The i’s new ‘i’m On Your Side’ initiative is aimed at converting existing casual buyers into subscribers.

Currently on trial with 95 retailers in the UK, it consists of three promotions designed for regular readers, business consumers, schools, colleges and universities.

The i’s sales and marketing manager, Paul Bacon, said the initiative aims to turn casual readers into dedicated ones.

“Regular subscriptions have 30% off as an incentive, but ‘i’m On Your Side’ gives readers 50% off on weekly copies for a month, alongside a free copy of the iWeekend on Saturdays,” he told RN. 

“The goal is to turn infrequent purchasers into loyal readers, and retailers are reimbursed the costs of the weekend copies and are rewarded with £5 for each reader they help convert into a subscriber.”

The trial’s performance will be evaluated when it ends on 17 November.

“We only have vague results so far, but we know some retailers have greatly increased their sales and already converted some into new subscribers,” said Bacon. “Given what we’ve seen so far, we will be running this initiative again.”

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