This is a nice summary Bob. I've learned a lot about the Android Market over the last few months, and I'm a big fan of the Lite/Pro approach to rolling out an app for a couple of reasons.
1. Feedback. Users are more forgiving of beta-quality and rough edges in a free Lite version. Use this good will to explore your application's features and to build good will. Be responsive to your Lite users and do frequent releases to incorporate new features. 2. Springboard for Pro Version. Lite applications are a great marketing tool in-and-of themselves. I think the following steps make a good Lite/Pro mix. - Market the snot out of the Lite version. Get it reviewed, get it discussed on the forums, and get it downloaded as much as possible. - Be patient. You've got to build a good Lite user base because the Lite version is your springboard into success with the Pro version. You will need to wait until you have a substantial user base for the Lite version (I waited until I had 30,000 downloads) before you release your Pro version. - Add key features to Pro. The Pro version should add high-value features for which users showed interest in the Lite version. - Provide an upgrade route. When your pro version is ready, add an "Upgrade to Pro" option in the Lite version. This will give you the ability to "harvest" your Lite user base. The effect of this approach has been truly fascinating to me. I saw an initial surge of movement from Lite to Pro. My most loyal users of Lite were happy to support my efforts, and consequently were also likely to leave the Pro version installed since they were already convinced with the Lite version. This has the effect of stacking the market stats in your favor, and I've seen my Pro version move up very quickly to the top ten in its category, and top 25 overall. Once that happens life gets a lot easier for an app... On Feb 19, 2:18 pm, Bob Kerns <r...@acm.org> wrote: > The 24h trial isn't so much for trial usage as it is to give people > courage to make that download, knowing that they might not like it > once they get to see it, or it might not even work. > > And at the typical price point, you do NOT want to have to support > customers who aren't happy (and won't be happy) with your product. > You want them to just move along. Hopefully without griping on the > comments page for your app! > > Especially since the space for descriptions in the Marketplace is SO > INCREDIBLY LAME. It's a poor channel to communicate what your app > does, so people who SHOULD buy it won't, and people who SHOULDN'T buy > it, will. > > Apple's store is roughly 2x as good. > > And while some use a "lite" version to give a taste, others use it to > provide a full-featured version, but supported by advertising. And > others use a hybrid model -- advertising and limited features -- > generally with the lite version having enough features to satisfy most > users, but for ones who seriously use your app, and need more > features, you give them an upgrade path, and for those disliking ads, > you give them an alternative, too. > > Still others, on each release of their paid version, make the prior > feature set available as their free version. So you get new features, > either way, you just get them sooner if you pay. (This is a less > common model, but I think it's a valid model, and suitable in some > circumstances). > > Lite versions give you more customers, from whom you can learn more > about what features people would like and what what they might pay > for. > > The wealth of free apps of all descriptions, including lite versions, > adds to the richness of the platform, and helps to expand the market > for all of us. > > It sounds to me like what you want is a "time limited trial version", > rather than a lite version. What you can do, instead of an in-app > upgrade, is to simply provide an in-app link to your full paid app in > the market place. Make it available at any time, and make it the only > option when the trial is expired. The user experience would be > similar, but Google and their carrier partners get their 30% cut, and > you stay within the agreement. > > Don't sweat the 2x listings issue. The Marketplace is pretty much > oriented around it, separating "free apps" and "paid apps" at every > opportunity. I'm not that happy with how they do it -- it's a pain, as > a user, and it doesn't do anything to inform users about a paid or > free alternative to the one they're looking at. But it's not your > issue. If you HAVE a free/paid model, or a demo/paid model, just be > sure to mention that in your description! You don't want people to > write off your paid app, because they didn't know they could get a > demo first. > > On Feb 19, 11:00 am, Carlo <ca...@hyperdevbox.com> wrote: > > > about games, if the "more than 24h" is needed i can understand that a > > light version is certainly needed , however 99% of the lite version on > > the markets seems to be a "lighted" version of the paid version (with > > less features) and so customer should better have the taste of the > > real full version, ...i am just concerned about the 2x listing and the > > flood of the market with multiple listing (look at the iphone appstore > > for example), I thought the 24H trial was installed, in the first > > place, for that exact reason :) > > > On Feb 20, 2:30 am, Angel Cruz <mrangelc...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > Wouldn't the paid version have more features than a free one? The free > > > one > > > should be fully functional, but is more of an appetizer for main course > > > (the > > > paid version). > > > > Also, as the paid version ages and is being retired, some turn them into > > > free version eventually. > > > > On Fri, Feb 19, 2010 at 9:12 AM, TreKing <treking...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > On Fri, Feb 19, 2010 at 9:32 AM, Carlo <ca...@hyperdevbox.com> wrote: > > > > >> can somebody explain the benefit of a lite version in a market where > > > >> there is 24h trial of the full version for everybody ? > > > > > A free version is a good marketing strategy to getting users to your > > > > paid > > > > app. > > > > > Suppose you only had the paid app, which you are actively working on. A > > > > user tries it out and uses up there one 24 trial. It doesn't quite have > > > > the > > > > features they want so they refund. Now your app is lost to them with no > > > > way > > > > of knowing that you're improving it. Maybe they come across it again in > > > > the > > > > just in list out of dumb luck and see that it's been updated. But now if > > > > they buy it there's no going back - no more refunds. Most people will > > > > probably not risk getting stuck with your app if they didn't like it the > > > > first time, so they'll pass and you lose out potential sales. > > > > > However, if you have a free version, even if it's not quite what the > > > > user > > > > wants, they'll probably keep it since it's free. As you add features to > > > > your > > > > paid app, you update your free version as well to fix issues, add some > > > > basic > > > > features, and let the free-version users know what they get if they get > > > > the > > > > paid version. Now those that have the free version know that a new > > > > version > > > > of you paid app is available and what they're getting for their money so > > > > they are more confident about buying and probably won't refund. > > > > > Essentially, you can use a free version to create a user base of > > > > potential > > > > sales. > > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > ---------------------- > > > > TreKing - Chicago transit tracking app for Android-powered devices > > > >http://sites.google.com/site/rezmobileapps/treking > > > > > -- > > > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > > > > Groups "Android Developers" group. > > > > To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com > > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > > > android-developers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com<android-developers%2Bunsubs > > > > cr...@googlegroups.com> > > > > For more options, visit this group at > > > >http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Developers" group. 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