User and subscription management

25 June, 2007

Of all the benefits of going online, perhaps the least considered and yet at the same time the most important is the ease of user and subscription management. By automating subscription payments and renewals, publishers can avoid the headaches of subscription houses and the high costs of acquisitions via mail shots and hand written return cards

For publishers that aren't operating an offline equivalent, the process is 100% automatic - users simply sign up and pay on the site. They will be emailed reminders for renewals, and are able to manage their own account, although with only a username and password required, there's very little to manage.

Sites can apply the following options for subscriptions:

• Voluntary free registration for news
• Compulsory free registration
• Paid for subscriptions only (with option for free trial)

For publishers that still want to use an external subscriptions house, an automated feed of subscriber info is possible, consisting of subscriber reference, first name, last name, email address (if available) and subscription expiry date. Links to the subscription house's site for online payments are possible, as is a reverse feed of email addresses if users supply them.