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?
News UK yesterday announced the acquisition of Handpicked Companies Limited, owner of The Handpicked Collection, a flourishing online retailer with a carefully selected range of expertly sourced products.
Johnston Press plc has announced its results for the 52 week period ended 28 December 2013.
August has relaunched Golfbreaks.com, a leading golf holiday booking and information website from Europe’s specialist golf travel company.
Karlene Lukovitz tracks the continuing rise of e-commerce within the offerings from major US consumer magazine brands.
In a historic year, Media Scotland yesterday launched a new international digital product, Scotland Now.
Amaury Group, one of the largest publishing houses in France, has chosen MPP Global Solutions to deliver a new payment, eCommerce and customer relationship management (CRM) system.
In November, the winners of the 2013 Digital Magazine Awards were announced. With entries from 41 countries, the awards are a good place to track the global trends in digital magazine publishing, writes Carolyn Morgan, one of the lead judges.
The Times newspaper has launched a new premium London Dry Gin, called The Times London Dry Gin.
Condé Nast is to launch a new division devoted to e-commerce and has appointed as its President Franck Zayan, who is currently responsible for the e-commerce activities of the Paris-based department store Galeries Lafayette.
InPublishing celebrated its tenth birthday in November 2013, by asking some leading figures in the publishing world to try to predict what different sectors of the industry would look like in ten year’s time.
“Be everywhere” is a mantra that's been popping up in interviews with magazine media executives — and, writes Karlene Lukovitz, perusing the weekly stream of new-initiative announcements from the majors confirms that this isn't mere hyperbole.
With advertising revenue getting ever-harder to generate, e-commerce could be just the shot in the arm that publishers need, writes Jo Bowman.
LOOK is publishing its first instantly shoppable and fully interactive print issue offering their readers the chance to buy directly from the print page and star on the cover of their LOOK issue.
Asendia, the joint venture between two of the world's leading postal operators - La Poste and Swiss Post – has strengthened its presence in the cross-border e-commerce market.
Grazia, Bauer Media’s weekly glossy for upscale women, today announced the launch of a brand new iPhone app.
