Vendo gives you full customizability, ownership & CONTRol of your ecommerce
Case Study
Dec 22, 2023

Southern Living affiliate program success tripled

Written by

Southern Living is a lifestyle brand that encompasses various media channels, including the website SouthernLiving.com. Southern Living focuses on celebrating the culture, traditions, and lifestyle of the southern United States. The brand covers a wide range of topics, including food, home and garden, travel, style, and overall Southern living. A major factor in Southern Living's financial success has been its adept use of affiliate program marketing. With Vendo, online media businesses are able to 3-5x their sales commission by launching an online dropshipping marketplace. Here’s how.

{{blog-card}}

Vendo is a one-stop-shop for all your marketplace needs, providing you with a marketplace platform automating day-to-day operation, a catalog of brands to pick from or an ability to invite your own brands, merchandising and promotional tools, ability to sell through multiple channels (your existing website, emails & SMS, mobile app, social media), and ongoing daily support scaling your marketplace business.   

Premier destination for southern lifestyle, culture, and Inspiration

Southern Living.com, an iconic platform in the realm of Southern lifestyle, has positioned itself as a premier source for celebrating the rich culture, traditions, and unique way of life in the southern United States. Since its inception, Southern Living.com has not only embraced the digital era but has flourished by providing a diverse array of content covering topics such as food, home and garden, travel, and style. 

With a commitment to capturing the essence of Southern living, the website has become a trusted destination for a broad audience seeking inspiration and insights into the distinctive charm of the South.

Engaging audiences with authenticity and community

Southern Living.com has maintained a strong online presence by adopting a diverse content strategy that caters to a broad audience interested in Southern lifestyle. The website covers a wide range of topics, including food, home and garden, travel, and style, ensuring there's something for everyone interested in the unique culture of the Southern United States.

The platform's success is rooted in its commitment to delivering engaging and authentic content that resonates with its audience. Whether it's sharing traditional Southern recipes, offering home and gardening tips, or providing travel recommendations, Southern Living.com keeps its content relevant and true to the essence of Southern living.

Southern Living.com fosters a sense of community among its audience. Through forums, comments sections, and social media engagement, the platform encourages interaction among its readers. This engagement not only enhances the user experience but also contributes to the platform's sustained popularity.

Diversifying revenue through strategic partnerships

Online platforms often establish strategic partnerships to enhance their offerings and reach a wider audience. Southern Living.com may collaborate with various brands, businesses, or influencers that align with its values and target demographic, thereby expanding its reach and influence.

Do you know that its diversified revenue streams, including affiliate marketing, contribute significantly to its financial sustainability. While affiliate programs represent a key monetization method, successful online publishing businesses often explore alternative revenue streams. 

This may involve strategic partnerships, sponsored content, events, or even e-commerce ventures. Maximizing revenue requires a dynamic approach, and learning from Variety.com's model can guide publishers in achieving long-term financial success.

Increasing revenue using affiliate program

Southern Living.com may leverage native advertising and sponsored content as part of its monetization strategy. By seamlessly integrating relevant ads or sponsored articles within its content, the platform can generate revenue while maintaining a cohesive and non-intrusive user experience. 

This involves promoting products or services through affiliate links, earning a commission for each sale or click generated through those links. Potential affiliate programs for Southern Living.com could include partnerships with brands related to Southern cuisine, home and garden products, travel services, and fashion.

But there's another, possibly more profitable, way to make money off of your online fan base.

Developing your own multi-brand marketplace on Vendo may, at minimum, result in a 20–30% boost in your sales commission. 3-5 times more than when utilizing affiliate networks.

START YOUR OWN MULTI-BRAND MARKETPLACE ON VENDO 

  • Book a demo call: We’ll set up your demo marketplace and populate it with products.
  • Customize your Storefront: We’ll help you craft a storefront that aligns with your branding guidelines.
  • Onboard Brands: Invite your favorite brands or choose brands from the Vendo brand catalog. We can also start reaching out to brands you’d like to sell on your behalf.
  • Select Products: Curate product collections manually or automate the process to efficiently manage your catalog and meet customer demand.
  • Embed products: Make your editorial content shoppable with products embedded right where your customers expect them to find. Simplify and streamline product discovery.
  • Start Selling Programmatically: Push products through multiple touch points: on your website, share it on social media, and include products in your newsletters. 
  • Get Paid: Get paid as soon as products are shipped by the brands. No need to wait 30-60 days or worry about orders not attributable to your affiliate links.
  • Get Repeat Sales: Since you’re not linking out, your customers will keep coming back. We’ll help them with abandoned cart emails and promotional email blasts. 

{{blog-card}}

NOW YOU CAN
Put a shopping cart in your content
LEARN MORE
LEARN MORE
Written by
LET'S GO
Evaluate Vendo for your eCommerce business
BOOK A DEMO
BOOK A DEMO
NEWSLETTER
Get more marketplace case studies & insights
Subscribe
Subscribe
Check Icon
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Related blog posts

GET STARTED

BUILD YOUR CUSTOM ECOMMERCE PROJECT with VENDO

Customize to your exact needs. Go global on day 1. DTC x B2B x Marketplace. One or multiple storefronts. A single dashboard to rule them all.