Marie Claire Launches E-commerce Site
With mainly a digital operation these days, Marie Claire is diving deeper into e-commerce as it looks to boost profits.
The Future Plc-owned publication is launching Marie Claire Edit, which will allow readers to shop thousands of stores via a single site and browse styles approved by Marie Claire editors. Its exclusive launch partner will be Nordstrom for the first two months, with plans to expand to other fashion retailers shortly after.
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“Marie Claire already excels at connecting women of power, purpose and style with the sophisticated apparel they’re searching for,” said Danielle McNally, executive editor of Marie Claire U.S. “Now, with the Edit, filling their closets with clothing and accessories that enable them to look and feel their best has never been easier. We’re excited to bring this new service to our audience, while also offering more opportunities to our clients and creating additional revenue streams for the company.”
It follows in the footsteps of U.K. Marie Claire Edit, launched in 2018, which Future said doubled in revenue year-over-year, although it did not provide figures. It now has more than 1.5 million products from more than 55 stores, works with brands such as Net-a-porter and Matchesfashion, and has expanded to offer beauty and vintage clothing, according to a rep.
Marie Claire is not the only magazine brand getting into commerce.
Former owner Hearst, whose offering includes Harper’s Bazaar and Elle, is betting on a future in luxury e-commerce with the help of fashion and retail industry veteran Ken Downing. Together, they’re launching The Tower — an e-commerce marketplace made up of four individual stores with one cart, one platform and shared back-end technology from media brands Elle, Bazaar, Town & Country and Esquire. The first store, which will feature designer items selected by Hearst editors, will open in the spring with the remaining three stores launching before the end of 2023. Hearst is already searching for merchant editors to run the sites.
Hearst began dabbling with e-commerce in 2012 with the launch of ShopBazaar and most media companies have been diving deeper into retail over the past few years as traditional advertising revenues continue to tighten, a trend that was only exacerbated by the pandemic.
However, not all of these efforts are always a success. Hearst rival and Vogue publisher Condé Nast has also in the past dipped its toes in the multibrand luxury e-commerce waters with Style.com, but this was shuttered in 2017 after just nine months.
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