Media and Retail Firms Meld Business Models Online

In search of new business models, some media and retail companies are treading on each other's turf online. Sites such as Lockerz, which mix shopping with editorial content, social networking and games, are sprouting up across the Web and drawing significant interest from investors as hot new businesses based on more than online advertising.

They attempt to marry e-commerce with niche content and game-like features that are driving loyalty on other services, such as Facebook Inc. The trend comes as the e-commerce and media industries are searching for new sources of growth. For America's $140 billion online retail industry, which has largely built itself on convenience and price, adding entertainment and information to the mix offers powerful new lures. Media companies are embracing e-commerce as a supplement to online advertising, whose growth has slowed and which is being spread across a widening number of sites.