Ecommerce & Affiliate Revenue

Magazine editors have always sold things. A recommendation in a trusted title moves product, and ecommerce is the attempt to get paid for that influence directly rather than through the advertising around it.

There are several ways in. Affiliate links in reviews and buying guides earn commission when readers already intend to buy. Others go further: Marie Claire built a shopping platform carrying more than a million products, while the London Review of Books grew a small online shop into a business with its own US warehouse. Hearst has turned the Good Housekeeping Institute's product testing into accreditation and licensing.

Get it right, and the revenues will flow. Get it wrong, and you’ll wish that you’d stuck to the knitting.

Jim Bilton The Ecommerce Challenge

For most publishers commerce is still a small share of revenue, and the risks are real, from culture and technology to the trust readers place in editorial. Disclosing commercial links tends to help conversion rather than hurt it, and smaller publishers have done well by testing cheaply before committing.

The ground is shifting as well. Shoppers increasingly research products through AI search and social creators, and much of the credit for a sale ends up with cashback and voucher sites.

Below you'll find some of our best feature articles on ecommerce and affiliate revenue for publishers, from affiliate content and online shops to licensing and trust, alongside our latest news and industry commentary.