Read what A Turner wrote at digihub, a Fairfax hosted online news and opinion portal, a couple of days ago about what prompted their move from buying magazines at a newsagency to moving to digital editions.
What will it take for you to abandon printed magazines?
I confess I like to hold a good magazine – reading a glossy magazine is a subtly tactile experience. I like the feel of the pages. The sound as they turn. I even like the smell. But the days of printed magazines are numbered.
I wasn’t in a rush to switch to electronic magazines, but my local newsagent pushed me over the edge. I’d previously cancelled my magazine subscriptions because more often than not the magazines wouldn’t turn up in the post. Instead I preferred to drop by the local newsagent once a week for a coffee with the owner and to peruse the magazine stand for publications of interest. It was a good arrangement, but one that wasn’t destined to last.
The local paper shop which supplies magazines to my newsagent recently changed hands and the flow of magazines dried up. In frustration I turned to my iPad for solace. I found most of the magazines I wanted for less then the cost of the print version – some use Zinio, others their own standalone iPad app.
Read the rest of Turner’s post here.
I am suspicious of this story and would like to know the name of the retail and distribution newsagents so that I can verify the facts for myself. That said, does A. Turner not know that we have more than 4,000 retail newsagencies in Australia? Did they try another store?
The story feels a little too convenient for me. That said, if the story as published by Fairfax is accurate then it indicates that it does not take much for Turner to be led from a medium he clearly enjoys.
Yes, people are migrating from print to digital – some completely and some to enjoy the two mediums. I doubt that people are migrating because of lack of satisfaction with their local newsagent.
maybe all that looking and no buying was the reason . why would a newsagent not supply something that does sell ,it makes no sence . Maybe the newsagent got sick of him standing around drinking coffee and reading the mags without buying .
I do get sick of browsers who NEVER buy but now accept this as part of the business. As for titles that don’t sell, I cancel them or early return them without my range suffering as there are so many titles to be displayed that either do or may sell given the opportunity.
As for the difference between the experience of reading on line or from print, my 20y/o niece recently stated that although she does so much online now, she would much rather buy a printed magazine for the quality, flick through factor and the much better presentation. She feels to much online is not healthy and hard to read. Interesting considereing her demograpic is the one we expect to lose now to the online experience.
Doesn’t sound convincing to me. That said, tight arses who only occasionally make a magazine purchase will be early “free” online adopters.
I think the nature of news and info “reading” has and will continue to change. I flick from this site to many other news sites and no longer have the time, patience or obedience to endure reading a static format of someone elses interpretation of what I should read
Shaun,
Not sure why you’re under the impression that the author did not buy magazines? The article clearly indicates that they were purchasing them.
Peter,
Most digital magazines are not free on the iPad. In fact those who use an iPad spend significantly more than any other digital-media-consumer.
Brendan,
In contrast to your niece, in our family of five (55, 47, 23, 20 and 16) not one of us read magazines.
Jarroyd , in what part of the article did it clearly state he ever purchased a copy from his local agent . i am only presuming he was a browser as he stated he loved to have a coffee and walk around looking at the magazine stand .
The artical only indicated he once was getting it via subscription
@ Jarryd post 6
A great endorsment for the print indusry from a person who owns a Newsagency.
You are a funny guy.
Derek,
I don’t read magazines either. They just make me think of my next GG or NDC bill.
Derek, Are you suggesting that Jarryd and his family should resist the adoption of new technology simply because he owns a newsagency? Or are you suggesting that it is inappropriate for him to broadcast this fact on a newsagent blog site? Either way, your logic does not make sense to me.
Shaun,
The author states that he found digital magazines for less than the cost of the print version. He would not be concerned with price if he wasn’t purchasing them.
He also talk about cleaning out his office of old magazines. “Why was I paying extra for printed magazines which I didn’t intend to keep anyway?”
Derek,
Would you rather me lie and further facilitate the burring of heads in the sand? Newsagents need to be realistic, open and frank in their discussions of the decline of the print medium.
I also don’t need to use, nor believe in, a product to successfully sell it.
Fair enough i didn’t go into and read the full blog . The funny thing is i think old mate just has bad luck first he subscribes and they hardly turn up then he goes to a newsgent that hardly has the stock . the funny thing is i wouyld laugh if he getrs a flat battery on his reader now 🙂
Most e- magazine purchases are subscription based. As newsagents we have never enjoyed the subscription business any way. In this sense we could see that the magazine publishers are primarily switching their own customers from a hard medium to a soft one.
Our opportunity has always been and still is the occasional or semi regular buyer who prefers the flexibility of single item purchases to the higher up front financial commitment of any type of subscription. There are still many ways we can attract and hold these customers in our stores.
Our personal preferences for print or electronic magazine deliveries aren’t relevant to the discussion.
KMC,
I’ve found less subscription based e-magazine offerings in comparison to on-demand availability of digital magazines. The very nature of how people consume digital content makes it more suited to on-demand purchasing, or even micro-purchasing.
I agree our personal preferences aren’t relevant when taking a holistic view. They do however help illustrate the concepts to those trying to understand it.
@ Steven – Yes it can bring on a nauseating feeling regarding Distributors accounts.
@ CC No comment to you except I stand by what I said and if you want to defend Jarryd use some form of reality name or one could confuse you as a antagoniser.
@ Jarryd – That is the great thing about this site everyone can have an opinion. As I said I stand by what I wrote and I did not mention anything about the decline of the print medium in which I agree by the way.
I too believe in open and frank discussions, its only a decline not an extermination of print.
Your comment “I also don’t need to use, nor believe in, a product to successfully sell it” I assume it must be related to Print as that is what we are talking about, that goes against everything that Newsagents stand for and equally I am sure your marketing group would love to have you as their spokesman. “I dont read print however I only use digital devices to gather & read the information that I want”
Only the nieve would not know there is a transition to digital from print however I would like to think their is room for both parties to exist.
The plastic fantastic and Cash is a small example.
I remain suspicious about what this Turner chap has written regarding newsagents.
I’m one that has embraced the digital age when it comes to both newspapers and magazines – newsagents simply cannot compete against the e-versions if you divorce yourself from the fact that you cant physically hold the item.
PressReader allows me for the equivalent of buying the Daily Telegraph every day to access (and download) a large number of major papers not just in Australia but across the world and access a 30 day archive.
Zinio allows me to subscribe to magazines that simply arent available here, or if they are, are delayed due to delivery times from overseas markets.
Both allow me to download new content at any time, I’m no longer limited to the selection my local newsagents have or the times that they are open.
Frank – There are many people who are like you who embrace the digital print and it is each persons choice how they want to source News & Magazines.
I am of the view that I do not want to totally divorce myself from the physical printed form, I use both. I like the physical print, I do not get the same relaxation from the digital form.
Being informed about what is and lies ahead is useful however insinuating that the world is going to end if you dont read all information via digital is totally shortsighted.
Newsagents & Retailers are part of the future and it will be in both forms print and digital for a long time to come. We just have to diversify with real products for customers that create profitably.
A great advantage as you said is that you can source content from anywhere at anytime with digital and that is fantastic.
Newsagents & Retailers also sell more that print Frank, so hopefully we will see you in one soon.
TV did not kill radio, movies did not kill live shows, home videaos did not kill cinemas, even vinyl has made a comeback in recent years. Print will survive but not as it is today. Maybe it will be a niche market just as vinyl records are becoming although I would not think it will do as badly as vinyl has.
The trick is to be prepared for what is certain to change and adapt to still be the specialist in a changing market. Who knows, maybe the supermarkets will bail from print as the scene changes and that could save the department for us.
Brendan , i like the idea of the last sentence