With the publishing world changing at a rapid pace, magazines are having to evolve to remain relevant. One of the ways in which they are doing so is through moving into digital ““ which has seen the rise of the “œshoppable magazine“.
A concept that affords customers the opportunity to shop the pages of their favourite magazine, this foray into ecommerce is aimed at bolstering dwindling advertisement revenues.
South Africa has not missed out on this global trend. April 2013 saw the launch of spree.co.za, SA‘s first online shop to offer a shoppable magazine experience. As part of Media24‘s ecommerce division, Spree is more than just another online catalogue store having been carefully curated and styled by in-house experts.
Spree delivers free of charge in South Africa, either door to door, or door to counter, depending on where consumers are based and offers a free returns policy (within 30 days).
Bandwidth Blog chatted to Spree CEO, Krishna Motukuri, who believes that this element of expert curation sets it apart in the ecommerce landscape, which is becoming an increasingly competitive space in South Africa.
Is spree.co.za the first of its kind in SA?
Yes, it’s the first online retailer to offer an experience that can be likened to shopping the pages of a magazine. We have well-known fashion experts curating and styling looks and a lot of resources are invested in the creation of the editorial layer that creates this shoppable magazine environment.
Online retailers are traditionally rather functional ““ just meeting a demand for a certain product, but we’re unique in that we offer a new, far more beautiful and inspirational way to shop, creating demand through our editorial content.
The partnership with some of Media24’s magazines means that readers of those magazines are afforded an opportunity to finally shop for items quickly and easily. Spree’s products are featured along with other retailers in fashion spreads in the magazines, but readers can buy spree’s products quickly and conveniently online, almost directly after seeing it in the print publication.
Can you explain more about how it works and why Media24 has ventured into the shoppable magazine concept?
The shoppable magazine concept is an international trend to take traditional print publications into a digital environment in a new innovative way. Digital publications and magazine websites, don’t offer the same advertising revenue as traditional printed publications do, and with this shift into digital, a solution came in the form of an ecommerce venture.
Internationally print publications have become shoppable, while traditional online retailers have also become more editorial. Where traditionally, demand for fashion was created by TV or celebrity news etc., the global shift into digital means that we now have an opportunity to create demand and fulfill it all in one place.
Why do you think this format appeals to South Africans when we are still easing into the concept and practise of online fashion shopping?
The need for instant gratification is becoming more evident, and being able to shop immediately for something you see in your favourite magazine or being inspired by beautiful (online) editorial content fulfills this natural shift in how we live.
Online retailer predecessors have been around for over 10 years in South Africa, and the success of these plus traditional bricks and mortar retailers shows that South Africans are accepting and practising online shopping.
How do you see Spree expanding in SA?
We’re introducing new ranges and expanding our collection dramatically over the coming months. We’ve already partnered with two new magazines since our launch (Your Parenting and Women’s Health) and there are still more to come.
Have you received any feedback from users? If so, can you elaborate.
Customers love our quick delivery and our free returns policy. We realise that shopping for clothing online is daunting and the big question around ‘will it fit me’ always crops up. As a result, we’re trying to make returning the item as easy as it is to purchase, reducing any risk customers may associate with shopping for clothing online. Supporting local design is important to us too, and our customers love being able to shop for items by designers that have been previously unaccessible.
Will you be expanding your product range?
Yes. We are constantly increasing the numbers of our consignments plus as we move into partnerships with new magazines we are broadening the product ranges we carry. We’ve recently launched a gifting range and will be launching décor when we bring tuis/home magazine on board before the end of the year.
Have you tried spree.co.za? Let us know in the comments below.
