Examples from SPH Media and the New York Times feature in a new INMA report on e-commerce revenue opportunities.

The report – ‘Why media ad sales teams need e-commerce’ – focuses on how news media companies can leverage the revenue opportunities of the post-pandemic e-commerce boom.

Topics include:

-how publishers can leverage e-commerce;

-sales teams and e-commerce;

-e-commerce as an advertising offering; and

-the future of e-commerce.

It is free to INMA members and available for purchase by non-members at INMA.org/reports.

Written by INMA Advertising Initiative lead Mark Challinor and Ideas Blog editor Paula Felps, the report looks at the main areas to be considered when entering the e-commerce space: the trends, which media companies are doing it well already, and how to (re)structure for a robust e-commerce operation.

With a 77 per cent year-over-year increase in 2020, e-commerce growth during the pandemic accelerated at a rate that experts say would have normally taken four to six years. According to the report, this acceleration has introduced new growth and revenue opportunities to the news media industry.

Felps says e-commerce offers media companies the chance to monetise their content directly by selling products related to their brand or content. Additionally, media can leverage e-commerce to create new revenue streams, such as selling digital downloads and subscriptions, or giving access to premium content.

“While many news media companies are just beginning to explore e-commerce options, the report points out that others have been doing it for years and offers examples of how to leverage this opportunity,” she says.

Among the report’s examples and case studies are: SPH Media, Gannett, The Independent, The Telegraph, The New York Times, Conde Nast, Buzzfeed, Aftonbladet and Dagens Nyheter.