Lands’ End is unveiling an on-air collaboration with QVC following the company’s e-commerce relationship with the video-shopping giant which launched late last year.
The on-air debut featured women’s swimwear in sizes 2-32 in petite, regular and tall lengths live and across QVC’s digital platforms Friday morning.
The on-air launch comes as Lands’ End focuses on innovative platforms and collaborations that create a one-stop-shopping experience for customers to easily purchase its bestsellers alongside vetted partners. Lands’ End said it has ranked among the “most requested brands” by QVC customers looking for value and quality.
The launch comes as Lands’ End expands its swimwear business. In a fourth quarter earnings call, CEO Jerome Griffith said “the category is extending well beyond its historical selling season due to our more versatile and expanded offering.”
The swimwear category in general is ripe for acceleration, with Euromonitor data projecting a $21.4 billion market value by 2025 on 33.8 percent growth from 2020.
Lands’ End, which first tested its own women’s clothing page on the QVC site last year, expanded the effort last month.
The specialty apparel retailer can further court a new audience, with QVC reaching more than 200 million homes through 12 broadcast networks and millions more via multiple streaming services, websites, mobile apps and social pages.
“We’ve found our third-party platforms and collaborations are an effective way for Lands’ End to build relationships with existing brand fans and connect with new customers, reaching shoppers in channels they might be frequenting,” said Angie Rieger, senior vice president, international and wholesale at Lands’ End. “It’s this customer excitement that has driven our unique, third-party approach to shopping Lands’ End and we see it as a clear differentiator for the brand.”
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The video commerce retailer has seen key product categories resonate with QVC shoppers in the past.
“Our e-commerce launch with Lands’ End resulted in impressive customer engagement both within the online shopping experience and socially, especially given the brand’s inclusive offerings, which is an area where we continue to place emphasis here at QVC as well,” said Rachel Ungaro, vice president and general of apparel for QVC US. “Lands’ End has one of the most inclusive swimwear size ranges on the market—a synergy with QVC and the inspiration behind this spring’s on-air product focus. We look forward to seeing our customer’s continued response and the possibility of additional opportunities in the future.”
Lands’ End’s QVC on-air women’s swim assortment, as well as women’s and men’s seasonal spring and summer apparel, will also be available at QVC.com.
Griffith shed light on the company’s upcoming partnership strategies in the March earnings call. Revenue for the retailer’s third-party business increased to $36 million, a $15 million or 70 percent improvement compared to last year.
“These partnerships are proving to be highly effective vehicles to expand our brand awareness,” Griffith said. “And our product is resonating and attracting new customers with similar profiles to the Lands’ End demographic. We’re proud of our accomplishments over the past few years, building a solid foundation with proven strategies to drive long-term profitable growth…We will continue to build on our successful partnerships, as well as seek to increase partnerships and distribution expansion opportunities. In addition to QVC, our goal is to launch one to two new partnerships in 2022.”
Lands’ End is now present in 300 Kohl’s locations as part of its partnership with the department store doors, and has launched its entire product assortment at Kohls.com. In 2022, Lands’ End plans to expand the assortment to 500 doors, as well as increase its swimwear offering to more than 100 incremental doors. These expansions will bring the lifestyle brand’s total Kohl’s store count to over 600.
The Maine-based retailer also has its own page on Amazon, which helped drive the strong quarterly performance in the company’s third-party business, Griffith said.
For the upcoming first quarter, Lands’ End expects a net loss between $2 million and $4 million and diluted loss per share of 6 cents to 12 cents. The merchant said net revenue for the quarter is expected to reach $320 million to $335 million for a 0.4 percent to 4.3 percent improvement from the 2021 period’s $321.3 million in sales.
The partnership also comes as QVC is trying to bounce back from a fourth quarter hampered by product scarcity and supply chain constraints. QVC and sister company HSN, which make up the QxH division of Qurate Retail, saw a 6 percent decrease in units sold in the quarter.