How about instead of b) they try c) just make it very easy for all the commerce brands to have an alternative channel to email for people to follow new product launches and product curation - like jackthreads, bonobos, everlane, fab etc and charge a sponsorship revenue share more directly rather than skimlinking or viglinking.
The more of these content/commerce brands that enter the market the more they will need to diversify from relying on only email for acquisition. The experience might be fresher than sifting through bins of endless gosling photos on pinterest to find something interesting.
