The Strategist, New York Magazine’s shopping arm, and West Elm are getting into business.
They have partnered on a co-branded and curated digital shop that can be found on West Elm’s website starting Thursday, marking the first time the home retailer has partnered with a publisher. The partnership will last for around a year and WWD understands that it was West Elm that first approached The Strategist, part of Vox Media, about working together in this way.
“The Strategist is the ultimate shopping resource, and together with the editors, we are excited to bring their unique point of view to a digital storefront on westelm.com,” said Andres Ortega, director of consumer marketing at West Elm. “We have made it easy for readers and customers to discover our original and modern mix of West Elm products for decorating, entertaining, gifting and more.”
More than 40 West Elm exclusive products that have been featured by The Strategist’s editors, including sofas, weighted blankets and coffee tables, will appear in the shop, ranging in price from an $8 stain removal stick to a $1,799 for a sofa and The Strategist earns a commission off the sale of each item purchased directly through the shop.
Maxine Builder, the editor of The Strategist, added: “As we test and research and write about our favorite home goods, West Elm is just one of those brands that consistently offers our readers the design and functionality they love. So many Strategist favorites over the years have come from West Elm, this partnership felt like a perfect match.”
This is not the first time The Strategist has partnered with a brand. In 2018, the site brought some of its favorite brands together for a holiday pop-up shop focused on beauty. It also worked with eBay on a charity auction featuring items from readers’ favorite tastemakers.
“Partnering with a brand like West Elm is an exciting step in how the Strategist can work directly with brands. We’re always looking for ways to help our audiences have fun shopping experiences not only on our site but also through unique partnerships like this one,” said Catherine Fish, Vox Media’s vice president of e-commerce business development.
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