Dive Brief:

• BuzzFeed announced the release of a $149 Bluetooth-enabled hot plate for its Tasty food vertical yesterday, according to Recode. The internet-ready kitchen product is meant to serve as a sort of Swiss Army knife for people to cook, sear and sous vide just about anything.
• The "precision smart" Tasty One Top is set to ship in November and can be controlled via a new Tasty app on a smartphone. Tasty gets 2.3 billion views a month for BuzzFeed, according to TechCrunch. The vertical has achieved viral success thanks to its simple, aerial-view cooking demonstration videos on Facebook, where it says it generates a major portion of its revenue and reaches one in four Facebook users.
• The smart hot plate was developed in part by GE Appliance's First Build team. Other products created by the BuzzFeed Product Labs include hot cheese glue guns and lip gloss fidget spinners, among other novelties.

Dive Insight:

While BuzzFeed selling a novelty product is attention-grabbing, the publisher's real strategy is likely found in the new Tasty app, where it could attract fresh users and take full control over advertising and revenue generated. Stemming from that, BuzzFeed could be experimenting with steering audiences away from third-party apps like Facebook and onto its own products, despite Facebook being pivotal to its earlier success. This strategy isn't unlike the path Amazon has taken — albeit on a much smaller scale.

Over time, Amazon has expanded from being an online book seller into offering smart hardware like the Kindle e-reader and Alexa-powered Echo IoT devices — all of which keep users in the Amazon ecosystem. BuzzFeed may be taking a page from this playbook, but could also just be hoping its most dedicated fans are eager to buy pricier merchandise. 

It's a strategy more brands have been eyeing as well. Last year, Cheetos launched a full online catalog that included a $20,000 piece of jewelry, with a number of items quickly selling out. And, earlier this month, KFC took a similar tact with an online shop that showcased hip-looking apparel, along with a $20,000 meteorite in the shape of one of its chicken sandwiches (which, it should be noted, sold this week).  

As publishers struggle to monetize their content online, commerce is providing a fresh way to generate revenue, with titles like New York Magazine and BuzzFeed doubling down on online shopping offerings.