Image courtesy of Net-A-Porter's Porter magazine
Net-A-Porter Group’s Porter magazine is celebrating its third year in print with growth of 6 percent year-on-year.
Porter was launched by online retailer Net-A-Porter in February 2014, at a time when the future of the print industry was in flux. Porter’s global editorial perspective and ecommerce-enabled approach has allowed the publication to thrive in a rapidly evolving market than has seen print titles shutter and move online.
Readers’ delight
Porter’s second official audit showed a reader circulation of 180,646, a 6 percent increase from February 2016. Porter is sold in 60 countries and has a print run of 350,000.
The publication’s strong circulation is due in part to Porter’s strategy of building a loyal readership base of high-net-worth women. Year-over-year, Porter’s subscriptions have grown by 30 percent.
“At Porter, we have always aimed to be 100 percent on the side of our ‘woman,’" said Lucy Yeomans, editor in chief of Porter, in a statement. “This informs the way we tackle every single story, be it a feature or fashion shoot, to the type of events and brand extensions we offer, such as the launch of Porter’s Incredible Women Talks, and it is wonderful to see this approach yielding such a positive result.
“This sense of helpfulness and offering a service to our woman is further enhanced by the shopping technology that powers our digital edition, and allows readers to buy or find with ease every product they see and love on the printed page,” she said.
Porter’s seamless shopping integration, which leverages Net-A-Porter’s mobile applications, has also contributed to the title’s success. Editorial and advertisements in Porter are synced to the retailer’s Web site, allowing readers to shop its print or digital pages directly, in real time with delivery available within hours.
The publication’s understanding of how today’s high-net-worth woman wishes to shop has resulted in 78 percent of readers interacting with Porter’s shoppable elements. Likewise, as magazine reading becomes increasingly mobile, Porter has seen its digital edition sales grow by 45 percent year-over-year.
Model/philanthropist Natalia Vodianova wears a Chloe tee and Isabel Marant belt, purchasable via shoppable pages, on Porter's spring 2017 cover
Additionally, Porter’s editorial content is a draw for its readers as the title offers “inspiring interviews with incredible women.” In its latest issue, for instance, Porter celebrates “women taking charge,” a relevant subject in today’s political and social climate, and one that the magazine’s editorial team is passionate about highlighting.
“These latest figures from BPA Worldwide confirm what here at Porter already knew, that busy stylish women today are looking for a magazine that delivers inspiring content together with effortless, instant shopability,” said Tess Macleod-Smith, vice president of publishing & media at Net-A-Porter Group, in a statement.
“Strong subscription and digital growth, alongside an impressive overall circulation increase puts us in a strong position at the start of 2017, and we predict further growth for the Porter brand as continue to build on our reputation as media innovations and leaders in connect and commerce,” she said.
In a promotional video shared as 2016 came to an end, Porter demonstrated the ease of its shoppable pages.
The video showed a woman flipping through a print edition of Porter before using her smartphone to browse content and purchase items she likes from the issue. As purchases are made, selected from editorialized features, the woman is instantly dressed in what she has bought via Net-A-Porter.
Porter’s video tells the viewer that its curated shopping lists included more than 12,000 products (see story).