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.
Ecommerce – the future of media or a dangerous distraction? Get it right and it can transform your company’s financials. Get it wrong, writes Jim Bilton, and it can destroy your business. And there are plenty of examples of both.
Inject personality into e-commerce content by showing audiences the individual recommending the products, and why they’re qualified to do so, says Beth Crane, director of commercial growth.
In a time when consumers are being offered content for free, new revenue streams for publishers are always worth exploring. Keith Walker explains the lessons learned regarding affiliate revenue and what it means for your brand.
One publishing brand that seems to have nailed ecommerce is Marie Claire, both in the UK and, more recently, in the US. Ciar Byrne looks at its winning strategy.
LRB’s strategy is to engage its audience with new and exciting products as well as creating new iterations of its cult ranges, says Jill Tytherleigh, head of e-commerce and product development.
The future of Singletrack World’s e-commerce strategy focuses on two key areas: reducing friction and consolidating touchpoints, says Mark Alker, co-founder.
Consumer magazine media has a bright future, James Wildman tells Meg Carter, because of the substantial opportunities to build new revenue streams on the back of deep reader engagement.
The border busting reality of digital publishing has radically altered the traditional licensing model. But opportunities still abound to leverage your brand in overseas markets. Peter Houston reports.
Ecommerce is often cited by publishers as an obvious area for revenue diversification. But how to make a success of it?
It feels like the companies that used to be known as publishers are morphing rapidly – to become retailers, agencies and providers of data and intelligence. Carolyn Morgan surveys the rapidly changing publishing landscape.
Yesterday, P&O Ferries launched a new onboard retail magazine, The Collection, across its European network.
Future plc, the specialist media company, on Friday published its results for the six months ended 31 March 2017.
Time Out Group plc announced yesterday the appointment of Christine Petersen as CEO of its business division Time Out Digital, effective immediately and reporting into Time Out Group CEO Julio Bruno.
Look, Time Inc’s fashion weekly – has revealed a pink themed special edition championing Benefit Cosmetics’ annual philanthropic Bold is Beautiful initiative which this spring sees a pink twist added to the campaign.
As publishers seek to reinvent their business models, it’s a good idea to play to existing strengths. In the case of Time Inc UK, this meant focusing on the beauty market, where their editorial and commercial expertise has helped underpin two excitin
Future has appointed Jason Kemp to its Executive Leadership Team as eCommerce & Trading Director.
Marie Claire is harnessing the power of its new Fabled by Marie Claire beauty business to bring tens of thousands of new readers to the magazine during 2017, says the company.
Adam Sherman's article in the Publishing Partners Guide 2017
Immediate Media Co has announced a new home for sewists and quilters on TV and online: The Sewing Quarter.
Hubert Burda Media, the Munich-based technology and media company, today announced the 100% acquisition of Immediate Media Co from private equity investor Exponent and Management.
Build Your Own R2-D2, a new partwork from De Agostini, goes on sale on 30th December.
Red Magazine, published by Hearst Magazines UK, has teamed up with Sofa Workshop to create a collection of sofas in collaboration with the editorial team led by Pip McCormac, Red’s Associate Editor (Living).
On Wednesday 23 November, Future plc published its results for the year ended 30 September 2016.
The winners of the Customer Direct Awards 2016 were announced last week at a ceremony at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel in London.
