Dan Burcaw is Co-Founder & CEO of Nami ML. He built a top mobile app development agency responsible for some of the most elite apps on the App Store and then found himself inside the mobile marketing industry after selling his last company to Oracle.
Nami Co-Founder & CEO Dan Burcaw joins Subscriptions: Scaled Podcast with Nick Fredrick to discuss what it takes to launch a mobile subscription business, how Nami can help, and more.
Here's the podcast synopsis from the show page:
Do you want to learn how a service that helps businesses launch mobile app subscriptions works? Then tune in to the latest episode of Subscriptions: Scaled, with Dan Burcaw, Co-Founder & CEO at Nami ML. Throughout the episode, you’ll learn all about Nami ML as a company, the recent changes in the subscription industry, mobile app subscription integration, and so much more.
No-code paywalls are a huge part of what makes the Nami platform so valuable for our customers. With just a couple lines of code to setup our SDK and then invoke the paywall, developers and app publishers are able to start selling in-app purchases and subscriptions to their customers on Android and Apple devices without having to write any code to process the transactions or manage the complexity of the subscription lifecycle.
Today we are adding even more power and flexibility to our no-code paywall solution by introducing styles.
Prior to the introduction of styles, Nami users were limited to matching their brand on the purchase screen by selecting imagery and uploading it as a background.
Now you can reflect your brand on the purchase screen by adjusting the many styles on the paywall to match your brand palette, including the colors of all fonts, buttons, and the bottom overlay on the paywall.
Let’s start by opening up the Cloud Paywall Creator in the Nami Control Center.
Simply look for the Theme subsection at the end of each screen where you modify the content and design of your paywall. You’ll now see new options to adjust colors and font sizes. Click on a color label to open up the color picker.
Additionally, all text now has the options to add a shadow. Simply turn on the toggle next to Shadow for each text field that you wish to have a shadow. Select a radius and color that works with your designs. See the changes previewed right away our our Paywall Previewer in the web browser.
Add the paywall to a live campaign and click Update and you’ll see the changes reflected in your mobile app right away.
Have really great imagery that you really want to highlight in the design of your paywall? Simply switch off the toggle for UseBottom Overlay and it will go away, placing the buttons for your in-app purchase products directly on the image.
Drawing attention to your most popular SKUs can both help in increasing conversion rates on your paywalls and increasing revenue by driving users to select different SKUs that may reduce churn rates or increase conversions from free trials with your users.
We have introduced 2 new features to help you put the focus where you want it.
You’ll find both of these options on the Products section of the paywall. Put your SKUs in the right order and change the color of your best seller!
If you already spent all your time hunting for the best image for your purchase screen, open the eyedropper tool to select colors directly from your image into any color picker tool in the paywall design. Quickly match the rest of your paywall to the image you’ve selected.
Have a designer that can help you make your paywalls even better or want to reuse a great style you already built in another paywall? No problem. Use the export button on the Overview tab to get a JSON of all your styles. Modify it and then import it into the paywall to get all your style information right away.
Happy designing and we are excited to see the beautiful designs you are able to pull together using our new tools!
Error 2020 occurs when the app’s regional availability settings in App Store Connect do not cover the user’s location. This is frequently intentional, especially for apps targeting specific countries due to licensing or legal constraints. However, it may also happen inadvertently if the app’s settings are misconfigured or certain regions were omitted unintentionally.
Common Scenarios for Error 2020 - App Not Available in Your Country
Developers typically encounter this error in the following situations:
Testing in Unavailable Regions: Attempting to test or distribute an app in a region where it’s not available triggers this error.
Intentional Regional Restrictions: Apps intended for specific markets may block access in non-target regions.
Incorrect App Store Connect Availability Settings: Misconfigured availability settings in App Store Connect can prevent users from accessing the app.
Geo-Restricted Content: Apps with geo-restricted media or services may be limited to certain regions, causing this error.
Step-by-Step Solutions for Error 2020
Solution 1: Review and Update Availability Settings in App Store Connect
Purpose: Ensures that the app is available in all intended regions.
Steps:
Log in to App Store Connect and go to Pricing and Availability.
Under Availability, verify that all target countries and regions are selected.
Update the settings if additional countries need to be included.
Result: Expanding availability settings allows users from more regions to access the app.
Solution 2: Check Regional Restrictions in Content or Licensing Agreements
Purpose: Ensures that the app’s content or services comply with regional restrictions.
Steps:
Review any content or licensing agreements that may restrict the app’s availability.
Ensure that all regions allowed by these agreements are covered in App Store Connect.
