• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, October 15, 2013

Time Inc.’s All You has partnered with ShopAdvisor and Digimarc to integrate mobile interactivity and e-commerce into the print version of the magazine, allowing readers to buy products from the pages of the magazine or add them to their own personally curated wish lists for later research or purchase. The service is set to go live with the magazine’s November issue, hitting newsstands on Oct. 18.

The new capability combines ShopAdvisor’s basic platform, which enables consumers to compare prices and request alerts when products go on sale. Digimarc’s digital watermark technology lets readers with smartphones shop selected merchandise in the magazine’s editorial content.

The reader just has to download the free Digimarc Discover app and scan the watermarked icons that appear on each shoppable page to get information including the price, price history, and availability online and at local retailers, along with full descriptions and consumer reviews of each product. The reader can then purchase directly from an online retailer, or choose to “watch” the product and receive email alerts about changes in price or availability.
 
The combined print mobile e-commerce functionality will be available for two fashion stories and a gift guide in the magazine’s November issue; the entire magazine, across both print and digital editions, can be shopped beginning in December. The service only applies to merchandise featured in the magazine’s editorial sections, and All You doesn’t receive any compensation from advertisers for making these products available.

The new print e-commerce service comes on the heels of a similar service for the tablet edition, also produced by All You in collaboration with ShopAdvisor, which went live in May and has already gained considerable traction according to deputy editor George Kimmerling, who pointed to double-digit month-over-month increases in reader adoption.

Insight Strategy Group recently conducted a study for All You which found that 84% of the magazine’s target consumers (value-conscious female shoppers) shop with their smartphones, compared to 74% of the general population. Meanwhile, 45% of All You consumers use their tablets to shop, compared to 31% of the general population.

Kimmerling noted that “the tech-savvy All You audience comes to the brand ready to shop and expects to find the tools and information she needs to make smart decisions." He described the new functionality as “the ultimate investment in customer service.”