'Must-haves' get new twist from Sugar

SAN FRANCISCO -- The great e-commerce race for women, who control 70% of online purchases worldwide, just took an interesting turn.

Sugar, a digital media and commerce company, today rolled out a subscription service that adds another marketing wrinkle to Sugar's status as a leading global women's lifestyle brand.

Subscribers are home-delivered a monthly potpourri of fashion, health, beauty and home décor items in a unique bag. The PopSugar MustHave service costs $35 a month, and shoppers who sign up get an assortment of goods that Sugar's editorial team recommends as lifestyle "must-haves."

The service is intended to build on Sugar's shopping sites and curated editorial content, says CEO Brian Sugar. The company already generates "significant commerce revenue to over 2,000 brands and retailers because we're experts in women's interests," he says.

Sugar says it expects the new service to win fans not only among women but men who are squeamish about shopping for their wives and significant others.

The 6-year-old company reaches 28 million unique monthly visitors — generating some 150 million monthly page views — through specialized content on 39 global sites, for women 18 to 40.

The subscription service further underscores the ever-growing power of women, shopping and e-commerce — and it reflects inroads being made by women-led start-ups that are fueling innovation and the digital economy. Sugar was co-founded by husband-and-wife team Brian and Lisa Sugar.

Women will influence the purchase of $15 trillion in goods by 2014, according to Boston Consulting Group.