TI Media launches new shopping service for its magazines with Ownable app

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TI Media, the new name for the recently rebranded Time Inc. UK, has partnered with smartphone app Ownable to allow readers to directly place orders for products featured in the pages of its magazines.

Ownable is described as a ‘single app for readers to buy any product seen in any magazine’. In short, it marries print and e-commerce, allowing readers to jump straight from a magazine feature to product checkout within a few clicks.

Magazine pages featuring an Ownable thumbprint image will signal that products are available in the Ownable app. Within the app, readers select the magazine they’re reading, enter the page number and then choose the product they want. They can click to buy, save or find out more, with Ownable managing all orders through brand authorised channels.

TI Media is launching the service with the October issue of Livingetc and it will also become available with the November issues of Ideal Home, Style at Home, Homes & Gardens and Country Homes & Interiors.

Simon Whittaker, group enterprise director at TI Media, says: “This partnership is exciting because we can now bridge the gap between product discovery and purchase. Through the Ownable app, readers can place orders for the items they see in our magazines in an instant, which is a fantastic service to provide.”

Ian Woof, managing director at Ownable, adds: “When designing Ownable it was essential to preserve the authority of each magazine title, allowing editorial freedom of choice. We simply wanted to create a seamless service that enabled readers to buy on impulse whenever inspiration strikes, without having to disrupt the sit-back pleasure of reading a magazine. And for publishers, Ownable provides invaluable insight into reader behaviour, giving them attribution data for the first time as well as a new source of revenue.”

The Ownable name and brand were created by independent brand consultancy The Clearing who continue to work in partnership with Ownable to roll the service out across new magazine titles every month.  Pete Dewar, Creative Director & Founder at The Clearing, says, “The creative challenge for us was to develop a brand that struck a perfect balance between fitting in and standing out within the pages of any magazine. We hope the Ownable thumbprint will become as ubiquitous and recognisable within magazines as the contactless logo is at points of sale.”

Photo by Felipe P. Lima Rizo on Unsplash