Meredith Acquires 'Swearby,' Digital Recommendations Platform

• by Melynda Fuller , January 9, 2020

Meredith Corp is deepening its ecommerce and affiliate business through the acquisition of word-of-mouth recommendation platform SwearBy.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

SwearBy works by providing a space for women to crowdsource and share favorite products based on personal experience.

SwearBy’s founder Kate Foster Lengyel will continue to lead the platform, taking on the role of general manager at Meredith Corp, where she reports to senior vice president of ecommerce and paid products Andy Wilson.

"At Meredith, we have a rich community of our own editors, as well as respected influencers who regularly share their favorite products and services. SwearBy immediately provides us a platform to host these recommendations," stated Meredith President-Chief Digital Officer Catherine Levene.

Meredith’s affiliate and shopper-marketing efforts are already strong, with the company reporting that it drove over $1 billion in sales in 2019.

Following the acquisition, Meredith plans to expand SwearBy’s features, functionality, categories and distribution, said Levene. The platform will be used across Meredith’s brands, tapping into beauty, style, parenting, lifestyle and entertainment categories.

Foster Lengyel stated: "Meredith understands that women are the biggest word-of-mouth agents; they share real and compelling recommendations with their friends and family all the time, influencing shopping habits and moving product."