Why Meghan Markle's As Ever and Netflix houses are not a good fit

Netflix houses are retail outlets or stores for fans of popular Netflix shows to enjoy the experiences and buy the shows merchandise. An extension of what they already do online through the Netflix shop. Netflix is due to open some of its houses in Dallas, Philadelphia and Las Vegas in the US later towards the end of this year.

It has been reported in the media that the Duchess of Sussex Meghan's As Ever products will be available for sale in the Netflix houses when they open. The stories written by the media was about the wages paid to the potential shop assistants which sounded like they will be employed by As Ever. This is far from the truth. The Netflix houses are part of a business expansion plan by Netflix into the experience and merchandise retail space to promote their popular shows.

Currently Netflix has an online shop where fans can purchase merchandise. It is meant to capitalise on the Netflix shows popularity. Are they capturing that momentum with website traffic to this Netflix online shop?

Does that Netflix online shop has the volume of website traffic for a startup company like As Ever who are looking for a strategic distribution partner to extend their reach into a bigger market?

Not according to the apparent volume of traffic seen here. This probably explains why the Duchess of Sussex Meghan's As Ever has not made their products available on the Netflix online shop. As it will provide unnecessary competition to the asever.com website. Without the gains of a bigger market share which should be in millions.

There could be another option which are the Netflix houses opening soon. Will the Netflix houses present a good fit for As Ever to have presence in retail? So that customers can just walk in and purchase the products.

It does not look as an attractive business proposition if you are looking to tap into a bigger market. The Netflix houses are in specific locations in the US and only a handful in numbers. And currently if you read the marketing materials available on the Netflix houses website which is used to promote the idea to fans, there is no mention of any As Ever products coming soon there.

What will make more sense is for As Ever to decide on taping into the supermarket space for their products. That will be a serious expansion into a bigger market share reaching millions in multiple locations even if they are still only available in the US. Far more than just a handful of Netflix houses in a couple of cities.

There maybe hints of some new As Ever products coming soon in the Netflix trailer of the second season of With Love, Meghan.

You can read more about the insights of that Netflix trailer here.

There is also a potential emerging success story of As Ever Wine (the "Winery") which you can read here.

The vintage 2024 As Ever Napa Valley Rosé is still available to buy at wine.asever.com.

A picture is beginning to emerge about the Duchess of Sussex Meghan's ambition to build a heritage lifestyle brand. How As Ever manages the distribution of their products is critical in significantly improving the startup company's balance sheet. These strategic decisions will shape how successful the Duchess of Sussex Meghan's ambition can become. Setting high goals, maintaining a strong drive to achieve them, and employing the discipline, consistency, and commitment needed to turn aspirations into reality.

The current Netflix houses do not present a high goal for growth into a bigger market share for As Ever.