Setting a paid app free boost sales?

outsidethebyteoutsidethebyte Member Posts: 115
edited November -1 in Business and Marketing Theory
Does setting a paid app that is currently selling everyday free for a few days boost or decrease sales in your experience? I'd appreciate people's opinions.

Comments

  • MagoNicolasMagoNicolas Member, PRO Posts: 2,090
    In my Experience, I do it with ePig Rope http://www.epiggames.com/games/e-pig-rope
    Got 50.000 Downloads in 2 days, and sales for the next 2 or 3 weeks Doubled or Tripled, So it was a good strategy for me.

    Cheers.

    PS: Download ePig Dash Free Now!

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  • SlickZeroSlickZero Houston, TexasMember, Sous Chef Posts: 2,870
    Setting it free for a few days, or having a free version gets you a lot more exposure for sure. Instead of 10 sales a day, you'd likely get hundreds or thousands of downloads a day on the free version, and some of those people may decide to go ahead and buy the full version, if the game is good.
  • MagoNicolasMagoNicolas Member, PRO Posts: 2,090
    I Tried Lite versions, and only have Small Download, not 50.000 as ePig Rope free for 2 days.
  • ckck Member Posts: 224
    ++good for this. Just set mine free, and went from below 400 ranking to top 30
  • xyloFUNxyloFUN Member Posts: 1,593
    Setting an app free for a bit is pretty much the only thing you can do if you have no other means of marketing it.
    downloads go crazy on free stuff and the trick is to do it for just a day or two.
    If you offer it any longer, even the free downloads will taper off (in my experience at least).

    The plus side is that tons of web sites will pick up the price change.
    The minus side is that (i think) you will lose the N&N rating? Maybe someone else can confirm this?

    Ciao,
    xF
  • EatingMyHatEatingMyHat Member Posts: 1,246
    Lite and going free do not have the same impact. Going from paid to free gets you a lot of attention, getting a lite version out will not.

    My plan is to try to following:
    1. Free for 1-2 days
    2. Release lite as soon as free period is over

    This way people who see that the price is back on and will not want to buy, might go for the lite version instead of not downloading at all.

    What do you guys think?
  • ckck Member Posts: 224
    Is anyone thinking about setting their app free, establishing a strong user base, and then adding iAds?
  • gazjmgazjm Member Posts: 578
    I wouldn't set an existing paid app to free, then add ads because it will peev all te people who paid for a game with no ads.

    I've just made one of my apps free, it has gamecenter(non-gs) so I'm going to use the leaderboard as a tell of how many are downloading, hopefully it will be alot. setting back to paid after a few days.
  • outsidethebyteoutsidethebyte Member Posts: 115
    Thanks for your input guys. I think I'll give it a try
  • MammothMammoth Member Posts: 640
    Is there any way to set the game with app with adds and then have an in app purchase for no ads. ;)

    Also businesses lower prices everyday, it is just part of life.
  • ChaserChaser Member Posts: 1,453
    I set all my apps free for 4 hours and got a couple thousand downloads. After they went paid again I sold about 100. Unfortunately the next 4 days my sales dropped drastically to only 1-2 a day. So for me, not worth it unless just for exposure.
  • MagoNicolasMagoNicolas Member, PRO Posts: 2,090
    Mammoth said:
    Is there any way to set the game with app with adds and then have an in app purchase for no ads. ;)

    Also businesses lower prices everyday, it is just part of life.

    Yep is possible, its very easy.
    If Pro, don't Spawn Actor that have iAds.
    Else, Spawn actor with iAds.

    But now we don't have in App in Gs.

    Cheers.
  • MammothMammoth Member Posts: 640
    Yeah I can't wait for that feature too :)
  • MagoNicolasMagoNicolas Member, PRO Posts: 2,090
    Mammoth said:
    Yeah I can't wait for that feature too :)

    Dude, I NEED In App Purchase NOW!
    LOL.
  • BobDBobD Member, PRO Posts: 374
    I heard that Apple will change your ranking when you switch between paid and free. Does anyone know if this is correct?
  • GLGAMESGLGAMES SingaporeMember Posts: 988
    My game was doing 0 downloads for a week after 2nd wk of release. now i made it free so far there's 3-4 downloads a day sometime 7. But then not a very impressive no. Probably still need some promoting .
  • ultimaultima Member, PRO Posts: 1,207
    ElCondor said:
    I heard that Apple will change your ranking when you switch between paid and free. Does anyone know if this is correct?

    anyone have idea about this?
  • MammothMammoth Member Posts: 640
    ^^ I have heard that too.

    www.mammothinteractive.net
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