Update availability based on these restrictions.
Result: Aligning the app’s settings with licensing agreements avoids inadvertent geo-restrictions.
Solution 3: Test with a VPN to Simulate Different Regions
Purpose: Verifies the app’s availability in target regions by simulating different locations.
Steps:
Use a VPN to connect from a country where the app should be available.
Attempt to access and download the app in the App Store.
Confirm that the app appears as available or troubleshoot further if it’s still restricted.
Result: VPN testing helps identify regions where the app is unavailable, helping refine availability settings.
Solution 4: Notify Users of Regional Availability and Future Plans
Purpose: Provides users in restricted regions with information about potential future availability.
Steps:
Update the app’s description or website to indicate current regional availability.
Optionally include future availability plans for users in currently restricted areas.
Guide users to request updates for new regional availability.
Result: Informing users manages expectations and helps prepare for possible future expansion.
Solution 5: Contact Apple Developer Support if Restrictions are Unintentional
Purpose: Helps address unexpected restrictions that may not align with the intended availability settings.
Steps:
Document all current availability settings in App Store Connect.
Reach out to Apple Developer Support with details of the issue.
Follow Apple’s guidance to adjust settings if necessary.
Result: Apple’s support team can provide assistance to resolve unintentional regional restrictions.
Conclusion
Error 2020 - App Not Available in Your Country, usually results from regional availability settings or content restrictions. By reviewing availability in App Store Connect, checking licensing agreements, testing with VPNs, notifying users of availability, and consulting Apple Support, developers can manage and resolve this error effectively.
With Nami’s low-code solutions, developers can streamline regional app configurations to focus on market expansion with ease. Discover more at NamiML.
In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, The App Economy and The User, we explored the how the App Economy’s focus on growth has wrecked the user experience for many apps, and how an over reliance on paid advertising in order to generate new downloads creates a negative cycle that is difficult to break.
In Part 3 we recommend an alternative approach that is win-win for users and publishers. But first, we should talk about monetizing growth…
Monetizing Growth
Five years after the introduction of the iPhone, just 35% of American adults owned a smartphone according to Pew Research. Fast forward to today, and ownership has skyrocketed to 81% in the US. Across the globe, smartphone ownership is on the rise in both developed and emerging markets.
It’s no surprise that over the same period of time, app publishers (1, 2, 3) have experienced rapidly growing install bases with tens of millions of downloads. With so many installs, it’s understandable that monetization strategies focused on audience size have become en vogue.
About Those Mobile Ads
According to AppAnnie, mobile accounted for 62% of digital advertising spend in 2018; a $155 billion market. Many of these “mobile first” ads promote the installation of other mobile apps and have become an essential part of app publishers’ user acquisition strategy as discussed in Part 2 of this series.
Monetization through ads is a volume game. Individual ad impressions are worth little to nothing except in the rare case a user taps on an ad. Sadly, many ads are poor quality and end up disjointing the user experience rather than harmonizing with it.
Mobile ads leave much to be desired.
In today’s era of Super Retina displays, it's shocking that agencies publish display ads which represent their brands and look lousy on high resolution displays.
Apple famously tried to improve the quality of mobile ads with their 2010 acquisition of Quattro, which was the basis for Apple’s iAd network. However, that effort was shuttered in 2016 as Apple shifted focus to app search ads on the App Store.
Interactive iAd brand campaign
Unfortunately, it’s not merely the look and feel of mobile ads that is a problem for end users. Ad frameworks that app developers thoughtlessly integrate into their apps in order to serve ads can do as much or more harm to user experience than ugly creative.
Ad frameworks employ advanced targeting algorithms to serve ads to users. Most frameworks collect data about users under the guise of showing more relevant advertising. Relevancy sound great, but most users are unaware how much data an app is harvesting, especially apps that serve ads. How would you feel if an app was selling your data to the highest bidder? This is exactly what’s happening.
But what about apps without ads?
Even if an app isn’t serving ads, it may very well contain a framework that harvests your data.
Of particular concern are apps that use your location, such as weather apps. You may agree to share your location in order for the app to give you a relevant experience, but, unbeknownst to you, the same app might also be sharing your location with an ad targeting framework. With this data, ad technology companies can map your movements and quickly figure out where you live and work.
It’s not just the display ad providers, however, that are interested in data collection. The entire marketing and advertising technology ecosystem thrives on your data. Many of these companies view mobile as a key source in building immense data clouds full of rich user profiles.
Luckily, Apple continues to be focused on end user privacy, giving users more control about how and when their data is shared with apps. Apple has also made data collection much more transparent to the end user, especially with location sharing and Bluetooth access.
Furthermore, Apple’s App Store review guidelines continue to evolve, encouraging app publishes to focus more on end user privacy. While some apps have been updated to be on par with the new standards, others have gone above and beyond, offering a truly user-centric experience.
Some app publishers are following Apple's lead by offering more control over how data is collected.
The US Federal Trade Commission has also taken action against companies such as Facebook and InMobi, who have notoriously put profits above user privacy.
Wouldn’t it be great to build a real business around your app that customers are willing to pay for? It seems like such an obvious approach, but it’s not entirely that clear cut.
The app ecosystem has evolved a lot since the App Store launch in 2008. Several changes have challenged app publishers to embrace new monetization tools. Great apps can be expensive to build and maintain. App publishers need a reliable, viable means to make their investments worthwhile.
Let’s take a look at three common monetization approaches:
1. Pay to Download
Paid apps were the primary monetization approach in year one of the App Store. As the number of apps increased, however, publishers found themselves in a race to the bottom on price. A one-time price of $0.99 in a growing-but-nascent market was clearly not a recipe for sustainability.
Paid apps were common on the App Store in 2008.
2. In-App Purchases
Apple introduced in-app purchases in 2009, originally restricted to paid apps and available to free apps later that year. This created a new avenue for monetization with inexpensive, and later free, apps attracting larger audiences and offering in-app purchases.
This model has become ubiquitous in games. A consumable resource such as virtual coins can be sold to players to be used to buy virtual commodities, unlock features, or speed up the progress of a game. Monster money maker like Clash of Clans provides in-app purchases that allow players to remain competitive against the legion of other players across the internet who are doing the same, culminating an in-app purchase arms race of sorts.
Many mobile games sell virtual coins via in-app purchase which are spent during game play.
Across all app genres, in-app purchase are used for countless add-ons from photo filters to recipe bundles to workout routines. They are even used to allow users to remove ads from an app, letting the app publisher trade one revenue source for another.
The 'arms race’ phenomenon, however, doesn’t exist in non-games. Because most non-games lack a linear progression or an endless market of virtual goods, in-app purchases haven’t radically improved the long term sustainability that app publishers want outside of the game category.
In-app purchases that unlock an ad-free mode continues to be a common across categories.
3. Subscriptions
After the iPad launched in 2011, Apple introduced in-app subscriptions which were originally reserved for content publishing apps such as newspapers, magazines, video, and music.
Apple’s signature launch partner for in-app subscriptions was News Corp’s The Daily. The Daily was ahead of its time in its user experience and monetization approach, but iPad users weren’t ready and The Daily was discontinued just a year later.
The Daily, an iPad only newspaper from News Corp, was ahead of its time.
Fast forward to 2016. Four years after the launch of The Daily, Apple reported having 1 billion active devices in use around the world. This incredible milestone meant a renewed opportunity to build strong recurring revenue businesses in the ecosystem.
To do so, App Store subscriptions were overhauled and opened up to apps in all categories and improved its revenue split to be more friendly to app publishers. The original split was 70% to the app publisher and 30% to Apple. The new split was 70/30 in the first year, and 85/15 in subsequent years. This model still exists as of this article’s publication (Oct 2019.)
The in-app purchase model seems to be working. According to App Annie’s State of Mobile 2019report, consumer spending is up 120% since 2016, largely attributable to growth from subscriptions. The firm forecasts that subscriptions will drive the app economy to grow by another $75 billion dollars by 2022.
It’s clear that we’ve entered an app economy that is fueled by subscriptions.
Building a paid customer base focused on growing recurring subscription revenue is so fundamentally different from focusing on audience growth, where acquiring new users is much of the ballgame. How do app publishers thrive in this new world?
A mindset shift is necessary. In the subscription economy, it’s vital to be at peace with the fact that not all users who visit your website or download your app are going to become paid subscriptions.
A Mindset Shift
In the subscription economy, your job is to identify and encourage your users, and nurture them through a customer journey. Through that journey you’ll understand that your best users have high potential to become your best customers.
The subscription customer journey is not focused on creating hyperactive usage patterns to inflate growth metrics like MAUs. It’s also not a one-size-fits-all journey. Some users need more time to evaluate and consider whether your app serves a need. Others will know right away.
Your job is to make sure your experience isn’t creating artificial roadblocks or messaging users for self-serving reasons. Those retention email and push messages reek of desperation, and will turn users that might otherwise have become paying customers.
