Image courtesy of Robb Report’s Robb Gear
Luxury lifestyle publication Robb Report is “gearing up” by expanding its digital offerings to include an online shop of curated products.
The publication’s content platform, Robb Gear, has launched just in time for the holidays and embodies Robb Report’s monthly coverage of “the best of the best in luxury.” Many print publications have entered the ecommerce space as a revenue driving source as the traditional media industry continues to evolve.
“Robb Gear is a natural extension of the Robb Report brand, which is the acknowledged leader in global luxury,” said Brett Anderson, senior vice president and editor in chief of Robb Report.
“Living well and achieving one’s personal potential are key components to enjoying life to the fullest, and Robb Gear provides sophisticated consumers with the tools to achieve both these goals,” he said.
Get gear
Robb Gear, accessible through Robb Report’s Web site, will offer consumers cutting-edge products with goods and gear suitable for land and water in addition to the latest tools and technologies. Serving as a one-stop shop for consumers, Robb Gear will mine must-have products from more than 100 brands.
At launch, Robb Gear has a selection of new releases and “consistent stalwarts” in respective categories, thus presenting consumers with products that are both authentic and reliable.
Beyond making such products visible for consumers, Robb Gear includes detailed merchandise information along with branded videos, instructional guides and recommendations.
Items in the Land category, for instance, include custom ski boots by Ertl-Renz for an undisclosed price, an $850 Fjallraven Arktis parka and a Hock Diskus dumbbell set priced at $14,700. The Water section boasts things such as Driftwood custom surfboards starting at $3,000 and a bamboo fly-fishing pole by Oyster for $4,600.
Robb Gear homepage
In Tools, consumers can purchase a $13,500 Moore & Giles Sidecar bar cart or leather wine bottle carrier by Mulholland for $425. Tech yields items such as a Leica Q digital camera for $4,250 and Polo Sport by Ralph Lauren’s PoloTech Smart Shirt priced at $295.
Beyond serving as an ecommerce platform, Robb Gear will act as a community. Readers of Robb Report are encouraged to create a community profile using Facebook or Twitter and upload their top product picks which will then be vetted by Robb Gear’s editors for posting.
Also, an influencer network of category experts is being developed that will provide commentary and product evaluation. A blog component will show user-generated submissions, content and reviews.
Robb Report’s December issue will highlight items found on Robb Gear in its gift guide as well. The December issue will hit newsstands Nov. 24.
“Robb Report is known for its celebrated annual Ultimate Gift Guide, which routinely features a selection of eye-popping and inspiring items and experiences developed by the editorial staff and available only to readers,” Mr. Anderson said. “We wanted to build on that franchise by recognizing the increasingly active and adventurous lifestyle of the brand’s audience.
“For today’s sophisticated consumers, accomplishment is just as important as acquisition, and the editors of Robb Gear have curated an assortment of amazing gear and gadgets for the holiday season that affluent shoppers will eagerly purchase for the adventurous individuals on their gift lists,” he said.
Robb Report’s Robb Gear can be found here.
Ecommerce entrance
Restructuring to incorporate ecommerce has been occurring in the publishing space.
For instance, Condé Nast is launching an ecommerce business designed to reach global consumers, including its 300 million readers of titles such as Vogue and Vanity Fair.
The new enterprise will be branded Style.com, a name currently being used by a fashion news site owned by the media company, and will sell merchandise directly through the desktop sites and digital editions of its publications on mobile applications, as well as on Style.com. The new venture will launch this fall in Great Britain, to be followed by the United States and later other global markets (see story).
Publications in the travel space are also testing the waters with vacation planning.
For example, Time Inc.’s Travel + Leisure is providing instant gratification to its readers through an ecommerce partnership with experiential tour company Black Tomato.
The new service, Travel + Leisure Journeys, will launch in September via print and online, offering 20 different curated trips that consumers can book via Black Tomato’s platform. This initiative, a first for Travel + Leisure, reflects a growing trend in the publishing industry to bridge the gap between content and commerce to find new sources of revenue (see story).
Since publications are not immediately associated with commerce, having a user-generated content aspect may aid discovery and instill trust in the products sold on Robb Gear.
“A larger-scale user-generated content component will help to amplify and embellish Robb Report’s editorial expertise, providing an even richer resource for consumers in search of the best of the best,” Mr. Anderson said.
“In addition, by providing its most engaged and enthusiastic users with a platform to share their own discoveries with their peers, Robb Report ensures that its audience is even more engaged and vested in its content,” he said.
Final Take
Jen King, lead reporter on Luxury Daily, New York