eMedia Vitals

To help publishers get better returns from their digital subscription models, Scout Analytics is enhancing its “revenue optimization” platform for paid content, which lets publishers more closely tie engagement metrics to revenue.

The latest addition to the company’s Scout License Optimizer platform is called Demand Map, which as the name implies gives publishers a graphical analysis of how customer usage of subscription-based content aligns with the pricing plans for those products.

Demand Map, which Scout is officially introducing this week, helps publishers match customer behavior with licensing plans to identify where they are underpricing or overpricing subscription services.  Demand Map will determine optimal pricing plans for customers or customer segments based on attributes such as industry, sales geography and usage, according to Matt Shanahan, Scout Analytics’ senior vice president of strategy.

Considering the complexity of metering systems and other emerging paid content platforms, such as the one the New York Times is formally rolling out today for U.S. and international customers (it launched the service in Canada last week), the ability to optimize pricing around actual demand will be critical for attaining and retaining users and getting a positive return from content investments.

Shanahan said that although Scout’s platform offers more advantages for B2B publishers, the company also provides benefits for consumer publishers exploring digital subscription models. Comparing usage profiles with loyalty analysis, for example, can offer opportunities to “upsell” customers when their subscriptions come up for renewal. “If you’re a highly loyal user who came in through a special promotion, we want to be able to target you at renewal time to pay more,” Shanahan explained.

The Scout License Optimizer and Scout Ad Inventory Optimizer – a companion product for advertising-supported content – are licensed as software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions. The company’s customers include Reed Business Information UK, NASDAQ, and the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.