The final Kardashian sister has released her long-awaited mobile app. The eldest sister of the reality TV clan, Kourtney Kardashian, debuted her stand alone iPhone and Android apps, called Kourt, in the Apple App Store on Monday.
The Kardashian and Jenner sister apps, all produced by Los Angeles-based media company Whalerock Industries, premiered in September along with the inevitable tabloid frenzy. Thee mobile apps aimed to give fans more of an up close and personal look into each of the sister’s lives through photos, videos and live-streaming—and, of course, make them some money. At the time, Kourtney Kardashian’s app was still being developed.
Kourtney’s app is free to download, but also offers both free and paid content, with a subscription costing $2.99 per month.
The elder Kardashian’s app reflects the content that she’s passionate about, said Whalerock, with Kourtney recommending recipes, healthy living tips, home design ideas, and kids products. Her app will also include many more product recommendations than her sisters’ apps, but for now, there won’t be any e-commerce within the app.
The Kardashian-Jenner apps are an interesting, early example of how celebrities are taking control of content and stories about their lives, which they had, in the past, mostly ceded to the media companies, or even social media sites like Instagram. For example, Kim Kardashian revealed the name of her newborn son on Monday on her own website first, before even social media.
However, the Kardashian and Jenner sisters face the challenge of keeping up the expectations of paid subscribers and continuing to create original content to keep their fans visiting their apps and sites. Kylie Jenner’s app was able to top app store download lists in the weeks after launch.
But e-commerce could be a way to keep fans visiting, and buying, which might translate into more revenue and downloads for the Kardashian-Jenner apps.
For more about how women are taking over social campaigns, watch this video: