DW 2015: Jen Wong - Content & Commerce

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2015 / CONTENT AND COMMERCE

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WHERE DO CONTENT AND
COMMERCE REALLY
CONNECT?

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NO1
A UNIQUE VANTAGE POINT AT THE
INTERSECTION OF CONTENT AND COMMERCE
Source: comScore Key Measures, Adobe Analytics, Internal (2015)
One of the Largest US Shopping
Sites That Holds No Inventory
$1Bn+
P U R C H A S E S I N F L U E N C E D
O N S H O P S T Y L E
L I F E S T Y L E B R A N D
F O R M I L L E N I A L S
( 7 5 M v i s i t o r s
w o r l d w i d e )
LArge, Engaged Audience
POPSUGAR is a publisher, direct retailer, and apparel search engine
> 600K
M U S T H A V E B O X E S
S O L D
Scalable monthly subscription
box service

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OUR PHILOSOPHY
Tech and media company
Digital first–think in every
form, social first
We don't just obsess over
site traffic but traffic on every
platform
Very analytical—have our
own portal so editors can
see their goals clearly

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OUR PERSPECTIVE
1. We are a mobile-first business (60% of traffic on mobile devices) and publishing
brand that lives on every platforms, in every form
2. Shopping has become borderless (50% of visitors are from outside US)
3. Landscape moves fast; we control our own technology and destiny
• Proprietary CMS/brand content/influencer database for content marketing and content
• Product database, taxonomy, and transaction tracking
4. We love big data; we blend art and science
• AWS has allowed us to cloud detailed data on every publishing and shopping user event for
personalization, merchandising, and ad optimization
5. Inspiration and shopping happen in different places
• ShopStyle is for when the credit card is on the table; POPSUGAR is for inspiration before the idea
has even formed

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CONTENT: ORIGINAL
LIFESTYLE STORIES FOR
MILLENNIALS, WITH A
COMMERCE EXTENSION
Over 3K Influencers
PRODUCT IN HANDS - EXPERIENTIAL
BIG DATA FOR MARKETERS
IMPORTANT INLFUENCERS
CONTENT MARKETING: AGENCY
 E D I T O R I A L  O R I G I N A L V I D E O
 C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G
 I N F L U E N C E R  E X P E R I E N C E S
 C O N S U M E R I N S I G H T S
 C O M M E R C E  S O C I A L

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2 YEARS AGO WE WENT “MOBILE FIRST”
• POPSUGAR audience is increasingly mobile, so user experience has to be top
notch—made several changes to our products, ads and editorial
P R O D U C T AD S E D I T O R I AL
• Vertical scroll
• Fast site load
• Native first • Homepage is Facebook
Native ad optimized
for mobile
Vertical scrolling easier for
viewing slide shows
Strategic about which articles
are posted on Facebook

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DATA IS DRIVING EVERYTHING WE DO,
PARTICULARLY WHEN WORKING WITH
BRANDS
Example: Hilton partnership stemmed from PS Insight findings
• POPSUGAR conducted study on what makes
women happy
• A Key Finding: Millennial moms like to travel, b
utview as stress zone in their lives for reasons
including, time constraints, money, etc.
• Developed partnership with Hilton exploring
topic in more depth,
• Exploring how travel brands can ease stress
by offering original content and offline
services
POPSUGAR Find Your Happy Study Partnership with Hilton Based on Key Findi
ng

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THE LEADING GLOBAL
STYLE SEARCH ENGINE
EVERY PRODUCT VALUABLE NEW CUSTOMERS
BIG DATA ON WHAT PEOPLE
WANT
GLOBAL REACH AND CATALOG INFLUENCERS WHO CAN SELL
10K influencers
using ShopStyle’s
links to earn
commission
Customers from 175
countries, shopping
from retailers from
10+ countries
:

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THE E-COMMERCE PURCHASE CYCLE
Today, inspiration comes
from many sources, online
and offline; this is where
POPSUGAR sits
ShopStyle is the most useful
product for users to take action
on inspiration and “shop the
world”…
• In-store browsing with friends
• Friend and brand feeds on
social media
• Publishers like POPSUGAR
• Bridges upper funnel browsing
with lower funnel
• ShopStyle is able to access
customers early in the
shopping decision process
and close loop
… thus driving a high
quality conversion and
customer to retailers and
brands
• See every style, color, and variation
• Find the best price and shipping
options
• Buy at the store you like

