Mobile Devices Opening Opportunities for Publishers

Publishers are currently operating in one of the most challenging industries in the world.

The sector is constantly evolving and one element that has sent shockwaves through it is the digital and eCommerce environment that has been growing steadily ever since the internet became accessible for consumers.

This growth has increased substantially since the emergence of mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones.

Indeed, in a new survey from News & Tech, 66 per cent of publishers said they have developed a mobile application in the last year and with good reason.

According to the Reynolds Journalism Institute’s first quarter of 2013 report, smartphone and tablet usage for news consumption has more than doubled, from 21 per cent in 2012 to 46 per cent this year.

This means companies must devise a digital strategy to publish content online and monetise it, either through advertisements or a paywall, or a mixture of both.

Paywalls have become a popular method of monetisation and have been used by several media firms. Consumers are becoming more inclined to pay for their news online and publishers are benefiting as a result.

According to News & Tech, close to 500 North American newspapers have some sort of paywall on their online systems and these firms will have needed to implement an online payment solution that offers security and accessibility for the users.

This allows them to offer great content for a subscription fee. This type of payment is much preferred by companies as they offer a steady flow of income, as opposed to individual one off payments found when selling physical newspapers.

The distinct rise in tablet and smartphone sales and the improvement of the internet structure, especially in developed nations such as the US and the UK, means publishers need to act in order to obtain revenue from digital media.

Publishers must have a long term strategy in place for their digital content and ensure they have a customer relationship management platform andpayment solution that will stand the test of time.