One area I thought was both interesting and necessary in terms of the demise of print media, was distribution. With the inception of the internet, information has become readily available through the click of a button: it is now thought of as inconvenient to wait for print to be delivered or to seek print via a newsagent, especially having to pay for such. Distribution is having to change to meet the demands of a digital generation. In order to survive, it is vital for print to find new ways to reach readers, and create new means of distribution whilst reducing the cost of production. A swedish company, Meganews Magazines, has come up with a simple solution for such: a vending machine for print.
Taking inspiration from the Japanese culture which rely heavily on vending machines to offer a quick solution to almost anything and meet the demands of a customer at any given time, Meganews Magazines allows on the go, high quality colour prints of a wide range of magazines. The automatic magazine newsstand connects to the internet, and downloads latest issues of the publication. Printing on the spot, the newsstand is issuing a new solution to a generation used to receiving information quickly.
The machine focuses not just on making distribution more relevant to this day and age, but also on reducing the cost of production. On average, 10% of the entire cost structure of publications consists on distribution and transportation of the print copies. In addition to this, publishers produce a surplus of copies and are often unable to sell all, creating more than demand. Printing newsstands such as this can save money on these factors, reaching customers whenever and wherever they are. The service is also environmentally friendlier, as it reduces waste of printed copies left unsold, and also greenhouse gases and fuel emissions are cut through the lack of transportation. The life cycle of a magazine is approximately 60% more environmentally friendly due to this. This service could be the future of print. This Swedish company is allowing niche publishers to reach new audiences and removing the cost of distribution to all different outlets. The product itself is not in decline, but rather the old form of delivery is: the consumer is used to instantaneous delivery, and this is something that needs to be replicated in order for print to survive.
As someone who has grown up in this digital age, this was something I had never thought of before. As previously mentioned, I used to live in Spain: when returning to England for holidays and visiting family, I found the airport didn't stock many magazines for my journey and those it did stock were in fact massively out of date. I often saw others returning from holiday walking into the newsagent and leaving empty handed due to this, so this idea offers a great solution to make sure what is stocked is in date and still relevant, whilst making it quicker and easier to get. I believe this idea could really work in the industry, and it's quite clear to see that it's more ecologically friendly and cost efficient, therefore saving both the customer and the creator money. I hope to see these in England soon.
You can see more here and here.