Best-in-class iOS apps, like Flighty, are focused on delivering a great product experience that there best users are willing to subscribe to.
The best subscription apps let go of the baggage from the growth era. Rather than spending inordinate time and energy trying to prevent those low-quality users from churning, these app publishers focus on building a great experience that some users will love.
Spend most of your time optimizing your experience to provide unquestionable value to a certain audience, and spend little time focusing on the rest.
Build For Your Fans
In the subscription economy, converting a user to a paying customer isn’t the finish line. Your job is to continue to build and reenforce the value of your product. If you do this, you have a chance to earn an even more profound stage in your app’s customer journey: true fans.
This is an elite club, so don’t expect a large volume of users in this cohort. That’s okay. They are, however, your best customers. Why? They have the lowest churn risk and the highest Customer Lifetime Value(CLTV). They will help your marketing efforts without being asked by recommending your app through word-of-mouth. They will even give you the benefit of the doubt when the inevitable bug is introduced.
Imagine a world where you focus on building a product that is valued by your customers and delights your fans rather than figuring out how to more efficiently coax and nag the millions of users who downloaded your app. Build for your fans and you are one step closer to building a healthy app business.
P.S. Your fans understand the true value of your product so they will likely pay far more than you think you can charge.
Embracing Subscriptions
Unlike ads and even basic in-app purchases, offering in-app subscriptions is quite a bit of work to not just launch, but maintain over time. This work is further complicated if your app is available across multiple app ecosystems or if you offer a way to purchase on the web.
In addition, once you launch, it's incredibly important to have the flexibility to iterate on your subscription offers, marketing, and pricing so you can optimize revenue and customer satisfaction. Nami's here to help. Our Subscriber Experience Cloud is a complete suite of tools to help you get to market fast, gain insights to help you optimize your subscriber experience which is good for revenue and customer satisfaction.
If you're thinking about adding subscriptions to your app, we invite you to learn more about Nami.
Error Code 4 is caused by payment restrictions on the user’s Apple ID or device, often enabled through Screen Time parental controls or payment configurations that restrict in-app purchases. Additionally, testing on devices with limited payment capabilities, such as restricted accounts, will produce this error. Developers need to understand these causes to guide users effectively.
Common Scenarios for SKErrorDomain Code=4 - Payment Not Allowed
This error frequently arises in the following situations:
Parental Controls Enabled: If Screen Time or parental controls are activated, in-app purchases may be restricted.
Restricted User Accounts: Accounts set up with limitations or those lacking payment permissions can trigger this error.
Testing on Non-Standard Accounts: Attempting purchases on accounts that don’t allow purchases, such as child accounts or sandbox accounts lacking permissions.
Device Restrictions on Purchases: Device-level restrictions can prevent purchases, common on devices with certain corporate or family configurations.
Step-by-Step Solutions for SKErrorDomain Code=4
Solution 1: Instruct Users to Check Screen Time and Parental Control Settings
Purpose: Ensures that parental controls do not prevent in-app purchases.
Steps:
Guide users to go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions.
Under iTunes & App Store Purchases, ensure that In-App Purchases are set to “Allow.”
Retry the purchase process.
Result: Users can enable in-app purchase permissions, which eliminates payment restriction issues.
Solution 2: Advise Users to Update Payment Permissions in Apple ID Settings
Purpose: Ensures the Apple ID used for purchases has the necessary permissions enabled.
Steps:
In Settings > [User’s Apple ID] > Media & Purchases > View Account.
Check that purchase settings are enabled.
If using Family Sharing, ensure that the main account allows purchases.
Result: Proper configuration of the Apple ID account resolves errors related to restricted purchases.
Solution 3: Test on a Standard Apple ID Account
Purpose: Avoids issues related to testing on restricted accounts that don’t permit purchases.
Steps:
Log out of restricted or sandbox accounts and log in with a standard Apple ID.
Ensure the test Apple ID account has enabled in-app purchases.
Retry the purchase flow with this account.
Result: Testing on a standard account avoids errors from restricted permissions, allowing for accurate in-app purchase testing.
Solution 4: Enable Payment Method in Apple ID Settings
Purpose: Ensures the Apple ID has a valid payment method to enable purchases.
Steps:
In Settings > [User’s Apple ID] > Payment & Shipping.
Add or update a valid payment method if none is present.
Retry the purchase process.
Result: Adding a valid payment method ensures the account is authorized for purchases, minimizing errors.
Solution 5: Restart Device to Apply Permission Changes
After adjusting permissions or payment settings, restart the device.
