Porter Magazine and the “Next Level” of Fashion Publishing

porter2How print is helping to safeguard the luxury image of one high-end retailer.

“If we don’t adapt, we aren’t in the customer’s world. It’s critical that we evolve.”

For some companies, this may be what they were thinking when they moved away from print and began to favor digital, whether for advertising or content creation. In actuality, these words were spoken by Tess Macleod Smith, VP of Publishing & Media at Net-a-Porter, in explaining the company’s move toward print and the shoppable Porter magazine.

“Everything we give our readers, whether it’s a magazine or an email or direct mail, needs to provide the same luxury experience that customers get when they receive their Net-A-Porter order,” writes Mcleod Smith in Mailmen.co.uk. “Porter is about indulgence, which is why we thought a physical copy was so important. We’re an extremely high-end online retailer, so for us it’s important to give people something that is tangible and tactile.”

Porter was launched with an eye toward “shoppability,” a user experience that transcends the fashion industry standards of advertising by bridging the gap between what the reader sees on the page and has hanging in her closet.

“There’s always going to be new and interesting ways to communicate with her. It’s about harnessing technology and using it to inspire, educate, surprise and delight. But it’s important to remember that she sets the agenda and we have to adapt,” she continues.

The company has created a shopping experience that begins in high-gloss print, moves easily online and can be finished on app or mobile – the very definition of luxury and a life of ease.

It’s working. The title was recently named luxury publisher of the year by Luxury Daily, signaling the industry’s recognition of the new lifestyle-geared publication that is working for so many high-end brands.

The bold leaders in this new publishing paradigm are finding success by listening to their customers and adapting accordingly. For the high end fashion purchaser, print is a powerful portal and Porter takes them through that door, using data, apps and mobile platforms to make buying seamless, wrapping the customer in its care from start to finish.