How Hearst Magazines is using its digital membership model to grow its e-commerce marketplace business 

The Hearst e-commerce marketplace is just over a year old, but is already proving that publishers with categorical authority and expertise on topics have a better chance at selling products to readers — sometimes at a higher commission rate.

In September 2022, Sheel Shah, Hearst Magazine’s svp of growth for the enthusiast and wellness portfolio, took the stage at the Digiday Publishing Summit in Key Biscayne, Fla. to talk about the publisher’s investment in building out an e-commerce marketplace. A year-and-a-half later, Shah returned to the stage at the summit in Vail this week to share how that plan has come to fruition, and why focusing on the enthusiast and wellness titles, like Oprah Daily and Men’s Health, within that marketplace has increased average order value and frequency of transaction, particularly amongst subscribed readers.

Hearst’s affiliate and commerce revenue was up in 2023 year over year, though Shah declined to share exactly how much, though he said the enthusiast and wellness portfolio had some of the strongest growth rates. He pointed specifically to Popular Mechanics, which experienced a 25% lift year over year in commerce revenue last year, which is why the onus has been put on the brands in this portfolio to continue to build out the marketplace.

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