Playboy rolls-out new E-Commerce site to reach millenial shoppers
Playboy announced a new eCommerce site to expand its operations and hopefully penetrates the millenials market.
According to Fast Company, the site is called PlayboyShop.com. It was launched a few weeks after it removed nudity from their print magazine edition. It is also shifting its digital content into a more safe-for-work position, just like Maxim or GQ. This is a strategy to face the challenge that the internet poses against adult magazines in the newsstands or those that are distributed through subscription. Playboy Enterprise CEO Scott Flanders said the site will elevate customer experience. It has 2,000 products sold during its launch, a number that is expected to increase to 10,000.
Talking New Media reported that the project is headed by Scott Killian, who was hired by the company as Chief Brand Officer in April after working from Fanatics Retail group. Killian founded a company called DemandMade, a consultancy firm for consumer product companies such as eBay, Hasbro and more. His company was later on bought by Fanatics Retail Group.
In a report by Appeal, the new Playboy site offers newly designed apparel, accessories, barware, and even handmade items. The new site focuses on the bunny rabbit icon, which is considered as an integral part of the American cultural institution. It offers customer cigar boxes, cardigan sweaters, and even heritage items, such as hats and Ebbets Field Flannel jerseys. There are also hoodies and T-shirts that has the vintage covers of Playboy. There is also a brand new twist for the Rabbit Head logo. It pays homage to the US Military featuring a 1960s replica patch that the Air Force Academy 19th Squadron Cadets wore. Besides being a men's show, it also has a wide array of choices for women, and products on travel and home products.
Meanwhile, the Playboy logo licensing made $50 million a year, with mostly from global sales. The company earned $1.5 billion in annual retail sales all over the world in 2014.