Failure to Launch: Meghan Markle's Jam Release Delayed Despite A-Listers Promoting the Product

Meghan Markle returned to Instagram in March to promote American Riviera Orchard, but the Duchess of Sussex's brand has yet to hit retailers.

“Everyone has to abide by Netflix’s schedule these days. They are by far the biggest player in town," a source told an outlet.

Celebrities like Chrissy Teigen and Kris Jenner have been promoting American Riviera Orchard jam, but fans are still waiting in anticipation for its release.

The source added that there was “literally no point in Meghan doing anything” until Netflix is ready to promote her cooking show.

Although Meghan is expected to share American Riviera Orchard with the public, the lengthy wait could result in fans losing interest.

“From a strategic and branding perspective, if you suggest you are going to launch something but then four months later nothing has happened, the world moves on," branding expert Norah Lawlor said.

"Fortunately for them, there has been so much going on in the world in the last four months that they could probably relaunch it and no one would really notice," Lawlor added. "The bigger question is whether they have a real team on it, and whether that team has been able to negotiate the retail channel partnerships to get this into stores."

The Duchess of Sussex was spotted alongside IT Cosmetics co-founder Jamie Kern Lima at the G9 Summit in New York, and the outing could have been her way of establishing relationships in the business world.

“Meghan was in the Hamptons recently at a women in business summit; you have to wonder whether she was actually getting business advice, or if she was more concerned with projecting an image of a smart and savvy businesswoman. American Riviera Orchard poses similar questions: Is it really going to be a business, or is it an image-driven add on, designed primarily just to project an image of a serious businesswoman?" Lawlor asked.

American Riviera Orchard has yet to confirm when it will be available for purchase, but experts still wonder if she will find commercial success after being called a "Hollywood flop."

“If you are going to produce a product, be that jam or anything else, you want to try and establish demand as forensically as possible before you produce a d--- thing,” Warren Johnson said. “It’s a whole lot easier to accelerate your retail listing if you go and see the buyer at Whole Foods and say, ‘We’ve got a million Instagram follows.’ You’ve got an established audience.

“To allow some anticipation to build is not a strategy I would disagree with, especially as it has enabled her to test her credibility and see if she gets laughed out of town as a jam maker before risking a penny," Johnson added. "Personally, I’m not sure the world needs more jams, but maybe I’m wrong.”

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Sources spoke to the The Daily Beast.