Reopen the app and attempt the purchase again.
Result: Restarting the device ensures that all permission changes are updated in the system.
Conclusion
Error Code 4 - Payment Not Allowed, often results from device or account restrictions on in-app purchases. By guiding users through Screen Time settings, updating payment permissions, testing on standard accounts, and ensuring valid payment methods, developers can resolve this error effectively.
With Nami’s low-code solutions, you can easily configure in-app purchases without dealing with account restrictions or payment errors. Explore how Nami can simplify your app’s purchase flow at NamiML.
The holiday season is the most lucrative time of year for app publishers. In fact, the week of Christmas in 2020 generated $1.8B in consumer spend on just the App Store. Here are ten app growth hacking strategies for the holidays.
10. Include Keywords in App Name
According to AppFigures, the most important App Store Optimization (ASO) technique employed by app growth hacking experts is including keywords in your app name. Be sure to identify the right keywords before employing this tactic.
9. Add Holiday Search Terms
Consider temporarily updating your app title, description, and metadata with seasonal keywords. For example, an app in the Shopping category may want to include terms such as “Cyber Deals” around Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
A few notes about this app growth hacking technique:
Be sure the seasonal keywords are still relevant to your app
Don’t forget to remove the seasonal keywords when it’s time
8. Update App Icon with Seasonal Cheer
Refresh your app icon with a holiday theme. This simple change can help you catch the eye of dormant users and bring them back into your app. Research also shows that holiday-themed app icons can drive up to 40% more app installs.
A few notes about this app growth hacking strategy:
Use color palettes or small adornments associated with the holidays.
Don’t fundamentally change your icon. It should still be familiar to users.
Candy Crush standard vs. season icon. Source: Gummicube
7. Use Promoted IAPs
The App Store doesn’t just promote apps. In-app purchases (IAPs) and auto-renewable subscriptions can receive promotional placement on your product page and via editorial features. Since you have to chose which in-app purchase products to promote, most apps just simplify don’t take advantage of this feature.
Also, promoted in-app purchase products feature their own metadata including title, description and icon. This means you have another opportunity to include keywords and tailor artwork for the holidays.
6. Share Offer Codes
You have a lot of offer codes at your disposal. Share a set with bloggers and press. Better yet, reach out to your most loyal users. Empower them to share offer codes with their network. This will help you nurture loyalty with top users and help you find new users via referral.
5. Add App Localization
The holiday season produces strong results around the globe. If your app isn’t yet localized for major markets, now is the time.
To get the most impact from this app growth hacking technique, be sure to:
Offer translated versions of your app’s product page
Properly localize the strings in your app’s UI text
Don’t forget to extent localization to your app’s IAP paywall
4. Acquire App Installs from Web Traffic
Do you have decent traffic to your web site? It’s amazing how many web sites don’t use Smart Banners when someone visits from mobile. All it takes to promote your app to mobile traffic is a meta tag. If you’re not already doing this, it’s about the lowest-hanging fruit you’ll find in your app growth hacking journey.
iOS 15 features a new marketing tool for app publishers called in-app events. The gist is your app or game can run a live event to drive users in at certain times. Best of all, in-app events get promotional placement across the App Store including:
On your product page
In search results
Featured by Apple’s editorial team
You can also link users to your in-app event page so you can drive traffic from outside your app such as via through a display ad or email marketing.
Apple is prominently featuring in-app events on the App Store’s Today tab
2. Get Featured!
Getting featured on the App Store is one of the best and perhaps most elusive app growth hacking strategies. Rest assured, you can get featured! Here’s the formula:
Follow the App Store best practices for design, localization, accessibility
Ship a major app update adopting some of the major new iOS features
Reach out to the App Store editorial teams and make the case
On the last point, the editorial team us looking for great apps with great stories to feature. Share yours! You’d be surprised how many app developers don’t bother and thus won’t ever get featured. Don’t forget to mention the new iOS features you’re taking full advantage of.
1. Update your Paywall
You’ve gotten this far. App installs are up and your holiday season is going great! Or is it? Did you capitalize on those new installs? Sadly, many apps don’t have the ability to make changes to their IAP paywall without requiring a development cycle and app update.
Making changes easily is important. You’ve gone through the effort to update your App Store product page and keywords for the holidays. Now you need to make sure your paywall messaging and creative is consistent as well.
Plus, you might want to run some special introductory pricing during the holidays. With a dynamic paywall, you can easily swap in your promotional product. Just as easily, you’ll want to swap them out when the promotion is over.
