Monetizing Windows Phone Apps

Kasun KodagodaICT Undergraduate @ RUSL

Overview

• First Steps of Monetization• Business Models• What can you do?• Demos• Q&A

First Steps of Monetization

High App

Revenue

Select Best Business

Model

Market the App

Publish the App

Optimize the App

Develop App

Select the widest audience

Learn from Feedback

& Performance

Learn forNext App

Business Models

• Paid Apps

• In-App Purchase

• Mobile Ads

Mobile Ads

• Show mobile ads in your WP app

• Select the right app to display mobile ads

• Good business model for apps that are• Used Frequently

• Used for many hours per day

• Use Microsoft Ad Control

• There are many third party ad providers

Mobile AdsThird party Ad Providers

Mobile AdsBest Practices

• Don’t be intrusive

• Don’t compete with the content of the app

• Make the ad a part of the design

• One ad per page

• Set to AutoCollapse

• Use auto or manual refresh

• Trap exceptions and display your ads

DEMOUsing Mobile Ads

Paid Apps

• Traditional model.

• Can have paid+trial

• Over 90% of the highest grossing apps have trial capability enabled.

• Average conversion rate is 1-5 %

• If you are doing over 10% you are doing great.

• 2 ways of implementing trial experience.• Feature limited trial

• Time limited trial

In-App Purchase

• Only available in Windows Phone 8

• Best business model in WP8 for higher revenue

• Sell digital items inside the app

• Call “Freemium” Model

• Publish the app in Free section of the store

• Adds value through IAP

• 2 types of digital material• Consumables

• Durables

In-App Purchase

Consumables Durables

Digital items that you buy, they consume when used.

Digital items that you buy once and own forever

E.g.:• Game Credits• Weapon Ammo• Game Hints

E.g.:• Maps• Game Characters• Weapons• Game Levels• Sound Tracks

In-App PurchaseBest Practices

• Design the app with IAP in mind

• Give some functionality to the user

• Can offer multiple versions of the app

• Give descriptive details about what user is buying

Free+IAP vs. Paid+Trial

Paid+Trial

App shown

in

Managed by

Options

Support

Paid App Section

Operating System (Little development work)

Trial Only

WP 7 & 8

Free App Section (more users)

By App(Developer has more work)

Many (multiple versions, consumables, durables)

WP 8

Free+IAP

DEMOImplementing Trial Experience

What can you do?

• Keep it simple as possible

• Not very complex input operations

• Get it done in fewer taps

Create great user experience

What can you do?

• Modern is good, but don’t limit your self

• Stick to the guidelines

• Use high res images, quality audio

Create cool UI

What can you do?

• First 2 lines of the description is important

• List out features of the app

• Add update details

• Upload good screen shots

• Create an attractive icon

• Don’t forget to upload a background image

Attractive marketplace details

What can you do?

• Rating, Feedback prompts• But, DON’T nag them

• Crash reports

• Entice the user to give feedback

Implement feedback mechanisms

What can you do?

• Add features

• Fix bugs and crashes

• Update often

• Test your app on multiple devices if possible• Use Nokia RDA (Remote Device

Access)

Monitor and react to feedback

What can you do?

• Live tiles

• Lock screen notifications

• Lock screen images

• Toasts etc.

Use what WP has to offer

What can you do?

• Reach a bigger market

• Speak to users in their own language

• Very easy to implement• E.g. Multilingual Toolkit from Microsoft

Localize your app

DEMOLocalizing your WP App

What can you do?

• Facebook pages, tweet

• Post on WP groups on Facebook

• If people are talking about your app, reach out to them

• Drop the price once in a while

• Get in to dev communities like Nokia Dvlup

Do promotion of your app

Q&AKasun Kodagodakvkrusl@gmail.com071-7673839www.facebook.com/kasun.kodagoda

See Ya!!!

China

Latin America

US & Canada

Germany, France, UK

Europe

India

Other

App Downloads

English

Mandarin

Spanish

Russian

Italian

Others

Primary User Languages

Some Important Stats…

* For the calendar year of 2013