Sugar Expands E-Commerce, Opens ShopStyle API, Launches New Sites

(PaidContent.org)  This story was written by Staci D. Kramer.

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Blog network Sugar Inc. is opening its ShopStyle API to anyone interested in building apps based on the shopping technology and plans to follow that up with something called ShopSense, which will allow users to share in Sugar's retailer revenue. CEO Brian Sugar bills it as a way for publishers to make money, especially during the upcoming holiday season. Sites already using ShopStyle, acquired last year, for their e-commerce include Glamour, Elle UK, Bravo and InStyle. Of course, this doesn't instantly translate into revenue for anyone outside Sugar. That kind of proof will have to come in the form of payments.

The company is also launching two new sites: CelebStyle.com, billed as an IMdB for celebrity style, and SaleHabit.com, described alternately as a "Kayak for online fashion" and a "Google (NSDQ: GOOG) for fashion sales." CelebStyle is the rebranded, relaunched TV shopping site Starbrand Media, acquired by Sugar in May. SaleHabit literally searches fashion sales across the web, delivering results by day, category, price, brand, etc. Sugar's explanation: "Everyone else has been building ad networks. We're building technology, which will really provide much more value to our company."

We'll see.


By Staci D. Kramer