Content commerce strategy: An Interview with Florence Latournald (The Good List)

Interview of Florence Latournald, Founder & President of THE GOOD LIST

• What role does Artificial Intelligence (AI) play in your content, SEO, and monetization strategies?

AI is now an integral part of our daily operations, but I view it primarily as an assistant, not an editor-in-chief. It helps us accelerate our workflows, better identify search intent, and enrich our content from an SEO perspective—handling updates, internal linking, and semantic analysis.

However, product selection, brand voice, the final recommendation, and the curation of gift ideas remain 100% human. This is what creates the perceived value for our readers and advertisers. In a sector like gifting and toys, where emotion and visualization are paramount, human expertise remains at the core of our editorial production.

• Have you adapted your visibility strategies for the era of conversational engines (LLMs, SGE, ChatGPT, Perplexity)?

Yes, and it has become a major strategic priority. We don’t produce content just to “check SEO boxes,” but to answer real questions, much like an in-store advisor would. This is the natural evolution of the Gifting and Shopping expertise we have built over the past four years. This shift requires more structured, educational, and authentic content—focused on specific questions and high-intent queries, backed by elements of reassurance.

The challenge is no longer just about being visible; it’s about being credible, identifiable, and cited as a trusted source by these new engines.

• Which levers or best practices are most effective today for maximizing affiliate ROI in the Gifting, Toys, and Board Games market?

The primary lever is the relevance of the recommendation.
To establish this, we build our content around a “winning trilogy”:

• Contextualization: Integrating products into real-life use cases,
• Temporality: Anticipating seasonal peaks well in advance,
• The quality of the offer: Premium products and exclusive benefits.

Additionally, I believe it is essential to think about editorial and content commerce strategy for the long term. A high-performing strategy isn’t built in a few days. It needs time to settle and rank organically. The campaigns that generate the best ROI are almost always those that exist within a long-term brand-publisher relationship, with regularly updated content and a collaboration that grants the publisher the freedom to craft the right angle.

In the gifting and games sector, where purchasing decisions rely heavily on trust, this long-term approach is a true performance accelerator.

• How have new influencer and digital regulations transformed your collaborations?

At THE GOOD LIST, transparency has never been up for debate; it’s a prerequisite. These regulations have primarily clarified the “rules of the game” and professionalized brand interactions. Ultimately, everyone wins: readers, publishers, and advertisers alike benefit from a healthier, more sustainable framework. These measures strengthen trust with our users, which is the bedrock of long-term performance.

• How do you reconcile transparency, creativity, and performance?

I am convinced that transparency is a driver of performance, not a hindrance. A reader who understands why a product is being recommended is a reader who trusts—and ultimately, who buys. At THE GOOD LIST, our creativity is expressed through our editorial angles (punchy hooks, a conversational tone, and eclectic, original selections), the storytelling around the gift, and the quality of our visual identity.

Performance, then, is a direct consequence of this consistency between the narrative, the use case, and the perceived value.

• What errors do you still see from brands, and what advice would you give to avoid them?

The most frequent mistake is wanting to “place a product” rather than telling a story or solving a real need. In gifting, consumers are seeking reassurance: “Am I making the right choice?” “Will they actually like it?”

My advice to brands: rely more on publishers to co-create campaigns rather than trying to force a rigid format. Publishers know exactly what works (and what doesn’t) on their platforms—trust their expertise.

• What emerging trends do you see for 2026 in the Gifting and Toy sector?

For 2026, we are seeing a fundamental shift toward “Less but better.” Consumers are no longer looking to accumulate purchases; they want to give something meaningful, durable, and truly personalized.

In the broader gift market, this means high demand for experiential gifts, unique customizable products, and socially responsible choices.

In the toy sector, several signals are clear: a comeback for intergenerational board games, a demand for “smart” educational toys that develop logic without being overly “academic,” and a strong interest in durable, evolving toys.

Consumers are looking for guidance—they want the right game for a specific moment in life.

• How much of your overall revenue does affiliation represent?

Today, affiliation represents just over 50% of our revenue and is a structural pillar of our economic model. It is affiliation that paved the way for deeper collaborations with our partner brands, who recognize the affinity between our audience and their products.

I particularly like this model because it relies on an alignment of interests: the brand pays for performance, the publisher selects only products they endorse, and the reader receives quality recommendations.

I see it evolving toward a more hybrid model—integrated into wider editorial ecosystems rather than just a tracked link.

• What are the advantages of collaborating with a platform like Affilae?

First, it’s a massive time-saver. It allows access to hundreds of potential partner brands in just a few clicks.

But what truly sets Affilae apart is the high-level human support, with account managers who truly understand both sides of the market. They offer a qualitative portfolio with a great balance between emerging DNVBs and major retailers. Finally,

Affilae acts as a secure, transparent third party, which is essential for building lasting partnerships.

• What are your major projects for the next 12 months?

We will continue to strengthen our Gifting expertise with “niche” shopping guides while expanding new editorial verticals for urban women. We are also developing new partner offers—more AI & SEO-friendly, more editorialized, and built for the long haul.

The goal remains: helping consumers choose better and helping brands perform better!