Why the Paywall?
The Agribook first entered print in 2004 as the National Agricultural Directory and gained success as a comprehensive hard copy reference book for the entire South African agricultural value chain.
The traditional “print” business model has however changed with pervasive internet reach and convenient online book formats. This has made it difficult for traditional publishers to survive in a world controlled by internet search engine monopolies that sell traffic to the highest bidder.
To remain sustainable as a publication we therefore have to introduce in 2023 a limited paywall as our publication costs are no longer recoverable through print and eBook sales. However we have found a way to keep the publication free to “casual” internet users.
Most users will still access the website free
Our research tells us that 92% of our readers read 5 or less website pages per month. However a smaller group of professional users makes intensive use of the website. Our paywall model therefore is to request these professional users to subscribe to the website by purchasing a copy of the Agribook eBook (PDF) for R300 incl VAT (ZAR 300). This will get them a beautifully formatted, printable, searchable, offline PDF copy of the entire website, as well as continued access to the online website for one year.
Our casual website traffic can continue to read up to 5 free pages on the website per month, and we hope this helps to grow the agri value chain and advance knowledge and networking for this important economic sector.
We may also introduce additional subscription levels and benefits as we experiment further with this business model.
