By Amy Knight, owner and Director of Must Have Ideas
Launching our own TV shopping channel had always been an ambition of ours. As an e-commerce business reliant on visual content, with an older demographic, and having previously worked with teleshopping channels, it felt like the next natural step for us.
However, the traditional costs and manpower needed to run a live, 24/7 channel made it completely out of reach. But we weren’t ready to give up on the idea.
Infrastructure
As a business we do everything in house: marketing, dispatch, customer service and content creation – we even have our own TV studio – so much of the infrastructure was already in place.
With the help of AI and our custom-built software platform, Spark, we found a solution. Built because we were fed up with using technology that didn’t work for us, Spark powers virtually every aspect of our business. So, we asked ourselves: what if we could create a shopping channel that feels live, without actually being live?
That’s exactly what Spark enables. It automatically stitches together and schedules pre-recorded product segments into seamless, hour-long shows.
But the results speak for themselves. Spark intelligently creates programmes based on trending products, stock availability, seasonal demand and even the weather. The outcome is a channel that feels spontaneous, current, and engaging but is far more efficient to run.
This didn’t happen overnight. We spent months filming thousands of segments with different products, different presenters, and seasonal themes. It was a huge team effort. We still film fresh content several days a week, so we have a constant stream of fresh material.
Discovering a New Audience
When we launched the channel, we didn’t know how viewers would respond. Would they embrace this new shopping experience? Would they notice it wasn’t truly live? Would they care?
The answer was clear: the channel – and Must Have Ideas, quickly found a new and enthusiastic audience. While our products were already popular on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, the channel unlocked an entirely new demographic: customers who don’t scroll endlessly on their phones but love the simplicity of watching a presenter explain a product and deciding from the comfort of their living room.
A Better Shopping Experience
From the viewer’s perspective, the channel is a new yet familiar, engaging, and convenient way to shop. Many of our new customers are older or less digitally inclined – they may not enjoy navigating websites or apps, but they’re entirely comfortable with TV and its unique ability to engage customers in a relaxed, in-depth way. For them, our channel provides a relaxed space to watch detailed demos, shop at their own pace and Discover Something New.
TV also allows us to tell better stories. Our must-haves are unique and online ads have to be short and punchy. On TV, we can slow down, explain how a product works, and show the problems it solves. That depth of storytelling is a big part of what makes teleshopping so effective. It’s a simple way to connect with our audience while staying true to our brand USPs: problem-solving products, presented in a warm, trustworthy, and practical way.
We’re primarily a family-run business with traditional values, but we’re also extremely tech-driven. To follow our path, another business might need to rethink how they approach content creation, broadcasting, and customer engagement. Spark works so effectively for us because it was built specifically to solve our challenges. Every business has its own unique needs and a solution that works for us may not work for another business. While Spark helped us navigate the costs involved, it was the planning, creativity, hard work and long hours of a lot of dedicated people who brought our vision to life.
Launching a channel is no small undertaking and like any successful project, requires meticulous planning. For us it was very much a risk, but by adhering strictly to our plan we were able to minimise the risk. Here’s a brief outline of some of the key areas to consider when launching a TV channel:
- Acquire a dedicated filming space and content teams and hosts that share your vision
- Apply for broadcasting license and channel space
- Understand your potential viewership and tailor content accordingly
- Create a library of pre-recorded segments taking into consideration seasonality
- Develop or customise AI-driven scheduling software that considers seasons, weather, stock levels and other topical events
- Plan for ongoing content creation – including refreshing older content and updating for current trends
By following this plan, we’ve managed to create an authentic experience for our viewers and as a result, we’re reaching more homes than ever. For the wider industry, this is what’s possible when you blend ambition with innovation.
About Amy Knight
Amy Knight is the 28-year-old entrepreneur, owner, and Director of , one of the UK’s fastest-growing e-commerce retailer companies.
In 2018 she graduated with a Law degree from the University of Kent, working as a warehouse manager during her studies at Ecoegg, a company making innovative, environmentally friendly household, laundry, and cleaning products.
On completing her degree, Amy remained at Ecoegg, moving into the position of Head of Supply Chain Management, where she worked for five months.
It didn’t take long for Amy’s entrepreneurial spirit to take over when she decided to do things her own way within the world of household and cleaning products.
Teaching herself digital marketing and all there is to know about social media, Amy took her first entrepreneurial steps into the realms of e-commerce – selling household goods and cleaning products by setting up Must Have Ideas with her two co-founders Rob Knight and Chris Finch.
From starting the business with an initial investment of £3,000 (£1,000 from each founder), today the business is generating an annual turnover of £65 million.
- In 2023 Amy was featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 List for Europe, Retail and e-commerce category.
- In 2024 Must Have Ideas is featured on The Sunday Times Fastest Growing UK Companies List
- In 2024 Amy became an LDC Top 50 Leader – supported by The Times
- The Must Have Ideas TV Shopping Channel was launched in August 2024
- In March 2025, Amy won the Vistage SME Leadership of the Year award in the Elite Business 100
- In June 2025, she was named one of Management Today’s 35 Women Under 35
Amy lives in Maidstone with her husband Rob, and her two young children.
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-knight-0b0822151/
Instagram – @musthaveideasuk
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