"If you visited the Goop website, Gwyneth Paltrow might introduce you to her favorite $75 candle or $95 vibrator. If you were looking for a lasagne recipe, you could find a good one on Food52-along with recommendations for a baking dish hand-selected by former New York Times food editor Amanda Hesser. Watch-lovers flocked to Hodinkee to see what founder Benjamin Clymer thought of the cool new Longines or Omega timepiece (with a handy link to buy it, in case you really liked it)."
"But over the last two years, this generation of content-to-commerce pioneers has fizzled out. Goop has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs and its website is a shell of what it used to be. In 2024, Hodinkee was sold at a fraction of its former valuation. And last month, Food52 declared bankruptcy and is headed towards a fire sale."
Online media sites combined editorial content with direct shopping links and product recommendations, creating commerce-driven audiences. Goop promoted celebrity-curated products; Food52 paired recipes with recommended cookware; Hodinkee reviewed collectible watches and linked to purchases. These businesses attracted large venture-capital funding and reached high valuations around five years ago. Over the past two years, the content-to-commerce model has weakened significantly. Several leading companies have reduced staff, seen their valuations collapse or be sold at large discounts, and faced bankruptcy proceedings and potential fire sales.
Read at Fast Company
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