Custom app for magazine subscription administration
Magazine publishers receive the same questions every week: an issue that was not delivered, a new address, a holiday, a payment that looks wrong. Appfront builds an app in which subscribers handle these themselves, integrated with your subscription administration. That way a change is correctly reflected in the administration straight away, and customer service has time for the questions that need attention.
What is an app for magazine subscription administration?
A publisher with subscribers keeps a subscription administration: who receives which magazine, at what address, until when, and what has been paid. That administration usually runs well. The work lies in the changes subscribers request, which arrive by email, phone or web form and are processed by hand.
An issue that didn't arrive, a move, a holiday during which delivery pauses, a question about an invoice. These are small questions, but they come in large numbers, often shortly after a publication date. Handling them all manually means a busy customer service team and subscribers who wait a long time for an answer.
An app for subscribers takes that work away. We build custom solutions because publishers differ: which titles and subscription types, which administration and delivery partner, and what subscribers are allowed to manage themselves. An app for reading the magazine is a different thing; for that, see our page on magazine apps.
Handled themselves
Address, delivery and payment in the app.
Processed immediately
Changes go straight into your administration.
Fewer questions
Customer service has time to spare.
How we build your app for magazine subscription administration
We start with your customer service: which questions come up most, how they are handled now, and which administration and delivery partner you use. We often begin with delivery complaints and address changes, as those are the most common. Payments, gift subscriptions and cancellations follow once the first version runs well. That way you can quickly see whether the questions reaching customer service decline. We then expand with whatever subscribers look for most in the app.
What subscribers ask and how it's handled now.
What subscribers can manage themselves.
With your administration and delivery partner.
Going live, and expanding with what subscribers ask for.
What an app for magazine subscription administration actually does
The components below appear in almost every app for subscribers. Which ones you need depends on your titles.
Subscriptions
Titles and term.
Address
Move reported by the subscriber.
Delivery
Pausing and resuming.
Not received
Report per issue.
Payments
Invoices and payment method.
Cancellation
As easy as signing up.
Who we build an app for magazine subscription administration for
The app is intended for publishers with subscribers to a print or digital magazine. The more subscribers and issues, the more time the app saves.
Publishers
Multiple titles. Fewer questions matter most.
Magazines
Business subscribers. Invoices are central.
Associations
A magazine included with membership. Addresses matter.
Administration agencies
For multiple publishers. Overview is key.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
This page is about an app for subscribers. For an app to read the magazine, see our page on the magazine app; for titles and rights, our page on publishing software; and for subscriptions in general, our page on a subscription management platform. You can read about our way of working under building an app.
Why choose Appfront for your magazine subscription administration app?
A change that arrives by email and is processed by hand takes up customer service time and keeps the subscriber waiting. That is where we come in: subscribers manage things themselves, the change is reflected in the administration straight away, and customer service has time to spare.
Handled themselves
Subscribers don't have to wait.
Right first time
No retyping into the administration.
Calmer customer service
Fewer questions after every issue.
Security and privacy for a magazine subscription administration app
The app holds subscribers' names, addresses and payment details. A subscriber sees only their own information, login is secured, and every change is recorded.
The data is stored in a European data centre, with encrypted storage and daily back-ups. We record the processing in a data processing agreement.
Frequently asked questions about a magazine subscription administration app
Questions publishers ask before getting started.
It lets subscribers view their subscription themselves, submit a new address, pause delivery, report an issue with a missing issue and check payments. Every change goes straight into your subscription administration. The subscriber also sees immediately what happens as a result of the change, so they don't need to phone to check that it went through.
No. A magazine app is for reading the magazine. This app covers everything around the subscription: delivery, address, payment and cancellation.
Yes, provided it offers an interface. Subscriptions and payments come from the administration, and changes are written back to it. We will look at which route is available in the first step.
Yes. The subscriber selects the issue, and the report goes to you and, if you wish, to the delivery partner. You can see per issue where things go wrong. If a postcode keeps failing, you'll spot it straight away, rather than only after dozens of phone calls.
Yes, if you wish. Cancelling in the app is as simple as signing up, with the end date shown. You can offer an alternative, but the subscriber must always be able to continue.
Yes. For a digital subscription, delivery and address fall away, while term, payment and cancellation remain. If a subscriber has both a printed and a digital subscription, they see them together in one app.
Check this first. Some packages include a web portal for subscribers. Custom development makes sense if you have multiple titles or delivery partners, or if the portal isn't being used. An app on the phone is opened more often than a portal where a subscriber first has to recover a forgotten password.
Subscribers who manage their subscription themselves?
Tell us which titles you publish, which questions come up most often and which administration you work with. We'll show you what the app looks like.