Zulily expands offerings and media
Zulily has gone from selling mostly children’s clothing to items from pillows to designer purses to chicken coops. Now, the site geared to young moms has its eye on doggy treats, electronics and goods that need to be reordered frequently, like toilet paper and paper towels. The site, owned by the parent company of home shopping network QVC, has also been creating videos through Facebook Live, showing its followers how to use hair extensions, makeup or other products it sells. Not everything has changed at Zulily. While some flash-sale sites have stumbled, it is still deal-focused and adds products every morning that typically disappear 72 hours later, making shoppers feel the need to buy before an item’s gone. And most of its shoppers are women. The site’s chief merchant and interim president, Lori Twomey, talked with The Associated Press about other moves, why Zulily launched a credit card and how it’s connecting with shoppers.
How is Zulily different than Amazon?
I think about Amazon as a place to go when I need something. Zulily is more about getting up at 6 a.m., getting my coffee and going to Zulily to see what it’s selling. The shopper doesn’t know that she’s coming to Zulily to buy something, but she knows she wants to see what’s on the site.
Is there something you wouldn’t sell on Zulily?
We haven’t said no to a lot. We’re not going to sell live chickens, but we’ll sell chicken coops. We’re not in the business of selling cars, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that we might not one day decide to do that.
Do customers shop on their phones or computers? What new categories are you looking to add?
We’re just starting to look at the pet business and serve up the products that customers are looking for — collars, food, treats, leashes, toys, beds. I want to expand our electronics business and we are expanding our health and beauty business, such as fragrances, skincare and makeup.
Zulily launched a credit card last fall. Why? Zulily has been posting a lot of Facebook Live videos. Why?
One thing that’s really important for us this year is to reach the shopper where she is. We’ve done 500 segments on Facebook Live, reaching more than 50 million customers.