Add these essential items to your subscription app launch checklist to ship with the right foundation to operationalize, grow and optimize.
A subscription app launch is an exciting moment for app publishers. As launch day approaches, your team is no doubt looking forward to celebrating all the hard work.
No doubt expectations are high for your subscription app performance. As you work towards launch day, it’s important to also think about the days and weeks that will follow.
Do you have the right foundation to both operationalize and optimize your subscription app? Here’s five important items you should add to your pre-launch checklist so you are ready to scale.
Each distribution channel such as Apple App Store, Google Play and Roku offer different standard capabilities for in-app subscriptions. Some of these features are optional, but offer a benefit if you take advantage of them.
For instance, both the App Store and Google Play offer Grace Periods so users don’t lose access to their subscription services if the credit card charge for a renewal fails to process. This gives users time to credit their billing details and app publishers a tool to avoid involuntary churn.
Google Play also offers a unique feature: the ability for a user to pause a subscription. This is a great way to retain subscriptions even if they need to temporarily step away from your subscription product.
Each platform offers a different mix of capabilities to app publishers offering in-app subscriptions. These features are designed to help you operate a better subscription app.
When launching your subscription app, be sure you’re taking full advantage of everything your distribution platforms have to offer to enhance your subscriptions.
Too many apps ship with a hard coded subscription purchase experience. While typical, it means development cycles and app updates to make changes.
Once you launch your subscription app, you’re going to want the marketing agility to experiment. Want to try a different introductory offer? Does your messaging need to adapt to strategy changes from leadership? Do you want to offer a new subscription tier?
These are just a few ways your in-app subscription storefront or paywall needs to be a marketing asset, not a fixed screen. In fact, think of this as an opportunity that is tangential to your App Store Optimization efforts.
Your team may be thinking about localizing your subscription app as an enhancement after launch. The same is probably true for accessibility features such as enlarged fonts and audible screen reading (e.g. VoiceOver).
This is a bad idea. The best apps don’t wait. One reason is because localization and accessibility are factors that the Apple and Google editorial teams consider when choosing apps to feature. More importantly, it’s the right thing to do.
What’s this mean for subscription apps in particular? Don’t just localize your key app screens. The paywall should be localized and accessible.
Use the user’s device language and store region to localize the subscription storefront for them. The paywall should also support accessibility features such as larger fonts, gray scale, and screen reading.
You won’t get credit for having some of your app screens localized and accessible. Your potential subscribers come from all walks of life and expect a great experience which includes your purchase experience..
Almost every app launches with some sort fo general purpose analytics solution such as Adobe Analytics or Mixpanel. However, subscription apps need to go a step further.
Due to the nature of subscriptions, actionable insight into what’s working (or not) is a challenge. Typical analytics tools understand single moments where commerce takes place. The customer’s journey with a subscription over time is what’s important.
That journey may include a free trial, conversion to paying subscriber, multiple renewals, and yes even possible cancellation and churn. Unfortunately, most general analytics tools don’t adequately model revenue, let alone subscription revenue.
You need a subscription analytics solution to augment (and enrich) your general purpose solution. If you don’t have this for launch, you’ll be missing critical data to help you improve and optimize efficiently.
Your subscription app launch is fast approaching. Your attention needs to turn to product operations. The most important item for your launch checklist item concerns customer support.
How will you deliver support once you get to market? App ecosystems are indirect channels, so your data and insight into the customer and their purchase history is limited.
You can’t log in to App Store Connect and look up a subscriber. Nor is there such a place inside of the Play Developer Console. This means your customers will be writing into support looking for help and you need a way to provide answers.
The solution involves two parts. First, you need clean and platform agnostic subscriber data. Second, you need to make that data available in a form that can be retrieved and understood by your support team.
At Nami, our #1 job is to help you create happy subscribers. Our Subscriber Experience Cloud provides the right foundation for delivering a great subscription app. To learn more, get in touch or book a demo.
