Case Study: The Seattle Times improved subscription conversions 30% and retention 25% with Zuora
Key results
The challenge
The Seattle Times, a family-owned daily newspaper, shifted to an audience-centric, subscription-first model but lacked modern subscription-management systems. Its legacy print-oriented payment infrastructure caused high involuntary churn, with 62% of digital-only cancellations resulting from failed payment processing.
The solution
The Seattle Times adopted Zuora's cloud platform for digital sign-up, payment processing, and end-to-end subscriber lifecycle management.
“Overnight, new subscription conversions improved by 30%.”
CHCurtis HuberSenior Director, Circulation and Audience Revenue, The Seattle Times
The results, in context
The Seattle Times reported that new digital subscription conversions improved by 30% and retention improved by 25% after moving to Zuora. Its subscriber base grew to more than 65,000, including a 35% increase in subscribers between March and June 2020.