Subscribing to an All-You-Can-Read E-Bookstore: Tariff Choice, and Contract Renewal for E-Book Purchases

E-book markets are currently moving through a period of disequilibrium as new pricing structures (i.e., flat-fee subscriptions) are rapidly embraced by major vendors. On the basis of a novel dataset, we investigate how the availability of “all-you-can-read” pricing programs influences consumers’ tariff choice and contract renewal behaviors. Consistent with the rational choice framework, the findings suggest that most e-book consumers significantly gain from subscription-based tariffs. Power readers prefer flat-fee subscriptions, and those that have economically benefited renew their subscription. However, we also find some other intriguing results. Among the three subscription designs examined, the 1-week plan affords consumers more economic benefits than do 1-day or 1-month programs. Finally, iOS users are more inclined to select subscription models than are Android users because of the absence of in-app purchase functionalities for the former. The unavailability of in-app purchase affects tariff choices and transaction patterns as it increases transaction costs.