Bag Snob Launches Online Shop

After ten years, handbag blog Bag Snob officially launches online shop just this month.

Tina Craig and Kelly Cook started their blog in 2005 as a hobby. Now it has transformed into a business with affiliate partnerships, consulting, and licensing agreements. 10 years later, with the online shop, they have moved into the e-commerce industry.

According to a report from Business of Fashion, Bag Snob's online shop will feature a collection of designer pieces manufactured exclusively for their site. The 10-piece line includes bags by Mark Cross and Valextra, a Derek Lam blouse, accessories by Rag & Bone and Paul Andrew, and jewellery designed by Cook and Craig. These items' cost will range from $200 to more than $2,000.

Craig said, "We've always liked this idea of keeping our readers on the site instead of leading them out to other retailers."

The launch of the online shop marks the beginning of Bag Snob's next phase. Cook said they have specific investors lined up to fuel their first official round of funding, and they are now deciding which way to go.

Pymts reported that Bag Snob launched their eCommerce site on April 29. But September marks its official launch.

In an interview with Fashionista, Craig said, "We've been suggesting to our readers our favorite things - we say, being 'snob-worthy' - so we've always wanted to do this."

In 2011, Bag Snob had some 250,000 unique users every month. It was generating mid-six figure annual revenue through advertising, one-off collaborations with famous brands, and affiliate partnership. Four years later, the sites unique visitors increased to more than 300,000 every month. It is also generating seven-figure annual revenue. One of the major reasons for the increase in sales is the business's own handbag line called Snob Essentials launched last May.

As the nature of internet publishing has evolved, so did the structure of bag snob's business.