Exclusive: Ex-QVC insiders see a comeback. Here's the playbook

• There's still a path forward for QVC — which is considering filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy — but the company's strategy must mix nostalgia and innovation, Sheri Lambert, Temple University marketing professor, tells Axios.

The big picture: Founded in 1985, QVC pioneered impulse shopping with its 24-hour platform, reaching hundreds of millions of households at its peak.

• Its interactive format — pumping callers into its live programming — once made it must-watch TV for everyone seeking deals, from grannies in rocking chairs to golf-obsessed dads.
• But viewership and revenues have tumbled in recent years, thanks to increased competition from online shopping behemoths like Amazon.

Catch up quick: The company rebranded as QVC Group and laid off hundreds of employees last year, plus consolidated all its studios to the West Chester campus.

• QVC — which has a dozen TV channels worldwide — launched a live, 24-hour shopping show on TikTok last year to boost engagement with a younger audience.

The latest: Filing for bankruptcy would allow QVC to restructure its debts while still operating, likely with a smaller footprint.

• Some of the moves that QVC has already made are going to take some time to pay off, Lambert says.

What they're saying: QVC "built the superhighway years ago. It just needs some repaving," says Bill Lovell, a former COO at HSN, which QVC acquired in 2017.

• QVC mixed the immediacy of TV news with the spectacle of television shows. Staff sometimes troubleshot crises in real time as the set — built atop a rotating platform that routinely broke down — kept spinning live on air.
• "There'd be guys up on ladders refocusing lights while the host is 10 feet away talking about a doll," former QVC production assistant Eric Gronwaldt tells Axios.

Zoom out: Its format just needs a reboot, Lambert says.

• Think: Live pop-shows in cities reminiscent of satellite programming QVC once hosted in other countries, livestream parties featuring celebrities, influencers and customers, plus more product demos, such as high-tech gadgets and skin care.
• "Bring back Tupperware," Lambert says, pointing to niche communities that have flourished online as people seek connection. "If they think of themselves just as an e-commerce, they lose."

Reality check: Amazon will remain a go-to for everyday purchases. But QVC could thrive, insiders say, by tapping into nostalgia and niche buys — the golf putter that'll revolutionize your game, a whiskey that's not available in Pennsylvania.

Flashback: In the early days, QVC brought in plenty of local talent to serve as hosts, including KYW's Molly Daly.

• They'd spend hours inside a Chesterbrook conference room during filmed practice runs to hone their salesmanship by trying to sell a pencil.

💡 1 new idea: Bring in local influencers with huge followings — and plenty of time in front of the camera — to host buzzy in-person mixers and digestible on-air segments for audiences with short attention spans.

• Lean into advertising — even though it'll be costly upfront.
• "You should never stop advertising," says Gronwaldt, now a Philly-area media consultant. "Their original audience from '86 is dying out. QVC needs to keep reintroducing itself to a new audience."

The bottom line: The new strategy should be: Sell me this pencil — but do it in under 30 seconds.

• "There's still a brand association that's very strong," Gronwaldt says.

What we're watching: The company's financial picture — and potential maneuvers — could become clearer when QVC releases its latest earnings report on Feb. 26.