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👉Read more: How to Optimize Your Subscription Apps
We're pleased to announce the launch of a new and improve product documentation portal complete with quick start guides, API references, and more.
We’re pleased to announce the launch of our new product documentation portal!
Built using the ReadMe platform, the new portal offer a more complete set of documentation for developers and product owners alike.
We welcome your feedback and hope you enjoy the new documentation!
Error Code 2, also known as SKErrorDomain Code=2 - Cancelled, is a common error that occurs when users cancel the in-app purchase process. Although this error is user-driven, handling it correctly in your app is essential for a smooth user experience. By managing this cancellation gracefully, developers can improve user satisfaction and even encourage users to reattempt purchases.
Error Code 2 is triggered by user action, specifically when the user backs out or cancels the purchase. This error may result from factors like user hesitation, unclear pricing, or unexpected charges. Though not an app fault, it’s essential to handle this response to prevent potential loss of purchase interest and encourage retrying.
This error frequently arises in the following scenarios:
SKErrorDomain Code=2 - Cancelled, is triggered by user actions to exit the purchase process, which may happen due to various reasons. By implementing a cancellation handler, simplifying the purchase flow, displaying clear pricing, sending gentle reminders, and gathering user feedback, developers can improve the purchasing experience and reduce cancellations.
With Nami’s low-code solutions, developers can easily manage and optimize in-app purchases, eliminating the hassle of customizing the purchase flow. Find out more at NamiML.
Discover how to build high-converting web2app funnels that effectively guide potential customers from your website to your app. Learn the secrets to maximizing conversions, creating a seamless user experience, and driving long-term growth for your subscription business.
For subscription businesses, subscribers are the lifeblood of success. Yet, not all potential subscribers discover your app by casually browsing the App Store or Google Play Store. Instead, many need a structured path to guide them from first contact to becoming loyal, paying customers.
Enter the web2app funnel—a powerful marketing strategy designed to seamlessly transition prospects from initial discovery to active subscription. By focusing on the five key stages of the funnel—awareness, interest, consideration, conversion, and retention—you can optimize every touchpoint to maximize engagement and drive conversions.
Web2app funnels excel at creating a smooth journey for people – from discovering your service on the web to fully engaging with your app, ensuring a cohesive and compelling experience at every stage.
Let’s explore how to fine-tune each stage of your funnel to boost subscriber acquisition and retention, and create an irresistible path from web to app.
Whether people “google” for something specific or whether they stumble upon your business or its content by chance, the awareness stage is the first point where potential customers are made aware of your business. Get this right, and you can start to pull subscribers into your funnel.
You can consider using a combination of marketing channels to achieve this:
👉Read more: 50 Mobile App Growth Hacking Tactics You Can Try Today
Once potential users are aware of your subscription service, the next step is to capture their curiosity and engage them further. At this stage, it’s essential to ignite their interest by clearly communicating what sets your subscription offering apart and how it can meet their needs. By creating engaging and relevant content, you can deepen their interest and guide them closer to considering paying for a subscription.
Consider utilizing various strategies to spark curiosity and keep prospects engaged:
As prospects move into the consideration phase, they need to evaluate whether your subscription service aligns with their needs and preferences. This is the moment to provide them with the information and reassurance they need to make an informed decision. Addressing their concerns and offering a tangible sense of the service’s value can significantly influence their choice.
Here’s how you can help potential subscribers assess if your offering is the right fit for them:
Converting interested prospects into actual subscribers requires a strategic approach to help them make the final leap from consideration to commitment. At this stage, it’s crucial to present compelling reasons to subscribe and make the process as easy and enticing as possible. By effectively addressing their final hesitations and showcasing the unique value of your service, you can encourage customers to take the plunge.
