What should traditional publishers keep in mind when e-publishing?
2 surveys from GfK and Lessius provide us with good data and insights on e-reading in the Flemish market. The data confirms international trends.
The GfK Retail & Technology (March 2011) survey tells us:
- TV watching is growing again in hours per day
- 53% is using another device while watching TV (Laptop, PC, Mobile Device, tablet,…)
- 230.000 people will own a tablet device by the end of 2011
Full presentation (in Dutch):
http://www.tmabevents.be/assets/ereading%20presentaties%202011/Cindy-Van-Mulders.pdf/
http://www.tmabevents.be/assets/ereading%20presentaties%202011/Cindy-Van-Mulders.pdf/
The IWT research Memori, Lessius (IWT – ‘Van e-reader naar e-reading’ – 2010 /2012 ) did an online questionnaire with 2270 participants on e-reading in Flanders. Main focus points are:
- Biggest group of tablet users are male between 31-40 with a higher education
- main activities (= a lot) with tablet:
- Surfing (89%)
- Reading news (84%)
- E-mailing (70%)
- Social Networking (48%)
- Reading Magazine (42%)
- The willingness to pay for content with iPad owners:
- Unique content, not available with the paper version 61%
- If no free alternative is available 59%
- if extra service/content is provided 46%
- only 13% would pay the same amount for the digital version of their paper subscription
Full Survey: http://www.memori.be/ereading/
Conclusions:
In general, people still prefer paper versions. On the other hand, tablet owners use their device to read news and magazines. They get used to it and do read digitally. There is a willingness to pay for content, if that content is ‘unique’ and if there is ‘no alternative available’. Publishers need to re-think and translate their content to add extra value before pushing it onto digital platforms.
