From 5 Apps to One: How reiff medien Achieved 40% More E-Paper Subscriptions in 2 Years with Purple

With Purple, reiff medien moved to a modern, multi-title e-paper app featuring an innovative split-screen mode and consent-free, cookieless analytics. The key challenge was migrating from a resource-intensive, PDF-based setup to a future-proof digital solution. The results speak for themselves: e-paper subscriptions up 40% in just two years.

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The challenges: unreliable distribution, outdated technology, and fivefold administrative overhead

• High error rate in e-paper delivery with frequently missing pages despite successful transmission
• Daily multiple manual visual inspections required to check completeness
• Maintenance and management of five separate apps for individual regional editions
• Purely PDF-based data delivery without the capability to transfer XML article data
• Outdated look and feel with no discernible ongoing app development

As a medium-sized regional publisher, reiff medien faced the situation that its existing system no longer met requirements. "With our previous provider, we had no capability to process article-based data. And instead of XML, we could only generate large page PDFs," explains Achim Kara, IT Project Manager at reiff medien. The complicated delivery process was particularly problematic: "Every evening we had multiple visual inspections for completeness. Pages were frequently missing even though we had already transmitted them," Kara describes the situation. These manual processes cost time and created frustration.

Furthermore, managing five separate apps for individual titles caused considerable administrative overhead. A consolidated app was therefore the logical consequence to reduce maintenance effort in the stores without readers experiencing any disadvantages.

Clear requirements were established for the new provider: The capability to deliver an early evening edition starting at 8 PM was an absolute must-have criterion. Equally important was the ability to process XML article data directly from the editorial system. Additionally, reiff medien wanted a modern and intuitive UI/UX and the assurance that the app would be continuously developed.

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The Solution: One App for Five Titles with Split-Screen, XML Import, and Consent-Free Analytics

• From 5 individual apps to 1 multi-title app, resulting in significantly reduced store and release effort
• An enhanced split-screen function synchronizes the PDF view and article reading mode for desktop users
• Direct integration with our partner PPI Media enables XML article data import for the first time without workarounds
• The delivery error rate was practically eliminated, so that manual inspections or interventions are no longer necessary
• Consent-free analytics with detailed evaluations at edition and article level enable targeted journalism for our readers
• An early evening edition starting at 8 PM is available. This is already approximately 80% complete and we have the capability to update late into the night

Purple prevailed in the selection process primarily with its commitment to continuous development and modern user experience. A decisive advantage was also the technical capability to import XML article data directly from the editorial system. This enabled reiff medien for the first time to provide structured article data without the workaround of deconstructing PDFs and, most importantly, to control the table of contents independently.

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"Purple is the ideal partner for us at the right time. The continuous development of the platform as well as regular dialogue and responsiveness to customer requirements reflect innovation strength and adaptability. The result is increasing subscriber numbers, higher efficiency, and reliable processes. We value the professional collaboration and look forward with confidence to our next joint steps." – Michael Lehmann, Managing Director at reiff medien

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The multi-title app consolidates all five regional editions into a single application. Readers can switch between editions without having to install separate apps. For reiff medien, this represents a significant simplification in management and maintenance in the app stores. For readers, it offers additional value should they wish to browse an additional local edition.

The existing split-screen function was further optimized. On desktop or tablet, users can view the classic PDF view and article reading mode simultaneously on a split screen. The two views are intelligently synchronized: when the user changes pages in the PDF, the article reading mode automatically jumps to the first article on the new page and highlights it in color in the PDF. Conversely, changing articles in reading mode initiates a corresponding page change in the PDF, if necessary. The split-screen function is particularly relevant for the strong desktop readership, which exhibits different reading behavior than, for example, an app user.

In addition to the e-paper app, reiff medien received a Purple Hub in the Light version, through which welcome texts can be maintained and the split-screen function can be configured. Furthermore, integration with the CRM system HuP (Henke und Partner) was implemented for entitlement management. The archive was imported back to 2023, and in-app purchases for individual editions were activated for the first time – an important step toward monetization.

Another crucial piece of the puzzle is Purple's e-paper analytics solution with dedicated dashboards for the editorial and marketing teams. The tool enables reiff medien to conduct edition- and article-based analyses without consent banners and in full GDPR compliance. A feature that hardly any other analytics solution on the market offers. The edition overview shows the most visited pages and articles and allows real reader interests to be identified and specific focuses of individual departments to be planned accordingly.

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The Results: 40% More Subscriptions, Zero Errors, Zero Post-Processing

The transition to Purple brought reiff medien clearly measurable improvements. The numbers speak for themselves: In just two years, reiff medien increased e-paper subscriptions by an impressive 40%. Simultaneously, the delivery error rate fell to practically zero, with on-time availability now at nearly 100%. The manual visual inspection for edition completeness, previously required multiple times daily, was completely eliminated. The post-processing effort per edition today stands at zero minutes.

"The error rate has now been reduced to zero; everything functions reliably without our intervention", reports Richard Frisch, Marketing and Sales Director of Mittelbadische Presse, regarding the improvements. "The early evening edition, which had been defined as a must-have criterion, runs stably from 8 PM – this was not possible with the previously contracted provider. That was also a decisive reason for the switch. Advertising inserts and supplements are uploaded without issues via stable workflows and can be made available both free of charge and as individual purchases," Frisch adds.

reiff medien is very satisfied with the modern look and feel and the enhanced split-screen function. The page and article directory enables quick navigation: from the front page directly to the section page without zooming or scrolling. Mini-previews show the structure and placement of each story, while functions such as "back to section," "continue reading," and "recently opened" maintain reading flow.

By consolidating the five separate apps into a multi-title solution, administrative overhead for reiff medien was significantly reduced. Updates now need to be performed only once instead of five times, and store listings and app descriptions need to be maintained only once.

The analytics tool already delivers clear added value today: reiff medien can now make data-driven decisions about which article types and sections perform particularly well. The detailed analyses enable edition- and article-based evaluation, which allows better planning through targeted priorities. "I am very pleased with our decision. The combination of technical stability, innovative features, and the continuous development of the Purple platform continues to convince us", Kara summarizes.

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The Outlook: Jointly Shaping the Digital Future

The project demonstrates exemplarily how important stability, future viability, and continuous development are for publishers. The concrete results also provide impressive evidence that the investment in a modern platform pays off. reiff medien and Purple are already working on their next joint steps.

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