Opinion: Subscription sales better than newsstand?

Posted by Alisa Zykova on February 17, 2009 at 12:58 PM

The Guardian's Peter Preston hinted that newspaper subscriptions may be interesting to titles since they offer future marketing possibilities which retail outlets may not and furthermore, present a product that has between 25 and 35 percent slashed off the cover price, which is a "real long-term help" during the economic recession.

In certain European locations, subscriptions may represent as much as 90 percent of sales. Subscriptions in the U.S. may be more common than newsstand sales, Preston suggested. However, overall circulation may be plunging across both the U.S. and the UK.

"If the subscriber is locked in, he's much less likely to switch or defect: and his details are on the computer as well," Preston said.

Meanwhile, some niche publications may be growing despite the financial crisis since there may be "shifts in taste and interest, changes of fashion." UK magazines that "run over directly from newspapers themselves" are experiencing escalating sales: The Economist (up 3.7 percent), The Week (up 6.4 percent) and the Spectator (up 2 percent).

Source: The Guardian