The monthly American journal Consumer Reports has been for over 80 years since it began in 1936. It publishes articles on various topics, from general buying manuals to consumer reviews. They conduct their research from the magazine’s research centre to collect and publish data on reviews.
The magazine is a nonprofit organization (NGO) that prioritizes customer experience and delivers helpful information to consumers.
In 2008, the magazine had close to eight million subscribers, as reported by the company’s spokesperson Kelli Halyard. This included people who subscribed to both the print version and digitalized platform. However, this number has gone down to seven million subscribers. Over half of them are subscribed to the print version and the rest to the digital.
Although the number of subscribers has gone down, seven million remains a considerable amount for a magazine. That said, Consumer Reports is worried that due to the average age of the subscribers, this number will continue to drop. An average subscriber for the print version is sixty-five years old, and for the digitalized platform, the average is fifty-six years old. In terms of revenue, tax reports have shown that in 2011 the magazine had lost three and a half million dollars, and in 2012, it lost two million.
That year, you contacted the company’s top managers about this worrisome information. The company was losing money and was not making any new subscribers. Not only were the numbers of subscribers dropping due to age, but the organization reported that it might be caused by “new competitors who are doing interesting things,” as their numbers plummeted.
There are several competitors nowadays. They primarily involve individual consumers who will post their reviews on product websites where you can directly buy these products.
Which Competitors Are These?
The Wirecutter
This site is a perfect match for the same quality of prose and writing as you can find in something like the Financial Times, but about which bathrobe is best for you.
The Times now owned the website when you purchased it in 2016, but Brian Lam initially founded it in 2011. It uses actual test uses and research by experts to compile thorough and reliable reviews. These reviews may be on just about any product imaginable, for your household or otherwise.
Wirecutter seems to have adopted the Consumer Reports format but has developed beyond its capacities. It is modern and fresh, and for someone who is part of the digital generation of millennials, I am more inclined, quite frankly, to read reviews from a millennial site.
PCMag
Ziff Davis started this magazine. Its full name is PC Magazine but is called PCMag.
PC Magazine has writers who are technology experts to produce top-quality articles. One of these experts, for example, is John C. Dvorak. Dvorak has a column in the magazine and something called “Inside Track,” both of which are some of the most-read features of the magazine. The articles are written about all reviewing and analyzing recently released in the hardware, software, and overall technology world.