When Apple launched its Newsstand app in iTunes this fall, the idea was to give newspaper and magazine publishers their own dedicated shelf space, and thereby boost sales. If Popular Science’s sales are any indication, it’s worked!
AllThingsD took a look at what happened to sales of the Popular Science magazine app after the “opening” of Newsstand.
After Newsstand launched in October, a flurry of press releases and reports told about increases in downloads and activity. The above chart, from Mag+, shows a jump in subscription sales for Popular Science in the second week of October. This corresponds with the launch of Newsstand.
One interesting indicator on the chart isn’t the jump, it’s the week over week increase in subscriptions, with the growth gathering speed as it went forward. One note, Popular Science is a title that matches up well with the iTunes market, but growth like this is pleasing to see.
The information doesn’t show how often readers return to Newsstand apps. Do they return to view them more or less often now that they’re in the Newsstand, instead of being out on their own on the iOS desktop? Time, and hopefully a new study, will tell.
