Shoppable magazine for online retail

This foray into ecommerce is aimed at bolstering dwindling advertisement revenues and, where implemented intelligently and intuitively, has proved successful internationally.

Expert curation

As part of Media24's ecommerce division, Spree is more than just another online catalogue store. Its collection is carefully curated and styled by in-house experts to present shoppers with editorial fashion spreads that have been styled to inspire them, as a magazine would.

Leading magazine editors then also select and showcase their favourite items with advice on how and where to wear them, on the pages of their print publications and on their own and its website.

Spree CEO, Krishna Motukuri, believes that this element of expert curation sets the site apart in the ecommerce landscape, which is becoming an increasingly competitive space in South Africa.

"Instead of ordering full ranges from suppliers, our expert fashion team hand selects each item on the site. Time is taken to style each garment and personal advice is written on how to wear it and why it should be a part of your wardrobe. It's like having a personal stylist online."

Extra features

The site is designed to ensure that visitors have a satisfying and enjoyable shopping experience. Features, such as a magnified view of the fabric when one hovers over the garment, helps one have a better idea of exactly what one is buying. In addition, the exact measurements of each garment are listed, providing customers with more than just the average "small, medium or large" choice.

In comparison to the US and UK, shopping online for clothes is something relatively new to the South African market and it is features such as these that ease consumers into the experience. Online shoppers are offered an easy, hassle-free and fun experience that is completely safe.

Spree delivers free of charge in South Africa; either door to door, or door to counter, depending on where consumers are based. Its attractive free returns policy (within 30 days) is another way in which it is ensuring that it stays ahead of the pack in the SA ecommerce landscape.

For the readers

The success (and failure) of shoppable magazines launched overseas has shown that it all comes down to the reader. When the partnership between magazines and shopping is forged with the reader in mind, publishers are more likely to find that their efforts are rewarded.

Motukuri comments, "All items showcased on the magazine shops within the site have been hand-picked and endorsed by the magazine editors with their audience in mind. The magazine's fashion editors use the platform to inspire their readers. Readers have developed a relationship with their favourite magazine and trust the fashion editor to provide them with trends and with insightful, relevant advice."

For more information, go to www.spree.co.za.