Focus on these tactics to turn interest into a subscription:
Securing subscribers is just the beginning; the real challenge lies in keeping them engaged and satisfied over the long term. After all, 70-80% revenue of a subscription business comes from existing subscribers. Building lasting loyalty involves providing ongoing value, exceptional support, and personalized experiences that reinforce their decision to stay subscribed. By focusing on their long-term satisfaction and engagement, you can enhance retention and encourage sustained loyalty.
Here’s how to foster long-term loyalty and retain your subscribers:
👉Read more: Mobile Growth: Develop Subscription-Based Apps
In the competitive world of subscription services, adopting effective strategies is crucial for driving both customer acquisition and retention. Web2app funnels provide a robust framework for guiding potential customers from their initial encounter with your service to becoming dedicated subscribers.
Understanding and optimizing the key elements of a web2app funnel can significantly enhance your business's performance. By attracting potential customers effectively and converting them into paying subscribers, you can increase your conversion rates. Enhancing the customer experience with seamless interactions and personalization fosters loyalty and ensures long-term growth. To achieve success, focus on attracting potential subscribers through strategic marketing, sparking their interest with a compelling value proposition, addressing their concerns during the consideration phase, creating a smooth transition to conversion, and ensuring ongoing engagement through exceptional support and personalized experiences.
By leveraging these strategies, your business can fully harness the potential of web2app funnel, positioning itself for sustained success in the dynamic subscription market.
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Discover the key metrics that drive paywall success. Learn how to measure and optimize your paywall performance to boost revenue, increase subscriber growth, and enhance reader engagement.
The digital industry is in hyperdrive – the explosion of apps on the Apple and Google Play Stores and digital content online is undeniable proof of this.
Subscriptions are the new gold rush, and the paywall has become a strategic tool for businesses to capitalize on premium content. But building a successful paywall is about more than just blocking access. It's about creating an irresistible offer that opens doors, not closes them.
Understanding how your paywall performs is the key to unlocking its full potential. By closely examining the right metrics, publishers can transform raw data into actionable insights. What's working? What's falling flat? The answers lie in the numbers.
With a clear view of performance, you can fine-tune your strategy to boost conversions, strengthen subscriber loyalty, and drive revenue growth.
Let's dive into the essential metrics that will supercharge your paywall.
Before diving into the nitty-gritty of paywall metrics, it's crucial to have a crystal-clear understanding of your paywall model and overall goals. This solid foundation will guide your metric selection and ensure that your data is driving you in the right direction.
There are several paywall models to choose from –
👉Read more: Paywall AB Testing
The paywall model you choose and how you set it up should align with your overall business objectives. Common goals include:
The world of paywall metrics can be overwhelming. But remember, not all metrics are created equal. To truly understand your paywall’s performance, focus on the numbers that directly impact your bottom line. Let's dive into the metrics that matter most.
To effectively measure the success of your paywall, it's essential to track a combination of metrics that provide insights into different aspects of your strategy.
Let's start with the metrics that reveal how well your paywall is converting visitors into subscribers.
Conversion metrics focus on how effectively your paywall is turning visitors into paying subscribers.
This fundamental metric measures the percentage of users who subscribe to your app or content offering after encountering the paywall.
Conversion Rate = (Number of subscribers / Number of paywall encounters) * 100
Example: If 1,000 users encounter the paywall and 100 subscribe through it, the conversion rate is 10%.
This metric reveals the percentage of users who actually encounter the paywall.
Paywall Visibility Rate = (Number of paywall encounters / Total website traffic) * 100
Example: If a website has 10,000 visitors and 5000 encounter the paywall, the visibility rate is 50%.
This metric shows the percentage of users who leave the site immediately after hitting the paywall.
Paywall Bounce Rate = (Number of users Who bounce after paywall / Number of paywall encounters) * 100
Example: If 200 out of 1000 users who encounter the paywall bounce, the bounce rate is 20%.
ARPU measures the average revenue generated from each paying subscriber.
