Best Buy Partners with Content-Rich CNET to Share Ads and Expertise

Best Buy and media site CNET will work together to provide shoppers with experts’ picks and product reviews throughout their purchasing journey. The retailer and tech publisher’s new partnership also will allow advertisers to share ad spaces across both ecosystems, allowing them to see the impact of their campaigns through a full-funnel, closed-loop media solution. Best Buy and CNET have a combined, unduplicated reach of 50 million unique visitors per month.

“When shopping for technology, we know that many consumers like to do their own research and turn to Best Buy and CNET to help them explore, discover and get inspired by new and exciting technology,” said Jennie Weber, Chief Marketing Officer at Best Buy in a statement. “This partnership allows us to integrate expert advice throughout every stage of the customer’s shopping journey, as well as leverage these insights to unlock new levels of personalization and engagement for our customers and partners.”

In tests performed on Best Buy channels earlier this year, integrating CNET’s insights and expertise in stores and on BestBuy.com helped increase consumer trust. From a survey of consumers who participated in an in-store test, 86% said that seeing CNET content while shopping made them more confident in their tech purchases, and the content helped garner a 25% lift in purchase intent.

“This partnership sets a powerful precedent for how content and retail media brands can collaborate to bring more opportunities to both consumers and advertisers,” said Lauren Newman, EVP of Revenue at CNET in a statement. “With a focus on data-driven insights, we’re introducing a new standard to help brands expand audience reach and measure the impact across what was previously a fragmented digital media ecosystem.”