Exclusive: LTK turns Sports Illustrated Swimsuit shoppable, eyes more media partnerships
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LTK is partnering with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit to make its swim and resort style easily shoppable online, executives exclusively tell Axios.
Why it matters: Media brands are adapting to the growth of creator commerce and seeking to modernize their ability to serve as tastemakers.
Zoom in: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit will have a storefront in the LTK app, where people can shop looks tied to talent, editorial features and events like its annual runway show. The brand also will use LTK links across its social channels and website.
- "For decades, we've been really in the business of creating these cultural moments," says Hillary Drezner, general manager of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. "We just really haven't had the infrastructure to take this to the next level of social commerce."
- This marks Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's first major move into social commerce. The brand has experimented with affiliate links on its site before but lacked a real-time, social-first system.
- LTK takes a fee on every transaction, as it does with creators.
Between the lines: Drezner says she and her coworkers are LTK users, along with some of the talent, which helped inspire the partnership while connecting at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's Social Club event in New York last year.
- Sports Illustrated Swimsuit is starting with editorial-driven commerce, treating its own brand as the "creator," Drezner says.
- A second phase is expected to more directly integrate talent into commerce, including potential revenue-sharing.
Zoom out: LTK is positioning itself as infrastructure for "wherever people are inspired," says president and co-founder Amber Venz Box — for creators, media brands and retailers.
- LTK's business has historically centered on individual creators. But the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit deal and previous work with "The Bachelor" are part of a broader effort to work with media brands.
- "We have really built the infrastructure to connect inspiration and recommendations with shoppability," Venz Box says. "We want to do that across the places that people are inspired and certainly places of authority."
The big picture: Media companies are aiming to build new revenue streams beyond traditional advertising and through social media.
- "I think about where is the consumer, and today, they're spending more time on aggregated social channels than they are on websites," Venz Box says.
What's next: LTK expects more media partnerships to follow.
- Drezner says the LTK partnership could also expand beyond swim into categories like beauty and travel.
- LTK last raised $200 million from SoftBank in 2021 at a $2 billion valuation. Asked about another round or a sale, Venz Box says, "We are 15 years into the business as of this summer. We are well positioned for any direction we would choose to go in."
