QVC, the television shopping channel, is launching interactive
retailing services to compete with Open, the venture jointly owned by
BSkyB and British Telecom.
The shopping channel will enable viewers to order any product seen on
QVC via their digital set-top boxes without using a telephone.
As part of the new service, the channel is also launching a QVC
Directory, available to consumers from next February. The directory is
an interactive catalogue ordering service offering a wide product
range.
Orders can be placed using the Sky Digital handset, and viewers will be
able to watch TV programmes and order goods simultaneously. The new
service aims to reach groups who are not regular internet users,
including pensioners and housewives. The QVC channel carries no
advertising.
Mark Suckle, chief executive of QVC, said: ’We are launching the QVC
directory in Britain because more than half of British homes have
Teletext, which means people are used to using their remotes. Britain is
also leading the way in digital TV distribution. The digital era is
turning the set-top box into a store front.’
The QVC channel is majority owned by US company Comcast and operates in
the UK, America and Germany. The channel is available to 7.2 million
cable, analogue and digital satellite homes in the UK and also has an
interactive website.
