Bag Borrow or Steal is combining content and commerce in a new app-like mobile Web experience that integrates its blog, Twitter and Instagram feeds with direct links to featured items that can be purchased.

The online handbag retailer partnered with Zumobi on the strategy, which also includes a personalization element, with bags and other items recommended to shoppers based on their interests. Bag Borrow or Steal is jumpstarting its mobile efforts this year to engage smartphone users and sees the content strategy as a way to provide an interactive experience without the need to develop an app.

“Currently brands and retailers are spending billions of dollars to create content that features their merchandise via social media accounts including Instagram, YouTube, Twitter as well as their blogs and magazines,” said Marla Schimke, vice president of marketing at Zumobi.

“While they’re creating a ton of great branded content, the issue is that none of the content is streamlines into one destination and distributed on mobile,” she said.

“By leveraging a microzine a brand like Bag Borrow or Steal can create a lush experience that highlights their most coveted, unique content on mobile and through Zumobi’s technology, allows it to be shoppable for the first time.

Borrow now
The Bag Borrow or Steal experience, which is being called a microzine, takes advantage of high-quality content that the retailer is already developing for its blog and Twitter and Instagram feeds.

Users can read content, such as articles about a new handbag, and then tap on a Borrow Now button to rent the bag. They can also easily share content across social media and email.

Users will see related articles based on their interests and can save the microzine to their home screen.

Entertainment and shopping
Many retailers are experiencing a jump in traffic and sales coming from smartphone shoppers. At the same time, content consumption is also growing on mobile.

With these trends in mind, savvy marketers recognize an opportunity to serve up entertaining snippets of content for smartphone users while making it easy to purchase highlighted merchandise.

Bag Borrow or Steal, which lets consumers rent, buy and sell designer handbags, decided on a Web-based experience to help it build its mobile audience.

The mobile Web is a great way for retailers to attract new customers while avoiding the significant resources required to develop a mobile app.

Per Zumobi, 78 percent of consumers desire some degree of personalized content from brands and retailers. At the same time, marketers are looking for ways to have their activities integrated across channels.

Mobile shopping evolves
The Zumobi platform helps Bag Borrow or Steal distribute and measure its content across mobile channels while harnessing customer data to better target consumers.

Bag Borrow or Steal is also partnering with digital agency Hi Pop! Media to present the microzine to new and existing luxury retail consumers.

The merging of content and commerce on mobile is a growing trend.

Last week, flash sales retailer Rue La La launched Rue Now, which brings lifestyle and fashion-related news to its site and application visitors interspersed with opportunities to shop (see story).

“Once the consumer opens the microzine, they see a few different tiles that feature stories directly from Bag Borrow or Steal’s Instragram, Twitter and fashion blog,” Ms. Schimke said. “When the shopper reads the article on the Celine Trapeze bag, they see Shoppable Content where the Celine bag that the shopper was reading about is highlighted in a lovely tile with a ‘borrow now’ button that provides a direct link to the Bag Borrow or Steal shopping cart for an easy purchase.”