Complete Story
05/13/2020
The Digital Transformation in Publishing Has Left Plenty of Space for Print
Source: Aron Caruso, FOLIO:, May 7, 2020
Every industry is experiencing a digital transformation. For some, the pandemic has accelerated this transformation. Others, like retail, travel and QSR, are trying to quickly adapt to the new criteria of our on-demand world. Consumers are permanently changing their online consumption habits, and in some cases embracing those of years past.
Previously, digital transformation was more of an evolution. It’s evident now that retail chains that embraced omnichannel strategies, like Walmart and Costco, may fare better in our current crisis. And in many cases, retailers that were pureplay e-commerce businesses but had begun to set up stores in the brick and mortar world are back to reaching their customers where they are—at home.
The publishing world may be following a similar evolutionary path. Over the past two decades, countless publishers shifted their magazines to online-only models. If they maintained print versions, publication schedules dropped from weekly to monthly or from monthly to quarterly. Some publications shuttered entirely. But then, a funny thing happened; younger readers found that they liked the lean-in experience of a magazine. They liked reading stories without autoplay videos and full-screen takeovers interrupting their immersive experience.
