Facebook  Twitter  LinkedIn  

Visit min's sister site:



BREAKING NEWS & VIEWS

InStyle Opens a Mall: Launches Shopping Brand With Editorial Point of View


Thursday, December 2, 2010

InStyle has been helping women identify the right fashions, brands and retailers in its pages and on its pioneering Web site shopping area for years. And now the brand spun off a standalone StyleFind.com site that puts the shopping experience front and center but keeps the magazine's  editorial sensibility in the mix. StyleFind brings to market the investment Time Inc. made in acquiring the shopping engine provider StyleFeeder recently and creates a new and more robust revenue stream for the company.

While StyleFind is a standalone brand and a has a vast catalog of products, the idea is that they reflect the InStyle sense of, well style. Only 150 retailers are included in the mix, and all 2,000 brands of goods were picked by the editors and dedicated team. Atop every search result or category page, a series of Editor’s Picks is singled out from the catalog. According to InStyle, these items are updated on a daily basis. A Trends section is also editorially driven and identifies several key style trends. Some categories also have a Hit List of editor’s faves or items that recently have been featured in the magazine. The site also leverages social sharing tools to let users join as members and share their finds with friends.

The StyleFind site has the usual affiliate referral revenue many publishers also get from partner retailers. They will receive a commission on sales. When you find the item you like a Shop It button brings you directly to the item page at a specific retailer. The site also had advertisers, such as launch sponsor L’Oreal, whose Maybelline line has a persistent presence in rich media banners and side rail units throughout.

The StyleFind standalone site builds out from the same engine that already powers shopping at InStyle.com, which claims 2.1 million uniques (per comScore Oct. 2010) and 73 million page views. According to Time Inc. the underlying engine can also be used with other magazine brands, which could well mean that spin-off shopping sites will be coming from other titles. People and People StyleWatch would be obvious candidates for such stores, since their editorial already drives reader’s sense of celebrity-inspired style. The longtime digital dream of somehow marrying content, commerce and community for media companies is getting closer to reality in models like this. Knowing that they drive consumers to purchase goods, but having no way to profit directly from that dynamic, publishers have been trying to find ways of getting more directly into the purchase path and get some remuneration.

If you have breaking news to share please contact Steve Smith at ssmith@accessintel.com


Take min's fun quiz and find out how magazine-savvy you are!

And raise your digital IQ at the annual Min Digital Summit.

A day specially designed to help you master the changing world of digital media. June 5, 2012 at the Marriott Marquis, NY. Please join us at min's Digital Media Summit June 5, 2012.

This all day event is specially designed to help you master the changing world of digital media.
Read more

COMMENTS

min's Digital Media Summit

Countdown to the Summit:


  • Luncheon Keynote: Josh Quittner
Check out money making ideas from Slate Group’s John Alderman, New York Media's Larry Burstein and Meredith's Lauren Wiener.

Keynoter:
Erin Matts
Glam Media
Keynoter:
Josh Quittner
Flipboard


  Join us at the Summit June 5, 2012

Search Jobs
Media Jobs

App Central

min's App Central (for min subscribers only): Stay on top of mobile app developments with exclusive app reviews, analysis and data.

Please enter the following information to have a link to The Skinny emailed to your iPhone:

White Papers
Get even smarter -- download a white paper today. 


... view Whitepapers
min Contests

min contests
Want to sponsor a min contest?

min Press

min's Mobile App Report

 View Details
                           

min Presents: The Most Intriguing & Top-Selling Magazine Covers 2007-2010Intriguing & Top-Selling Magazine Covers

 View Details
                          


Inside min This Week
Events Calendar

min's Integrated Marketing Awards
Entry Deadline June 7
Enter Today!

min's Digital Media Summit
June 5, 2012 at the Marriott Marquis, NY
Register Now

Sales Executive of the Year
June 27, 2012 at the Marriott Marquis
 Purchase your tickets!



All Events




min
Free Eletters — Sign up Now