How eCommerce is becoming a key part of publishers’ emerging revenue strategies

The emergence of shoppable ads, as exemplified above by BuzzFeed, is a format that allows brands to personalise the products an audience sees. Moreover, it also reduces the path to purchase, making items available for purchase at the tap of a finger. It’s an advertising format — and consumer behaviour — that is rapidly becoming more commonplace.

Alongside high profile successes — such as best-selling cookbooks, as well as partnerships with major American retail giants [Walmart] and [Macy’s] — BuzzFeed is also helping to design products for other companies. It’s an approach that some UK publishers — like [Hearst UK], [Jungle Creations] and [Highsnobiety] — are [also pursuing]. In BuzzFeed’s... See more

BuzzFeed is another example of a media company [actively pursuing multiple revenue streams, including eCommerce. In 2018, they [made $100 million] from income sources that didn’t exist two years ago. The company’s commerce division, which is supporting this diversification, [generated $50 million in sales in 2018.