Dive Brief:
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Home shopping network Evine Live is expanding its lineup in the flourishing beauty category with a new tie-up with Italian beauty brand Ready to Wear, the companies said in a press release.
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The effort includes unique offers for Evine viewers, including two products — the Brow Artist Duo and the Divineluxe Lipstick Trio — exclusively launched through the network, according to a company press release. The network and the brand will also collaborate on short how-to features for Evine’s broadcast and social media.
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Earlier this year Amazon was said to be considering acquiring Evine Live, which was put at further disadvantage in 2017 when bigger rivals QVC-owner Liberty Interactive Corp. and HSN Inc. merged to create the No. 3 company (behind Amazon and Walmart) in e-commerce and mobile commerce, with $7.5 billion in online sales and $4.7 billion in mobile commerce revenue.
Dive Insight:
Ready to Wear is a beauty brand selling the idea of unique looks that express individuality, and that entails a lot of demonstration, the kind that is perfect for television-based retail. In fact, it's no surprise that the brand's founder, Joanne Benjamin, has years of experience not just in makeup, but also in the TV shopping industry.
The brand debuts Tuesday via cable and satellite, mobile apps and live streaming online at evine.com, the companies said.
It's a major play in a booming segment, and Evine could use it. The QVC-HSN merger has cast a shadow over the much smaller television shopping network. Last spring, spokespeople from Amazon and Evine declined to comment to Retail Dive on the rumor of a merger, but the idea appeals to many observers. Buying Evine could gain Amazon the narrative approach of a television shopping network that it would otherwise have to build up on its own, according to Matt Sargent, senior vice president of retail at consulting firm Magid.
The channel is a handy way to reach baby boomers, which Amazon actually has a difficult time with compared to its appeal to other cohorts, he said in an interview earlier this year.
"If Amazon does indeed acquire Evine, I think it will cause a domino effect among e-commerce entities looking to reach boomers," he said. "The boomer and beyond generation is rapidly growing, and smart retailers put into place initiatives that capture that growth."