ARPU = Total revenue from paying subscribers / Number of paying subscribers
Example: If total revenue from subscribers is $10,000 and there are 500 subscribers, ARPU is $20.
CAC represents the cost of acquiring a new subscriber.
CAC = Total cost of acquiring customers / Number of customers acquired
Example: If a publisher spends $50,000 on marketing to acquire 1000 subscribers, CAC is $50.
CLTV estimates the total revenue a customer will generate throughout their relationship with your publication.
CLTV = Average revenue per user (ARPU) * Average customer lifespan
Example: Assume that the average subscription price is $10 per month, which equals $120 annually (ARPU). If your average customer stays subscribed for 2 years then CLTV = $120/year * 2 years = $240
By closely monitoring these conversion metrics, you can identify areas for improvement and optimize your paywall strategy accordingly.
Engagement metrics offer insights into how users interact with your content. By understanding user behavior, you can refine your content strategy and enhance the overall reader experience.
This metric measures the average number of pages a user views during a session.
Page Views per User = Total page views / Total unique visitors
Example: If a website has 1000 page views and 500 unique visitors, the page views per user is 2.
This metric indicates the average duration of a user's visit.
Time Spent on Site = Total time spent by all users / Total number of sessions
Example: If the total time spent on site is 10,000 minutes and there are 500 sessions, the average time spent on site is 20 minutes.
This metric measures how far users scroll on a page, indicating their interest level. Scroll depth is typically measured as a percentage of the page scrolled.
Example: If a user scrolls to 75% of a page, their scroll depth is 75%.
Analyzing which articles and topics are most popular helps identify reader preferences and trends. This metric is often presented in a tabular or graphical format showing the most viewed or shared content.
This metric indicates the percentage of visitors who return to your site.
Returning Visitor Rate = (Number of returning visitors / Total visitors) * 100
Example: If 200 out of 1000 visitors return, the returning visitor rate is 20%.
By analyzing these engagement metrics, you can identify your most popular content, understand user behavior, and make data-driven decisions to improve content strategy and user experience.
These metrics provide insights into subscriber behavior, helping you understand customer satisfaction, revenue potential, and churn prevention strategies.
This metric measures the percentage of subscribers who cancel their subscriptions within a specific period.
Churn Rate = (Number of subscribers lost / Total number of subscribers at the beginning of the period) * 100
Example: If a publication loses 100 subscribers out of 1000 in a month, the churn rate is 10%.
Analyzing which subscription plans are most popular and profitable helps optimize pricing and packaging. This metric is often presented in a tabular or graphical format showing the number of subscribers and revenue generated by each plan.
Tracking subscriber movements between different plans provides insights into customer satisfaction and value perception.
Upgrade Rate = (Number of subscribers upgrading / Total number of subscribers) * 100
Downgrade Rate = (Number of subscribers downgrading / Total number of subscribers) * 100
This metric measures the percentage of free trial users who convert to paid subscribers.
Free Trial Conversion Rate = (Number of subscribers from free trials / Total number of free trial sign-ups) * 100
Example: If 100 out of 500 free trial users subscribe, the conversion rate is 20%.
By carefully analyzing these metrics, you can identify opportunities to improve customer retention, optimize subscription plans, and enhance the overall subscriber experience.
👉Read more: Maximizing Revenue with Paywall A/B Testing
Technical performance metrics ensure a seamless user experience and optimal paywall functionality.
This metric measures the time it takes for the paywall to load after a user triggers it. A slow load time can increase bounce rates.
Goal: Keep paywall load time under 2 seconds for optimal user experience.
This metric tracks the frequency of errors or glitches encountered by users when interacting with the paywall.
Goal: Strive for a zero error rate to avoid frustrating users and losing potential subscribers.
Comparing paywall performance across different devices helps identify and address any platform-specific issues.
Key metrics to compare: load times, conversion rates, bounce rates, and error rates.
