Many in the British media are still crying, screaming and raging about the Duchess of Sussex’s As Ever product line. The line sold out in under an hour back in early April, and nothing has been restocked as of this writing. Meghan has even indicated that As Ever products should be thought of as limited-edition “seasonal drops” which are only available for sale for a short amount of time. Incidentally, I think that’s a mistake, if that’s really Meghan’s business model. I understand some of the products will be seasonal, with limited supplies (like the honey), but there’s no reason why her jam/spread can’t be her signature product with restocks available in a timely manner. Same with the shortbread mix, crepe mix and teas. Anyway, the Mail is whining about the lack of restocks… on products which are not even available in the UK.
Nearly two months after it first launched Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand is facing questions over why its sold-out products have still not been restocked. The Duchess of Sussex released her ‘As Ever’ line, first teased more than a year ago under a different name, on April 2 with the limited pieces hitting her online site at eye-watering prices.
The eight products on sale included a wildflower honey with honeycomb, priced at an eye-watering $28 (£21.60), and some flower sprinkles at $15 (£11.60). Meanwhile, a jar of raspberry jam set punters back $14 (£10.80), while the abundance of other goods on sale included shortbread and crepe mixes, both being sold for $14, alongside various herbal tea mixes for £12 (£9.30 each). Fans snapped up the unique product range within minutes, with the range selling out within just half an hour of going live.
But now, nearly two months later, keen shoppers who had initially hoped to get their hands on the exclusive product range have been left bitterly disappointed. All of the sold-out stock is still unavailable to purchase online.
At the time of the opening day, critics had began to question the success of the 43-year-old’s latest business venture. It was claimed the items had been made available in small quantities and then quickly marked as sold out in order to generate interest. One industry insider told MailOnline: ‘Showing that there is a sell out is very common for new brands to fake demand. There is no warehouse full of jams.’
Now, Mark Borkowski, one of the UK’s leading publicity gurus and crisis managers, has described Meghan’s management of the sold-out launch as ‘chaos’, questioning ‘what the true story is’ behind the long-standing unavailable products. Reflecting on how offering no explanation for the lack of stock could be harming her brand’s image, Mr Borkowski told Newsweek: ‘As soon as nothing’s happening, people as questions but therefore her PR has always been chaos. Maybe the fact it’s not restocking gives them the opportunity to refresh the story, but there’s just no logic and now of course questions are going to be asked. Do they have the answers?’
The expert even theorised that perhaps Meghan could be being ‘let down by the very people who were surprised by her success’. Nevertheless, despite the ongoing stock issues, Mr Borkowski was quick to stress that Meghan’s public image of ‘create noise, create chaos’, has continued ‘business as normal’.
Were Borkowski’s comments generated by AI? What is he even trying to say? That Meghan is purposefully not restocking her products to cause chaos and get more attention? And the claim about As Ever only having low stock to begin with is horses-t. Meghan hoped that the products would sell well, but I think even she was surprised by how quickly her fans snapped up everything. And if she ever puts that raspberry spread on sale again, I’m buying multiple bottles, I can tell you that. Anyway, all of this to say… when is the next product drop? And will Meghan adjust her stock for the next drop? If it’s seasonal, is she waiting until summer officially starts? Meaning, in about a month? Will we get a new jam flavor? Strawberry this time? Or maybe blueberry.
Photos courtesy of As Ever’s IG.
