Time Inc. Makes a Play for Contextual Commerce
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: the future of commerce is all about context.
As the media landscape continues to evolve and the traditional model of ad revenue funding editorial seems both less feasible and less relevant, the formerly impenetrable division between sales and content is becoming increasingly permeable – or being knocked down altogether.
And it isn’t only the digital natives behind companies like Brit + Co. or sites like Goop that can trade off of the authority and singular voice of its founder Gwyneth Paltrow. Big media companies are now fully investing in the game, as well.
Conde Nast’s decision earlier this year to shutter the beloved Style.com, relaunch it as an e-commerce operation and migrate all editorial content to the newly-created VogueRunway.com was met with some skepticism (including our own) about the need for a staunch separation of church and state in today’s climate. Conde’s recent assertion that the new Style.com will have an “intense focus on content” makes the early move and the existing staff layoffs all the more puzzling from an outsider’s perspective.
Time Inc. is taking a much more straightforward approach to contextual commerce with the introduction of new shoppable strategies into existing entities People and Travel + Leisure. As reported by WWD, Time Inc. will add shoppable fashion content to the online wing of People, in a new section, launching tomorrow, devoted to style news and celebrity trends called…wait for it: People Style. The section will also launch as a recurring feature in print editions of the magazine. People, which already has a leg in fashion editorial with their People Style Watch property, is also exploring e-commerce further by way a capsule collection hosted with discount retailer Gilt Groupe.
The e-commerce division for Travel + Leisure, named Travel + Leisure Journeys, is described by WWD as “an editorially curated set of travel itineraries,” operating within a revenue-share model with upscale travel agency Black Tomato. Editor in Chief Nathan Lump also hinted at more e-commerce opportunities on the horizon.
Whether this fairly simple approach is enough to succeed where other similar attempts have failed. But with these rolling out – and the anticipated launch of the new Style.com in the UK – this fall is shaping up to be a pivotal moment in the old guard adopting the ways of the new.
