Content-licensing platform GumGum has launched a product that allows users to shop for products contained in images—specifically the outfits worn by favorite celebrities. ShopThisLook is already in use by blogs, such as INF Daily and Splash News’ online gossip pub.
ShopThisLook turns the ad-with-image model into a contextual value-added service for both publishers and readers. Clicking on the ShopThisLook icon displayed over an image brings up a window containing links to where merchandise, mainly clothing and accessories, can be purchased online.
Splash News integrates ShopThisLook with a photo of Lindsay Lohan.
According to GumGum founder Ophir Tanz, the California company is in an excellent position to successfully execute this new product. The chief asset, Tanz says, is GumGum’s ability to syndicate business intelligence in real time: “Because we know where photos are and what they are about, we are able to distribute intelligence (i.e., tags) to every instance of a photo across our entire network instantly. Where somebody might spend $1 tagging to make $2, we can spend that same $1 and make $10.”
The GumGum network currently reaches 25 million unique viewers. Tanz stresses that the company’s analytics tools allow it to determine which images are worth the investment of tagging for ShopThisLook within seconds of being posted.
Perhaps most important is the fact that this service is entirely legal, with opt-ins from both content owners and publishers. The product links are sourced from Shopzilla and Shopstyle, and GumGum uses human editors for quality control.
In addition to expanding the business model with new products, GumGum has grown both its image offering and client roster. Celebrity-image and photojournalism agency Mavrix Photo is the latest addition to the GumGum image inventory. Publishers utilizing GumGum’s technology range from tiny blogs to mega-sites, including Glam, Gawker and News Corp’s successful recent gossip experiment DailyFill, where GumGum has powered image content since the site’s January launch.