I have been following a number of online and App startups in the fashion space, watching how they are connecting with readers interested in fashion and how they are providing an alternative to print fashion magazines.
Since magazines exist solely as a delivery platform for advertising, connecting with shoppers and monetising their enaggement is a holy grail for sites and Apps.
Monogram is an interesting App in this space. It leverages the understanding and concept of magazines, collating content into magazines interesting to different shoppers. Monogram also encourages contributions to the magazines. The description of how it works is simple:
Monogram is a collection of fashion magazines created by the community. It’s a place to share your fashion stories and inspirations without having to start your own blog or building an audience. If you already have a blog, Monogram is a community to help you extend your reach.
Beyond our oversupply and undersupply challenges, beyond other retailers selling magazines and often getting trading terms that give them a competitive advantage, beyond Apps created by national and international magazine brands, there is considerable disruption from businesses like Monogram that more directly connect shoppers with common interests.
Leveraging the global interest in and engagement with crowd sourcing and using social media skills, among other techniqies, Monogram is building a following and helping people engage in their interest in fashion away from print magazines.
Newsagents need to be aware of trends such as this as we plan for our businesses. The world is changing beyond what we see in front of us and in our immediate community. The more we understand this the better informed our business plans are.