Part 3: Planning for Peak Season: SCMP Hearst Hong Kong’s Commerce Strategy Unveiled

This is the third installment of the case study interview featuring Ada Wong, the Product Director at SCMP Hearst Hong Kong. In this segment, we delve into their strategy for commerce content creation during the upcoming peak season.

How do you decide which merchants to feature

At our company, we have a well-defined process for selecting the merchants we feature. Our decision-making is driven by a combination of data analysis, efficiency considerations, and reader response. We rely heavily on data to gain insights into customer purchase behavior and preferences. This data forms the foundation of our recommendation logic, which helps us automate product placements within our content. By evaluating the performance of this recommendation logic, we can identify the most suitable products that are likely to drive conversions on our website.

Additionally, we value the expertise of our editorial team. During evaluation meetings, we actively seek their input on upcoming trends and stylish brands, particularly in the fashion industry. Their suggestions provide valuable insights into emerging brands and help us make informed decisions.

Furthermore, we leverage external sources of information to enhance our decision-making. We utilize Skimlinks to gather valuable data on merchant performance, and we value early access to news and features about brands through standard channels. This information helps us evaluate the potential of featuring specific brands and enables us to consider upcoming promotional activities. Insights from our Account Manager are particularly helpful in this regard, as they provide us with privileged information that can generate a stronger response from our target audience.

What are your plans for peak season

This year, our Product team is focused on improving the shopping experience and facilitating more purchases for our customers. We have several key features and initiatives in the pipeline to achieve these goals. Firstly, we are introducing new site features that will allow customers to bookmark products and easily revisit them at a later time. This feature aims to enhance convenience and help customers make more informed purchase decisions.

Additionally, we are expanding our shopping channels beyond our website to create new avenues for customers to explore and discover products. By leveraging our production capabilities, we aim to showcase our shopping content and product recommendations through these channels. The intention is to provide a more focused and tailored shopping experience by highlighting specific products for different occasions.

To ensure timely implementation and readiness for year-end shopping events, we are targeting the availability of these features in Q3. However, our approach extends beyond major shopping events like Black Friday or Singles Day. We recognize the importance of catering to various shopping needs throughout the year, such as wedding shopping, Hong Kong Father’s Day, and other editorial festivals. By offering shopping recommendations and dedicated shopping channels, we aim to provide continuous support and value to our customers beyond specific shopping events.

Overall, our Product team is committed to enhancing the shopping experience by introducing user-friendly features, expanding the exposure of our shopping content, and providing tailored recommendations for various occasions. We believe that these initiatives will drive more purchases and ensure a delightful shopping journey for our customers.

What do you love most about Skimlinks?

We greatly value the technological solutions provided by Skimlinks as they have proven to be instrumental in enhancing our business operations and production. The unique aspect that sets Skimlinks apart is the exceptional support from their Account Management team. Their professionalism and helpfulness have been invaluable in guiding us to create engaging shopping content and offering insights that have significantly contributed to our content development efforts. As a traditional publication, we previously encountered barriers in implementing affiliate marketing strategies. However, the insights and assistance provided by Skimlinks have played a pivotal role in breaking through these obstacles. Additionally, by collaborating closely with Skimlinks’ advertisers sales team, we have been able to drive more opportunities and develop effective solutions to further enhance our business growth.