Consumer Reports Membership Website Case Study

ARTICLE SNIPPET - With 1.6 million paid subscribers, Consumerreports.org has more paid subscribers than any other publication-based website. Yet we can't help but wonder, while so many other magazine publishers are still so confused about their Internet publishing model, how has Consumer Reports been so clear from the very beginning?

Gurin says they had to take exactly what worked for them in print, and bring it to the Web. Because they are an information source, an invaluable one at that, they knew they had to be online. Advertising was clearly not an option, as it was that very principle that founded their existence.

So how would they support this enterprise? One option would've been to put just enough information on the Web to get people interested and drive up print subscriptions. But they felt that if they didn't put their ratings online, it just wouldn't feel like them. They knew once they went online, they would have to go all out and include ratings. Otherwise, they felt it would've frustrated people. Once that decision was made, they also realized they'd have to charge for it. "Otherwise we would've killed ourselves," says Gurin.

To read this Mequoda Library article, Subcribe to the Mequoda Library or purchase as a single article. Or, Email this to a friend.

Purchase Single Article - $47.00 Subscribe to- $197 per month Includes a months access to over 440 reports, reviews, and case studies. Subscribe to- $497 per year Includes access to over 440 reports, reviews, and case studies for a whole year.