Last week, the Online Publishers Association (OPA) released the results of a survey that revealed some interesting observations about the preferences and habits of tablet owners when it comes to purchasing content.

Among the findings:

  • Just less than half of all tablet users would be willing to pay for content if it meant avoiding advertisements
  • 25 percent would prefer to buy content directly from publishers, rather than an intermediary such as Amazon or iTunes
  • Newspaper apps have been downloaded by more than a quarter of the tablet users surveyed;  20 percent reported downloading a magazine app in the past 12 months
  • On average, tablet users spent $53 on apps in the past year

The finding that has prompted the most discussion in the Plimus breakroom, however, is that tablet users willing to pay for content overwhelmingly seek flexibility in how they make those purchases. They want the ability to select between recurring paid subscriptions, single-issue purchases and one-time downloads. For online publishers, this presents challenges in how best to streamline and ease the buying process.

These challenges need to be addressed if publishers are going to realize their intention of generating revenue from this new platform. If these self-identified “early adopters,” who are typically more affluent, educated and media-savvy, are reluctant to commit to paid subscriptions for news, television shows and other content the outlook doesn’t look great for the general public’s adoption of paid content.

With the OPA forecasting that roughly 23 million people in the U.S. alone will own tablets by next year, publishers need to quickly figure out how they will streamline the subscription process for those willing to pay for content – while at the same time determining how to entice those who are reluctant to pay. As a vendor that has been able to monetize this new content delivery model, Apple provides a strong example for publishers looking to provide a seamless and easy online transaction process.

Here at Plimus we are working to address this growing market segment with our flexible and adaptable payment platform and Buy Anyware API that online publishers can build into their apps. Plimus solutions offer a streamlined payment process that becomes part of the content consumption experience. If you’re a publisher who’s struggling with this issue, give us a call – we’d love to help you capitalize on this growing market.