The online portal BoutiqueMags falls under the wing of WhiteCirc, now known as an international distributor for niche publications
BoutiqueMags
BoutiqueMags is an online portal designed for luxury independent publications to reach luxury independent retailers. The portal offers a curated selection of printed magazines and books that Kelly Clark, the Business Development director, defines as «timeless pieces of art».
From a consultancy business to an online publication portal: BoutiqueMags
Boutique Mags first launched in 2009 as a publication consultancy business, known as WhiteCirc, that offered to assist publishers that needed guidance and support with their independent or niche publications that were designed to circuit outside of the wholesale publication market. As the consultancy business and the publication market evolved, Kelly Clark and her business partner realized that the publishers that were already established needed somewhere to go. This is when the business split and the online portal was created.
The online portal falls under the wing of WhiteCirc, now known as an international distributor for luxury publishers. Clark explained that there was a demand for «the development of a portal online for single copy subscription and retail orders to be placed. So, one more the publisher side and one more the retailer side, with Boutique Mags being the ongoing development business for luxury independent magazines».
What to expect from BoutiqueMags
The luxury magazine online portal offers customers a wide range of printed publications that are unique and forward thinking. With collaborations of printed publications such as i.D, Wonderland, Dazed, System and Hero, BoutiqueMags offers customers printed editions of magazines and books in the lifestyle, art, design, fashion and beauty sections. «BoutiqueMags is a small organization that is trying to deliver and work with new platforms and retailers to offer niche publications on a global scale. Our priority is to keep the core of our Publishers goals and aims».
Each of the publications have been specially curated for the luxury independent retail market on a global and international scale, each of them unique in their own way. Clark described the online portal as «neither inclusive nor exclusive».
Trends for BoutiqueMags
In a post covid world, with travel routes opening again, people are once more going on holiday and traveling. The Business Development Director of Boutique Mags explained that with this new thirst to explore the world there have been some trends of publications that they are seeing within their own business.
She explained that there has been a growing interest in travel and lifestyle magazines in addition to fashion and design sectors that are prominent every year «For me personally with our company right now, we’re seeing probably a knock on from covid and a few other aspects that have got influence on that fact that travel and travel points are picking up things and moving forward quite well».
BoutiqueMags: Communication is key
With an ever-changing consumer market, the online portal for magazines has to stay tuned in to keep on top of the demand of publishers and consumers alike. The Business Development Director disclosed that «We stay in tune with all retailers on a wholesale basis by visiting conferences on an annual basis. Therefore, we’re always looking at new things, looking at the digital space, looking at AI and just ways of linking ourselves to Publishers or Publishers to Consumer and then physicality and keeping the whole sort of printed word happening. So there’s lots that we’re doing from talking directly with stores and small chains».
As a result of these close observations, BoutiqueMags is then able to help those unique independent publishers and create a bespoke and curated experience when it comes to developing the prints of the publishers and selling them online.
«We sit and listen. We will just open an honest conversation with our clients, see what the needs and goals are of that client and make sure we can deliver them».
BoutiqueMags approach to print publications
Printed publications have been around for a long time and reaching consumers and retailers can now require different approaches. Some publications require more modern and digital approaches whereas others are more old school.
«We’ve got our unique way of doing it in store. And again, some of it is old school and old-fashioned but believe to be what we feel is the best way and it’s just reaching out and talking to people reaching out and visiting people face to face. But you know online is huge too. There’s social media as well. So, you know, we’re kind of up there with a hashtag, but we’re equally down there with the old school style and I think an element of the two because again when you’re reaching multi marketplaces, you know, everyone’s got response and that suits so we have to again keep continuously educating ourselves as to what work».
The value of paper
With growing concerns over the constant production of non-sustainable materials, BoutiqueMags is aware of
the growing needs and developments surrounding the creation and delivery of more sustainable products. BoutiqueMags aims to keep up with the constant changes in demands, even in the production and supply side of the organization.
«We’re growing. We’ve got plenty to develop into and we’re trying to be as sustainable as possible at all times as everybody is. From wholesaling to warehousing to the suppliers that we work with freighting wise, we’re trying to have everything in recyclable packaging, watching Freight Carbon Footprints. It’s just a constant weekly, monthly thing that we have to do, we just have to keep it on a global scale as well. If you just keep yourself educated on how things are working outside of just our little zone and listen to your partners and your Publishers, sustainability is something that kind of naturally comes along with it».
Online boutique VS physical store
Since the beginning of its launch, BoutiqueMags.com has been an online portal that is run out of England but that distributes printed publications of books and magazines across the world. When asked if the online portal would become a physical boutique, Kelly Clark admitted « never say never » but that however the set-up of their online portal enabled them to scale the publications on an international level which is why they have been able to expand and reach so many far corners of the world.
The future of BoutiqueMags
BoutiqueMags has added many strings to its bow since it first started as a consultancy business and there is no sign of this progress stopping. To keep up with the demands of the market, publishers and consumers, the online portal for independent magazines has been working with the needs of their publishers to put out more BoutiqueMags books and objects which has resulted in having a merchandise section on the portal.
Clark revealed that moving forward, they were hoping to expand into other niche areas as well as expand their already existing books and objects sections.
It is expected that «in the next few years soon it will become a Distribution Hub for books and printed matter of all description and objects outside of you know, as mentioned merchandise and you know, maybe launching pads».
The future of print
With the exponential growth of the digital world including digital publications, there have been some concerns revolving around printed publications and the sustainability of printed paper. Kelly Clark clearly stated «Print is not dead. Especially in the fashion, lifestyle and design industry. People still do want to touch and feel paper. Because print quality is a big thing and advertisers still need to advertise. You know, you can’t do everything online».
The business development director explained that there are changes in the publication industry but that these changes don’t impact the demand of consumers or publishers. The changes simply demand for the business to adjust how they deliver their services.
«Print is definitely not dead. It’s more alive than it’s ever been if I’m honest».
BoutiqueMags
BoutiqueMags is an online portal for luxury independent magazines and books. Its headquarters are situated in primrose Hill in London and they have representatives across Europe as well as one in Asia and one in the USA. The online portal strives to assist publishers with delivering their printed magazines and books to consumers through single copy subscriptions all over the world.