By monitoring these technical metrics, you can identify and resolve performance issues that impact user experience and revenue.
These metrics require more sophisticated analysis and experimentation but can yield significant insights for optimizing your paywall strategy.
Comparing different paywall variations (design, messaging, placement, pricing) to determine the most effective approach.
Key metrics to track: conversion rates, bounce rates, revenue per user.
Analyzing user behavior and demographics to identify different segments and tailor paywall experiences accordingly.
Examples of segments: new vs. returning users, high-value vs. low-value customers, different device types.
Testing different locations within the user journey to determine the optimal placement for the paywall.
Key metrics to track: paywall visibility rate, conversion rate, bounce rate.
Analyzing the impact of different messaging and value propositions on user behavior.
Key metrics to track: click-through rates, conversion rates, subscription length.
Evaluating the influence of paywall design elements (layout, color scheme, imagery) on user experience and conversion.
Key metrics to track: time spent on paywall, conversion rate, bounce rate.
By leveraging these advanced metrics and conducting rigorous experimentation, publishers can fine-tune their paywall strategy for maximum impact on visitors and subscribers.
Ensuring the success of your paywall strategy involves:
Metrics can help identify areas for improvement:
Leverage analytics tools to streamline data collection, analysis, and reporting:
By combining data analysis, experimentation, and continuous optimization, publishers can build a high-performing paywall that drives sustainable revenue growth.
Effective paywall management is essential for the long-term success of digital publishers. For this, it is essential to closely monitor a comprehensive set of metrics, aligned to business goals. Such metrics give app growth marketers and product owners invaluable insights into subscriber behavior, paywall performance, and revenue generation.
Key metrics such as conversion rates, engagement levels, churn rates, and revenue metrics provide a holistic view of paywall health. It's crucial to remember that paywall optimization is not a one-time effort – it is an ongoing process. The digital landscape is constantly witnessing new trends and subscriber preferences change over time. Therefore, continuous monitoring and adaptation are essential.
Ultimately, the success of a paywall hinges on the ability to make data-driven decisions. By harnessing the power of metrics, publishers and app owners can create a paywall strategy that not only drives revenue but also delivers exceptional value to subscribers – the ultimate jackpot that lies at the end of the rainbow.
Want to optimize paywalls for maximum impact? Connect with Nami ML now.
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Struggling to create paywalls that convert across mobile, web, and TV? Our free ebook reveals the secrets to building device-specific paywall strategies. Learn how to optimize for each platform, measure performance, and boost your app's revenue. Download now!
Capturing and retaining subscribers is a complex challenge for app businesses. With a large number of devices at users' fingertips, crafting a paywall strategy that resonates across different platforms has become a daunting task.
Gone are the days of a one-size-fits-all approach. Users interact with apps differently on smartphones, tablets, desktops, and smart TVs. What works seamlessly on a mobile device might fall flat on a larger screen. To truly maximize revenue and user satisfaction, you need a paywall strategy as diverse as the devices themselves.
Our ebook, "Screen Smart Paywalls: A Cross-Platform Guidebook," is your key to unlocking the secrets of creating paywalls that convert across all platforms.
The digital landscape is a patchwork of screens, each with its own unique audience and behavior.
Ignoring these differences can lead to missed opportunities, frustrated users, and lower revenue. Users have different expectations, consumption habits, and purchasing behaviors across devices. A paywall that doesn't cater to these nuances is likely to underperform.
To truly optimize your paywall strategy, you need a deep understanding of how users interact with your app on different platforms. This is where our ebook becomes an invaluable resource.
👉Read more: What is Cross-Platform Monetization?
In our ebook, discover how to:
By understanding the unique characteristics of each platform, you can create paywalls that resonate with your audience and drive significant growth.
You can also learn about how to:
Don't miss out on this opportunity to gain a competitive edge. Download your free copy today and start building paywalls that truly deliver results.
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👉Read more: Cross-Platform App Development