A Good Pricing Guide / Strategy for IAPs

kaanuki

Has anyone ever outlined a good Pricing Guide / Strategy for IAPs, that they have used or seen in other successful 'Freemium' Titles? Whats a good rule of thumb?

I should have been more clear with my question. What I was trying to find out was a good pricing ratio - coins earned/purchased to item price. ie, If a my player collects 200 coins in a level, what do you charge for items useable in the next level(s).

I know this is not an exact science, but I am sure a lot of thought (and science) has gone into figuring out a good "fair price to value" ratio.

Asobu_Games

One good tip is to aim for consumable purchases (like coins or potions etc) and give people a reason to keep buying them! Non consumables (like gear for example) require you to make lots of content which can be time consuming.

Another tip is to have some more expensive options. You would be surprised what people out there are willing to pay if they really like your game! It doesn't hurt to give the option, and you can make it more appealing by offering better value. For example in my game I have 4 coin pack options at $1, $3, $5 and $10. Each one is better value than the last and I actually find that all of them bring in a pretty similar amount of revenue. In other words I sell about 10x more $1 IAP compared to the $10 but the total revenue is about the same

Good luck!

kaanuki

@Asobu_Games - Good stuff!

FYI - In my research I just read an article that states that the " average transaction value for an iOS or Android purchase is $14." Although its a little dated as far as apps is concerned (2011). Not sure if they meant TOTAL purchases or 1-time purchase. You may want to add a new tier...???

wpaten

This market seems to be changing so rapidly it's hard to give a good guide for something like this. I like to keep my eye on the Highest Grossing in iTunes. This tells me who is making the most money. I then see what they are charging and more importantly, how they are going about it. Mimic what they do.

Asobu_Games

Definitely. Look at the best examples (highest grossing) in your chosen genre. They must be doing something right!

FYI I have a friend who put a $100 IAP in his game and he said someone bought it recently. No matter how high you go you might find someone willing to pay it.

kaanuki

@Asobu_Games - Wow! Did he actually think someone would buy it?

I should have been more clear with my question. What I was trying to find out was a good pricing ratio - coins earned/purchased to item price. ie, If a my player collects 200 coins in a level, what do you charge for items useable in the next level(s).

I know this is not an exact science, but I am sure a lot of thought (and science) has gone into figuring out a good "fair price to value" ratio.

Asobu_Games

I think he was just putting it in there to see if someone would!

Ah I see what you mean now about the pricing ratio. Personally I looked at a whole bunch of similar games (to mine), and tried to work out a price that was similar or a little better value than those. For example I charged $1 for an amount of coins that would take the player 15 or 20 minutes to earn on their own. If they can earn themselves it in 1 minute there is no incentive to buy the IAP. Then just make the bigger purchases get gradually better value (10 or 20%) as an incentive to buy the bigger coin packs. Eg if 500 coins costs $1, Give them 2000 coins for $3 (25% bonus)

Chakku

FYI I have a friend who put a $100 IAP in his game and he said someone bought it recently. No matter how high you go you might find someone willing to pay it.

@Asobu_Games

Wow!

I'd love to know what game that was?

Link please!

Chakku

kaanuki

@Asobu_Games - what coin amount do your items begin? What can they get for that 1st level of coin buys?