Lucky Magazine, which was spun off by Conde Nast into The Lucky Group,
a new venture with BeachMint last year, has launched its new
content-meets-commerce platform to bring together its print and digital
style with shoppable content.
Billed as a new concept in online shopping, LuckyShops.com, has been
designed to provide a multi-faceted experience for shoppers with content
and commerce, while also offering enhanced integration opportunities for
advertising and retail partners looking to offer “cohesive storytelling
across print, digital, mobile and e-commerce”. In a move to capitalise on
the fact that Lucky consumers buy 70 percent more products over the course
of the year than the average women’s magazine reader, according to its own
research.
The site launches with a 1,000 product strong, curated selection of
merchandise featuring clothing, shoes, accessories and beauty from high
profile designers including Kenzo, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Public School, The
Row and Opening Ceremony, which has all been hand selected by
editor-in-chief Eva Chen and her buying team.
Chen explains: “LuckyShops.com combines the constantly-updating feed of
news stories, designer profiles and engaging essays you’ve come to expect
from our digital team with the thrill of the hunt, a.k.a. shopping the best
pieces from your most-loved brands right on our site.”
Lucky magazine debuts new content-meets-commerce platform
This is an editorial site with e-commerce integration, not the other
way round, even the home page looks like any of its magazine rivals, with
content carrying the best placements, and shoppable aspects such as the
‘Shop Our Top 6’ positioned subtly under the editorial. Even when you click
directly through to the category, such as clothing or eyewear, you are
still greeted with large editorial-style imagery or a list of related
articles and you have to scroll down to see the products.
Josh Berman, CEO, of The Lucky Group, said: “We are proud to be the
first to market with a cohesive content to commerce platform. Lucky is
truly creating a new media ecosystem. No other media company out there has
created such a model.”
Gillian Gorman Round, president of The Lucky Group, added: “By
controlling our own technology as well as our own data, we’re able to
service the customer and advertising partners from end to end. Many women
will come to LuckyShops.com simply to consume content, but they will also
have the ability and the option to complete their shopping journey by
making a purchase.”
The question is will this content-meets-commerce model work?
FashionUnited spent time navigating LuckyShops and the format at times can
be tricky and time-consuming, you have to click though to an article, then
through to the slideshow to see the items and then click again to view the
individual product, which then if not stocked on LuckyShops redirects to
the brands own e-commerce to buy. But on occasions we didn’t even get that
far as were enticed by the ‘related articles’ than the products, which
makes us wonder whether some consumers will just forget to buy the products
it is offering.
Images: Screenshots from LuckyShops.com