‘Today’s Next Big Thing’ Gives Inventors, Fashion Entrepreneurs A Shot At QVC [Video]


The Today show is on a roll with crowd pleasing viewer segments on Wednesday, August 12. First up; the very popular ‘Jill’s Steals and Deals’ featured an American Girl doll sale, as reported by the Inquisitr. That Today show segment was so popular that the video clip from the American Girl doll segment would barely play, and the American Girl website experienced high volumes of traffic.

Well, the same Jill Martin is creating buzz with the Today’s Next Big Thing, which gives viewers a chance to experience a Shark Tank like adventure without needing to come face-to-face with a shark. ‘Today’s Next Big Thing’ is kind of like the website Quirky, which also allows inventors to pass up the middleman and go straight to the public to get their inventions to the marketplace.

The Today show is giving inventors a chance to get on QVC, thanks to the Today Show’s new ‘Next Big Thing’ idea. The NBC website points to a page that allows would-be inventors to submit their product ideas on QVC for a chance to get their inventions seen and voted upon, and possibly sold on QVC. The website shows that it’s not just techie types of items that are part of the running, but all of the following categories.

Apparel and Accessories-Women
Bakeware and Cookware
Beauty
Bed and Bath
Consumer Electronics
Cookbooks
Food
Handbags and Luggage
Health and Fitness
Home Decor
Home Improvement
Home Textiles
Household Cleaners
Jewelry
Kitchen Gadgets
Kitchen Electrics
Patio and Garden
Personal Care
Pet Products
Storage Solutions
Toys

“TODAY’s Next Big Thing is a week-long TODAY show series running from 9/28–10/2/15. Hopeful inventors can submit their product through QVC.com/QVCSprouts for the chance to pitch their product on TODAY and be picked to sell their item live on QVC.”

Once users have entered basic information such as their names and address and phone numbers, QVC takes them to a page that allows them to enter more data. The information includes the product’s name, the patent status (if any), and any other trademark or copyright protection. Next up is the development status — whether it’s just a concept in the person’s head or a developed product sitting in inventory.

The important part includes photos because QVC warns that having pics increases the chance of success.

“Don’t skip this step… submissions with NO images have a lower chance of success!”

Basic details such as the product’s description and benefits, any known competition as well as suggested retail selling prices are requested. “Your idea can make it beyond these doors,” says the Today video, which shows the QVC studio. It explains that QVC stays pretty busy, with 22,000 guests every year.

Submit your product idea by August 21st, and 9 finalists will be chosen — with the winner selling their product live on QVC that same week. The video provides a sneak peek of the 7 dressing rooms where guests prepare for their segment. QVC is live and not rehearsed, unscripted and runs 24/7 with no commercial breaks or prompters or scripts, as the QVC experts remind entrepreneurs who want their product to be one of the 300,000 products currently being sold. Samples of all old products are stored there as well. Each product has about 6 minutes to show off their stuff. Joan Rivers’ sequin scarves sold 88,000 in a short time, so there is hope by how life-changing this could be.

“This is going to change somebody’s life.”

“Sometimes they’ll be on selling at 1 a.m. at QVC then head on over here,” reported Jill as she sat in the Today studio. Martin described the three main categories of home, fashion and accessories — plus gadgets that QVC is seeking, and how long it took her to break into the QVC goldmine.

It took me six times.

Fans can keep track of Jill’s Facebook page for updates.

[Image via Facebook]

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