E-commerce site from Grazia inbound

Monday, June 2, 2014 - 12:22 by Sarah Collinson

Fashion magazine, Grazia, is set to launch a site that lets readers shop online, according to The Drum.

This move came after its parent company purchased a pre-existing e-commerce outlet dedicated to high end clothing products, indicating that it may not just be dedicated retailers that are attempting to make the most out of what the web has to offer.

Company spokesperson, Ernesto Mauri, explained that Grazia is planning to integrate its brand with an e-commerce network which stretches across the globe, although the UK is being used as a proving ground for this wider move.

He said that London will be the first step on the path to a wider rollout, with sites offering safe shopping online which bear the Grazia brand expected to land in other fashion-conscious nations, such as France and Italy.

Ultimately, it is hoped that the e-commerce sites will be available to consumers in countries which do not even receive Grazia published as a magazine, which would be quite an achievement.

Each month Grazia's current site generates 14 million unique views, while the magazine pulls in 17 million readers, so it could have a head start when it comes to getting its fledgling e-commerce service off the ground.

Targeted at women, the Grazia brand is something that could easily be translated to selling clothing directly, rather than acting as a vessel for third party advertising and articles.

Of course, it will have to fight hard to maintain its position in a market that is extremely competitive, even at the boutique end of the price scale. Companies of all sizes have embraced online retail as a means to sell clothing, which means that standing out from the crowd might be tough for this firm in the short term.