Noticing all those ‘in-app purchases’ incorporated into apps on your smartphone or tablet?
“That’s completely fair enough,” suggests the team at Appz out of Australia this week. “Mobile app development doesn’t come cheap, and those apps marketed as ‘free’ still need to be lucrative so app developers can make more.”
But they can be a pain in the old tookis for many consumers. So how does one use them without angering the audience?
For starters, let’s review.
“In-app purchases are the additional content, functionality, services, or subscriptions that iPhone and Android app developers sell and customers can buy through the app- but they must pay for it to access it.”
Content varies from everything to a downloadable eBook to additional levels or characters in a game.
Some good rules to follow? Remember, the goal is to make these engaging, user-friendly, and valuable to the user.
“Your customer should be able to access their in-app purchase on any device registered under their name,” suggests the app development company. “If they pay for the premium service of Tinder or buy extra donuts for the Simpsons Tapped Out game on their smart phone, they should be able to access these things on their tablet as well. Failing to make them usable across all devices will anger your end user.”
Anything else? Oh, yeah.
“Any credits or virtual currency you make available for purchase within your app must not be restricted by an imposed time limit. Users should be able to use their purchase at a time of their choosing, not simply have to blow them because they’re under time constraints.”
And there’s another thing.
“Any content that users buy as an in-app purchase must be permanent and able to be kept by the customer. They should be able to delete the app at any time, reinstall it and still be able to access their additional content (excepting consumable content, of course).”
According to this post, in-app purchases truly can enhance the user experience. “When done badly though, whether the purchases are priced too highly; the purchasing process is too complicated or the product doesn’t meet your customer’s expectations, it can turn the user off your app completely.”
Forewarned is forearmed! Now go ahead and in-app today.