Hearst Magazines yesterday announced the launch of a companion Web site to Shop Etc., its new fashion, home and beauty shopping title that hit newsstands this week.
The site, shopetc.com, supplements the magazine with e-commerce, online subscription and community features. Alloy Marketing & Promotions, New York, created the site in partnership with Hearst.
“Because Shop Etc. is a magazine dedicated to shopping, we wanted to make it as simple as possible for consumers to literally shop from its pages through our Web site,” Peter Schmidt, magazine and business development director at Hearst Magazines in New York, said in a statement.
The “Shop This Issue” feature runs select pages from each magazine issue. Visitors who click on the featured editorial product are directed to retail or online locations where they can buy the item.
There are three other key features. There is Shop Talk, a blog of shopping-related postings from Shop Etc. editors and local shopping experts. The Where to Shop section is an online calendar of shopping events, store openings and sales. And the Specials area includes the Top Floor feature with three items exclusive to Shop Etc. readers for purchasing.
The site also accepts e-mail signups and displays advertising information.
Site creator Alloy Marketing & Promotions is the promotional marketing agency arm of Alloy Inc., a youth marketing, publishing and direct retailing company.
Shop Etc. is Hearst Magazines' 19th U.S. title and a direct rival to Conde Nast Publications' successful women's shopping magazine Lucky.
Published three times this year and 10 times in 2005, the new title's mix of style and service targets women ages 25-49. The initial rate base is 400,000, and a subscription costs $12 for 12 issues.
“The whole reader-to-retail genre has really taken off with consumers, and we felt the time was right to launch a magazine at Hearst entirely dedicated to shopping,” Cathleen P. Black, president of Hearst Magazines, said in a statement Aug. 2.
Shop Etc. divides its sections into fashion, home and beauty. Each contains content on products, ideas, trends and information to make shopping easier. The magazine also will have three checkbooks with voucher offers from fashion, home and beauty retailers.
The first issue has 97 ad pages, including advertisers like L'Oreal, Saks Fifth Avenue, Estee Lauder, Banana Republic, Jeep, Prada, Visa, Martex and The Home Depot. A full-page, four-color ad costs $28,000.
Shop Etc.'s page size, 8 1/4 by 10 inches, is modeled after the typical catalog. Plans call for the fall/winter issue to hit newsstands Oct. 5 with a holiday copy slated for Nov. 16. Mandi Norwood is editor-in-chief, and Cynthia Lewis is vice president and publisher. Nora Sheehan is creative director.
Hearst Magazines publishes titles such as Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire and House Beautiful.
