B2B’s Inventory Crunch: The Race To Launch New Products Online

A good story in the latest issue of Media Business magazine about the race to launch new products and services online by the trade publishers, in the face of inventory crunch (an issue we are very familiar with here)

Unlike print, where the folio can be increased to fit more ads, “inventory online can be limited,” said Alec Dann, senior VP-Internet publishing at PostNewsweek TechMedia. “We are sold out, at least in part, for months of the year, and we turn away business,” Dann said. “That’s not unusual based on what I’ve heard from other publishers.” Given that demand outweighs supply, at least during key times of the year, Dann said he is considering raising online advertising rates this year.

“Demand is definitely allowing us to raise rates,” said Prescott Shibles, VP-online development at Prism Business Media. “In some cases, people are on waiting lists because we’re sold out. We try to tailor programs so that we can handle our inventory in the best possible way, but that’s becoming more of a challenge.”

One solution is to launch video services. Another is vertical search services.

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