How Business Insider will expand its research unit overseas

Jessica Davies of Digiday writes about how Business Insider plans to expand its research unit internationally.

Davies writes, “The research unit, which launched in the U.S. in 2013, sells a mix of enterprise and individual subscriptions, ranging from $500 (£385) for an annual newsletter to $2,500 (£1,900) a year, as well as enterprise subscriptions which vary in cost and include newsletters and reports. It has 5,000 paid subscribers globally, and spans six verticals. Five are created by the U.S. BI Intelligence team: payments, apps and platforms, internet of things, e-commerce, digital media. The fintech vertical, set up in March, is the first to be driven from London. (All are sold globally) Most verticals run around 24 reports a year, like the Fintech Ecosystem, which has had good pic-u in London.

“Heggestuen moved to the U.K. in February to launch BI Intelligence, and will soon move back Stateside having hired two staff to run the fintech subscription product. He hopes to have a third in place in London by the end of the year.

“He declined to reveal subscriptions figures for the U.K. products, but said that conversion rates are a ‘lot higher than expected’ and that’s meant their revenue targets are high.  More than half its entire subscriber base is from enterprise subscriptions.”

Read more here.