It is no secret that college books represent a significant expense for students in the USA, as these can cost several hundreds of dollars for a single item. Pearson, the largest textbook publisher in the region, has started Pearson Plus, a unique subscription service that allows students to save money on textbook expenses within two pricing tiers. The concept behind the tiers is relatively simple; users can pay a US$9.99 monthly fee to access a single textbook or US$14.99 to access the publisher’s entire portfolio, featuring 1,500 books. The critical part of any subscription service is the pricing plan, and even though Pearson Plus’ subscription plan is not as typical, it makes plenty of sense in specific scenarios.
Subscription Services Can Save Money if Planned Out Correctly
Pearson has made statements describing how one of their primary goals is to save money on textbook expenses for students while also motivating teachers and lecturers to include more of their own published books as learning material for their courses. The fact is that textbook expense management is not precisely black on white, as students can always purchase textbooks used or regain some of the money spent by reselling them. However, in well-thought-out situations, subscription services save money while providing a convenient service that can be canceled at any time, mainly because the service itself can get used for a limited amount of time.
The subscription model has seen a significant increase in popularity in the last couple of years, with dozens of examples in the productivity, news, and entertainment industries. The latter is particularly popular with students as it is always beneficial to take some time off after studying and all the pressure related to exams. In addition, cloud-based gaming and casino-style games also benefit from subscription models, allowing more users to join in on the fun without spending too much money on coin sets. With this kind of setup, players can enjoy games like 9 Masks of Fire, Starburst XXXTreme, Coils of Cash, and many more within a couple of steps regardless of the platform is a computer or a smartphone.
Subscription Services Are the Way of the Future?
The benefits of subscription services apply to many different types of industries, and not only digital ones. It is a simple way to distribute expenses for the end-user over a more extended period or during a shorter period during which the service is necessary. Recently, there was an increase in the number of online news providers that have entirely switched their business plans towards subscriptions, to the point where free reading is no longer an option. However, for fees as little as $US2 per month, one gets a premium service while the vendor also receives substantial financial gain when the service is scaled out appropriately. Fees vary a lot, but so does the quality of the service, which is not a surprise in a competitive market environment. It seems that subscription services represent a win-win situation for both the customer and vendor, as more and more services are drifting towards adopting this model.
