WEST CHESTER, Pa., April 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 22, an aspiring entrepreneur will be given
his or her big break – a chance to sell an invention in front of
more than 100 million American households.
For the third consecutive year, QVC has joined forces with NBC's
TODAY show for TODAY's Next Big Thing, a national
competition to honor the spirit of innovation and invention and
discover one entrepreneur whose product has what it takes to be
presented on QVC's highly engaging multiplatform shopping
experience.
In January, inventors across America were invited to submit
their products for consideration. Throughout the week of
April 17, nine finalists, with
inventions spanning beauty, fashion, home, and cooking and dining,
will appear live on NBC's TODAY to pitch their products to a
panel of judges. The panel includes Anna
Baker, QVC's director of global merchandising; Jill Martin, TODAY contributor and
creative director of G.I.L.I. got it love it® (QVC's contemporary
fashion and accessories line); and a TODAY show anchor.
Starting Tuesday, April 18,
viewers will vote for their favorites on TODAY.com. On Friday, April 21, the three inventors with the
most votes will have one last chance to convince the judges that
they have what it takes to be on QVC. The judges will declare the
winner, and the winner will sell his or her product live on QVC the
next day, Saturday, April 22, at
10 a.m. (ET).
"Each time we have teamed up with NBC on TODAY's Next Big
Thing, the response from our customers to the winning
entrepreneur has been tremendous," said Baker. "We're always
looking for promising entrepreneurs with exciting new products that
will surprise and delight our customers. QVC offers a powerful
multiplatform network experience for entrepreneurs, where they can
share the unique stories and inspirations behind their inventions
directly with customers and distribute their products on a national
scale."
Prior winners of TODAY's Next Big Thing quickly sold out
during their first QVC appearances. In 2015, Leslie Pierson won with GoodHangups, a reusable
magnetic display systems for posters, art, photographs and more. In
2016, Krista Woods won with
Glovestix, a portable odor-management solution for athletic gloves,
shoes, cleats and more that sold out in just eight minutes.
"Winning TODAY's Next Big Thing and appearing on QVC has
been an absolute surreal experience," said Woods. "Since my QVC
debut, my sales have quadrupled and the platform has afforded me so
many incredible opportunities to inspire other entrepreneurs. I
have always valued QVC for the quality of its products and the
strength of its relationship with customers, and I am honored to
now be a part of the QVC family."
For over 30 years, discovery, entrepreneurship, storytelling and
relationships have been at the heart of QVC's shopping experience,
so TODAY's Next Big Thing is a natural fit for QVC. The
competition also supports the QVC NEXT™ program, which is dedicated
to uncovering the best up-and-coming products from inventors and
entrepreneurs, providing them with the opportunity to sell on
QVC.com and the chance to grow their businesses through a scalable
and nurturing process.
Tune in to Saturday Morning Q® on QVC Saturday, April 22 at 10
a.m. (ET) for a firsthand look at the TODAY'S Next Big
Thing winning entrepreneur and his or her invention. Visit
QVC.com to purchase the winning item, plus the products from the
other two finalists. To learn more about the QVC NEXT program,
visit QVC.com/qvcnext.
About QVC
QVC combines the best of retail, media and
social to create the most engaging shopping experience, one that
exceeds the expectations of everyone we touch by delivering the joy
of discovery through the power of relationships. Every day,
in nine countries and counting, QVC engages millions of shoppers in
a journey of discovery through an ever-changing collection of
familiar brands and fresh new products, from home and fashion to
beauty, electronics and jewelry. Along the way, we connect with
shoppers via live dialog, engaging stories, interesting
personalities and award-winning customer service. Based in
West Chester, Pa. and founded in
1986, QVC has more than 17,000 employees and has retail operations
in the U.S., Japan, Germany, United
Kingdom, Italy,
France, and through a joint
venture in China. Worldwide, QVC
engages shoppers via 15 broadcast networks reaching more than 360
million homes, seven websites, and 195 social pages. Visit
corporate.qvc.com to learn more.
QVC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Interactive
Corporation and is attributed to the QVC Group tracking stock
(NASDAQ: QVCA, QVCB). Liberty's QVC Group also includes zulily, a
digital retailer obsessed with bringing customers special finds
every day at incredible prices. zulily has been a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Liberty Interactive Corporation since October 2015. zulily features an ever-changing,
always delightful collection of clothing, home décor, toys, gifts
and more––for the whole family. Unique products from up-and-coming
brands are featured alongside favorites from top brands, giving
customers something new to discover each morning. Launched in 2010,
zulily is headquartered in Seattle. Among mass merchants, the combined
QVC Group (including QVC and zulily) is the #3 mobile retailer in
the U.S., the #8 mobile retailer globally, and the #4 ecommerce
player in North America, according
to Internet Retailer. QVC, Q, and the Q Ribbon Logo are registered
service marks of ER Marks, Inc. For more information on Liberty
Interactive Corporation, visit www.libertyinteractive.com.
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SOURCE QVC, Inc.