Microsoft says trial apps get 12 times more downloads

Microsoft says trial apps get 12 times more downloads

Microsoft is urging Windows Store developers to offer trial versions of their apps, claiming they increase downloads by a factor of 12.

One of of the few unique features of the Windows Store - compared to rivals such as the iOS App Store and Google Play - is that it allows developers to offer a feature- or time-limited trial of their apps.

Microsoft is signposting apps that offer trial versions in the revamped Windows 8.1 Store, putting a "free trial" label alongside the price in homepage listings.

The company claims free trials are a key way of generating interest in apps. "Trials matter," said Arik Cohen, principal lead program manager on the Windows Store team, speaking at the company's Build conference. "We added trial support for Windows 8 apps. An app that has trials, compared to an app that doesn’t have trials, has 12 times the downloads."

Cohen crucially declined to reveal if apps that offer trials generate more paying customers than those without, although he did state that around 4% of trial customers are converted to paying customers on an industry-wide basis.

App money making

Cohen revealed that advertising is still the primary means of generating revenue from apps, with 38% of developers choosing that means of monetisation. Pay for download is used by 32% of apps, 26% use in-app purchases, 25% use a freemium model and 12% use subscriptions.

However, Cohen said the total amount of revenue generated by the various methods was roughly equal. "Even though less people are using subscriptions, it generates an equivalent amount of money to those who are using advertising," he said.

Microsoft is opening up a new advertising SDK for Windows 8.1 that allows users to display Microsoft-sourced ads inside their apps, much like webmasters can insert Google Ads on their websites.

The SDK includes the option to offer advertising targeted specifically at the user, although Microsoft allows users to opt-out of targeting either globally or on an individual app basis.