the best way to the meet their needs while sticking to our standards.
We can manage almost anything from warehousing, kitting,
to small one-off shipments, or large volume shipments directly to the consumer. We are flexible and work directly with our partners to meet all of their supply chain needs.
We will work with you to understand your business's
unique needs, customize our services to meet those needs and then work with you to get a contract in place. Once all of that has been established you will be assigned an Account Manager who will show you how to access and operate IMG's Web Portal as well as be available to assist you with any questions you may have.
Fulfillment FAQs
GLOSSARY
3PL
B2B
B2C
BOL
BOM
HSN
JIT Kitting
LOT
QVC
S&H
SKU
TS
TSV
UPC
Third-Party Logistics
Business to Business
Business to Consumer
Bill of Lading : A transportation document that is the contract of carriage containing the terms and conditions between the shipper and carrier.
Bill of Material: A structured list of all the materials or parts and quantities needed to produce a particular finished product, assembly, subassembly, or manufactured part, whether purchased or not.
Home Shopping Network
Just In Time Inventory Kitting
Lot-controlled refers to lot numbers that are produced by the manufacturer to identify where and when the products were manufactured. That helps in product recalls where something went wrong at the manufacturer.
Quality, Value, Convenience
Shipping and Handling
Stock-Keeping Unit
Today's Special: It's the product(s) that is featured on HSN's website and in the live shows throughout the day. Every day HSN has a different Today's Special which is a new product launch or special value proposition that makes the product exciting for the consumer.
Today's Special Value: Just as HSN has a product or products that it features every day, QVC has their own version. The product(s) are different every day and the special pricing only lasts for through that day except for cases in which there's a presale.
Universal Product Code
Glossary
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