Meghan Markle’s business could learn from pop icon Kylie Minogue as the duchess prepares to debut her second wine next week, a brand and culture expert told Newsweek.
The Duchess of Sussex’s online shop As Ever has generated significant interest, with a half-million page views for the week of its second product launch in June.
And she is about to debut her second wine, a 2024 Napa Valley Rosé that follows the 2023 vintage that sold out on July 1.
However, demand is currently massively outstripping supply, meaning products sell out within minutes with each new batch. That might sound like a good problem to have, but it means she is making only a fraction of what she could.
U.K. brand and culture expert Nick Ede told Newsweek that she should look at Padam Padam singer Kylie Minogue as a blueprint.
Kylie Minogue’s Wine Business
“Look at a comparison between another celebrity brand, say a wine brand,” Ede said. “Kylie Minogue has been around for five years and she has sold 21 million bottles of wine.
“Obviously she makes, let’s say, £5 per bottle goes to her profit wise, you can see what a huge amount it can make if it’s done right. People are buying Kylie Minogue wines because they’re going to someone’s house for a party and they see it in the supermarket and it looks quite glamorous.”
Minogue’s wine is for sale in 31 countries and available in supermarkets, in Britain for £10 per bottle (about $13), meaning it is accessible as an impulse purchase.
By contrast, Meghan’s wine currently sells only in America and through her website at a minimum order of $90 for three bottles plus postage of $20, leaving an overall price tag of $110.
Right now, though, Meghan is not producing enough bottles to staisfy her online market, let alone feed demand in supermarkets across America.
Meghan Markle’s Marketing
Ede said Meghan’s marketing also needs improvement: “Her Instagram, she’s not done many posts recently, As Ever just reposts recipes they’ve made of her own stuff, it’s not like it’s setting the world on fire.
“The website, there’s nothing on there, there’s no information, everything’s sold out, there’s nothing to retain a customer.”
And he said prior to the announcement of next week’s rosé, there hadn’t “been a newsletter from As Ever for three or four weeks. That’s the biggest problem here. It feels like there keeps on being these stop starts. It’s not a consistent brand yet, it doesn’t have a story. I think people forget it quite quickly.”
Ede did say, though, that a focus on wine is the right direction for Meghan and that if she could get the supply chain in place to meet demand, she could make significant money.
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate, Meghan and Prince Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.
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