Of note is that not one single respondent commented on the idea that a company would actually ask its customers about pricing. Being on the receiving end of business-as-usual price increases (or keep same price but decrease the amount of product), I just thought it made sense to ask you folks what you thought. We're a small company, we can still do that. If we ever sell MagWeb.com to a large company, I suspect such niceties, not to mention the absolute rock-bottom price, would disappear.
| 27. What do you think a fair membership fee for our 35,000+ article archive access should be? | |
|---|---|
| Raise the membership fee to $119.95 per year (double) | 0.49% |
| Raise the membership fee to $99.95 per year (about $1 per publication) | 1.95% |
| Raise the membership fee to $87.95 per year (split difference) | 4.39% |
| Raise the membership fee to $75 per year (round number so to speak) | 24.39% |
| Raise the membership fee to $71.95 per year (about 3% inflation adjusted) | 9.76% |
| Raise the membership fee to $66 per year (10% flat increase) | 46.83% |
| No Answer | 12.20% |
MagWeb.com Analysis
Of course, I expect the the lower prices to be more popular than the higher ones. And I do thank those who checked off the $119.95 box. However, it looks like $75 and down is the main block, or about $1 per month increase in our rate (which also works out to about 3% inflation adjusted over the past 6 years). My inclination was the $75 rate, which is a tad over $6 a month instead of the current $5 month.
Pioneer Membership
We're thinking of creating a "Pioneer" class membership. This is similar in structure to the Charter membership. In other words, if you are a member as of Dec 31, 2002, as long as you maintain a continuous membership (i.e. keep renewing on time), the $59.95 per year price would remain the same. It's not as good as a Charter membership, but it also rewards those members who have helped us in our second stage of growth.
27: Would you take advantage of a "Pioneer" class membership?
| Yes | No | No Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 79.51% | 13.66% | 6.34% |
No price increase sounds great for members, but the whole reason for a price increase in the first place is because all our costs have increased over the past five or so years, but our flat $59.95 per year price has not. But I wanted to judge what the price increase would mean to all of us--company and customers.
In the end, we compromised. Starting January 1, 2003, the yearly cost of MagWeb.com will go up to $75 per year. However, we're going to offer members who renew their membership a 10% discount, which means it would cost $67.50 per year. As long as you continue to renew, you get the 10% discount. New members, or those members who left and are coming back, would pay the full price. The 10% discount would apply to all membership lengths, even the week-long Quickee one.
I believe this 10% discount is a fair way to thank our members for continuing to support MagWeb.com.
War, Warfare, and MagWeb.com
- Introduction: Survey Says...
Members Background
- Favorite Periods of Military History
Connecting to MagWeb.com
Demographics: Gender, Age and Computer Type
Member Buying Habits (per month)
MagWeb.com Specific Feedback: Service Likes and Dislikes
Military History Opinions
Current Military Situation Opinions
- How Do You View the World?
Hot Spots: Declaration of War?
Coming Religious War?
Is the US at War?
The Draft in the US?
Torture Captured Terrorists?
The Future of MagWeb.com
Written Comments About MagWeb.com (And Our Responses)
Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List
© Copyright 2002 by Coalition Web, Inc.
This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
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