Readers of this blog are aware of the importance I attach to good ePaper editions. I have also encouraged publishers to pay more attention to how content is presented on ePaper editions, emphasizing that while we know that part of what makes ePapers desirable, specifically to older segments of the audience, is how much it resembles a printed newspaper, it is important to provide strategies that engage the audience beside simply turning the pages. Videos, photo galleries, audio all help to enhance storytelling and to make those ePapers more vibrant and useful.
In my end of the year predictions, I commented here is an area where US newspapers have a lot of catching up to do and I urged editors in the US to consider robust e paper editions in 2016.
Just in time, the guys at Visiolab have come out with their biannual study of reader behavior with ePapers, taking a closer look at how respondents perceived the importance of both ePaper and printed newspapers. As always, I got a preview of the study from Jens Funder Berg, Visiolab CEO.
Study highlights for ePapers
Images courtesy of VisioLab
1.ePaper importance increases: the importance of the ePaper rose significantly since the last Visiolab survey, and now 40.4% regard the ePaper edition as their primary news source.
2.While the printed newspaper is still important, it is becoming less so: There are fewer readers relying on the printed edition. Between 2014 and the spring of 2015, the study shows an increase in the share of respondents who had stopped using the printed newspaper altogether. Comparing the responses from spring to autumn, the same trend appears to be even stronger as 22% of respondents have now stopped using the printed newspaper.
However, it is important to notice, particularly in the United States (could be true in other countries as well) , that data from Pew Research Center and other sources show that around half of newspaper readers consume newspapers only in their printed form, a fact that became evident a few days ago when The Boston Globe experienced trouble with a new distributor, making dozens of readers who did not get their newspaper angry.
3. How much should ePapers resemble the printed edition? According to the study, while resemblance helps, it seems less important now. “As was the case in the benchmarking period of 2014 and spring 2015, the resemblance between the design of the ePaper and the traditional format of the printed newspaper weighed somewhat important with most of the respondents. However, there has been a tendency for readers to regard the 1:1 resemblance as less important during our three benchmarking periods.”
4. Content preferences: local and domestic news continue to be the preferred on those ePaper editions, but foreign news rank well.
5. Platform: The tablet is obviously the preferred platform for consumption of ePaper editions.
For more information
Member of the VisioLab team discuss results of the study
For the complete study:
http://blog.visiolink.com/new-2015-q4-benchmark-report-on-epaper-reader-behavior-tendencies
Previously about ePapers
http://garciamedia.com/blog/what_about_e_papers_your_readers_are_reading_them_on_various_platforms