How Developers Can Sell Their App beyond the App Store -
The luster of distribution an app quickly wears off as developers discover that online stores like Google Play and Apple Store take a chunk of the revenue.
And it's not a small amount -- it's 30%. This price is a huge burden and has forced developers to look for alternative solutions. But the good news for people like you is that there are ways to distribute your app without having to split the profits with mainstream channels.
In this post in this piece, we'll cover one way that developers could avoid the 30 percent fee charged by Google Play and Apple Store.
Let's dive in.
Pros and Cons of Utilizing Mainstream App Distribution Channels
Before we dive into other methods of distribution we'll take a review of how mainstream app channels work.
As we've already pointed out previously, Google Play and Apple Store take nearly a third of the earnings of any app that is sold via their stores. But that isn't the only issue that comes with selling via these channels.
The majority of apps available have distributors who offer their services. This means that there are a lot of apps distributed through just two sites. This creates another problem What can developers do to make their apps be noticed?
Aha! Through advertising, naturally.
Alongside the 30percent fee the distributors pay for advertisements to make their apps noticed. One case study found that the actual cost of app advertising. The firm took a 10k budget and divided it among four different advertising networks:
- Google AdWords
- Facebook Ads
- Twitter Ads
- iAds
The results found the cost per app installed varied between $1.43 all the way to $5.36.
If we add this cost on top of the standard distribution fee and the distribution fee, we can see why developers are searching for other options. Many of the top downloaded applications, such as Spotify and Netflix can be found on Play and App Store. But rather than having the distributor manage the payment, these companies have created their own system for their subscriptions.
And companies like Epic Games have taken matters into their own hands and made uber-popular game Fortnite accessible to download from their site and in the Samsung Store. By doing so they've gotten around the massive 30% cost of the major distributors.
Other advantages of selling outside of the Google Play and Apple Store are the following:
- Alternative distributors rarely require a listing fee. App stores that are third party can help increase the visibility of your business since you stand a greater chances of being featured on one of their apps for the day, or as part of other promotion offerings
- Alternatives make more money over Google and Apple stores, if app creators are offering localized apps which target certain countries
But there are benefits to distributing apps through Google Play and Apple Store. The stores are not only considered by users to be an appropriate place to download and install apps, but they are also simple to distribute apps via these channels.
Spotlight: How One Developer earns money selling outside the Main App Stores
The moment Christian Tietze started selling his products on the internet, he wanted to make cash and greater control.
Tietze posted about his experience in a blog on his website. Tietze found a number of issues when selling in the Mac App Store, including:
- 30% revenue cost (excluding VAT)
- You can't provide a demo
- You can't provide upgrade pricing
- You won't be able to meet your clients.
Then, he began looking for methods to make sales outside of the Mac App Store.
"Distributing via using the App Store is convenient because anyone can access your app and download, update and download through one place," Tietze says.
"On the flip side, you lose more cash with every transaction. you're bound to the strict App Store Sandboxing policy and you aren't able to make special deals - and, if Apple removes your account from its store then your company is ended.
"This doesn't happen often, however it could be a possibility."
Tietze states that his (and many other indie developers) are distributing their apps via their own platforms. Tietze uses the platform to market his application, and the platform allows him to offer bundled sales, discounts as well as a store API that is custom.
" has a storefront test online and inside the app, if you do in-app transactions. This is a convenient way to check if your checkout works and if your app transitions between "locked" to "paid," he declares.
Wrapping up
When it comes to app distribution options to developers, it's obvious that things are evolving.
At one time, the two principal participants in the game of apps, Google Play and Apple Store had all the chips. If developers wanted to give their apps a chance at being successful, they would have the option of distributing their applications across these platforms and pay the 30 percent fee.
Developers are however getting back in control of their apps and the revenue streams.
No matter if you select an all-inclusive partner selling your app directly from your website, or make them available through alternative app stores, there are other options that you can use to distribute your products. If you're looking to connect with people in difficult-to-reach areas and distribute your app within the company, or offer it with a single-click download option there are no limits to the possibilities.
Remember that Google Play and Apple Store are popular for a reason--millions of consumers around the world have faith in them. With the sheer number of apps downloaded using alternative distribution methods every daily, it's evident that users are tolerant when it comes to choosing the right apps.
Check out how simple it is to transform your web site into a retail store by using examples. By using the examples, you are able to create a variety of dummy stores in order to gain a feel at the tools capabilities using Store Builder API. Store Builder API. These examples contain or include links to documents and CodePpen-like source code demos.