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THERE HAVE BEEN MANY ATTEMPTS TO LINK
CONTENT AND COMMERCE
 Facebook tested a “want” button with retailers—users less interested for fear of others knowin
gprice, where they bought it, or getting the same thing
 Polyvore had a social element with lay down/spread but they moved to more of an ad-based
model
 Publishers tried context affiliate selling which works in some categories but harder in others
Facebook’s “Want” button was
unsuccessful
Polyvore now offering
promoted placements

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IDEAS THAT HAVE WORKED
 IPSY/Michelle Phan - $1Bn valuation
 Must Have from POPSUGAR Must Have Posts
 Net-A-Porter has a weekly “Edit” digital
magazine to drive purchases
 Rent the Runway – users can see how
clothing looks on “real” people
 BirchBox allows users to filter reviews so
they are applicable
1. Building Commerce From Content
2. User Reviews/Pictures to Drive Purchases
IPSY
NET-A-PORTER
Rent the Runway
BirchBox

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THE NEXT EVOLUTION
IS COMING…

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TREND #1: CONTENT SITES BECOMING
SMALLER PART OF DISTRIBUTION
• Publishers and soon eCommerce will be
losing distribution control – sites just one
place users engage with brand
- Distribution will mostly be on social
platforms, aggregators, and video
platforms
- Content expected to be everywhere and
can be consumed anywhere
• Social platforms send less traffic out, host
content directly and commerce directly
- Facebook Instant Articles
- SnapChat’s Discover
- Google AMP
- Apple News
Facebook Instant ArticlesApple News

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TREND #2: DIGITAL VIDEO AND OTT VIEWING
IS EXPLODING
• Video consumption continues to surge on mobile
- Facebook and Google receiving >50% of video views on mobile—POPSUGAR also seeing trend
• Centennials and Millennials consuming more video than ever—20Bn monthly views
• Publishers changing focus from PVs to video view growth
- Editors pivoting to video-centric content strategy to match user growth
• Proliferation of stand-alone OTT services launched by traditional TV players such as HBO and
Sling TV
• Amazon, Apple, Google, and Roku dominating streaming media device market with 86% of sales
Source: comScore; POPSUGAR Internal Figures
POPSUGAR Video Views by Platform

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• E-commerce buying on mobile is not the best experience, but infrastructure is coming
- Mobile payments, apps, consumers spending more time on mobile devices, but conversion still a
fraction of desktop
- 30% of shoppers abandon a transaction if experience is not optimized for mobile
• Majority of users on mobile so checkout and payments are critical
- Mobile payments are revolutionizing how consumers spend online
- 50% of smartphone users will use their mobile wallets for daily transactions as early as 2016
- Retailers and brands want to participate, but many have old infrastructures that do not meet inventory/
checkout requirements (this will come)
• Global is a big part of the market, but adding in cross border and currency is even harder
• Both POPSUGAR and ShopStyle audiences are increasingly mobile, and content and commerce
intersection are following suit
TREND #3: MAJORITY OF TRAFFIC IS ON
MOBILE
POPSUGAR Unique Visitor Trend
Mobile Desktop
ShopStyle Unique Visitor Trend
Mobile Desktop

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TREND #4: SHOPPING IS STARTING TO FEEL LIKE
BROWSING CONTENT, PARTICULARLY ON
MOBILE

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TREND #5: EVERYWHERE WILL BE
SHOPPABLE
• Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest Have Added
Buy Buttons – Reduced Friction
• SnapChat and Instagram mostly closed
environments
• Typically closed platforms with little
distribution—going after HSN/QVC dollars
• MCNs on YouTube: Videos getting more
shoppable with new ad unit
• Creators on Facebook: Huge distribution now
per view, but closed platform
S O C I AL : B U Y B U T T O N S
V I D E O : E N AB L I N G I N F L U E N C E R S T O S E
L L

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U
K
USA
D
E
FR
AU
POPSUGAR is building on top of its already global audience to grow
a worldwide brand with local sensibility
Source: Adobe Analytics, 2015
ME*
FR
*Coming in Dec. 2015
WE ARE GROWING INTERNATIONALLY AND
ARE LOOKING FOR PARTNERS
JP
CA

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thank you