With tappr.tv, I'm crazily trying to create a new art form.
What's even crazier is that I'd like to pay some bills in the process.
So, tappr.tv has a freemium-like business model.
Here are notes on the past, present, and future of the "in-app purchase" (IAP) offerings.
Past and Present
By tappr.tv version 6.2, the modal master-detail Store UI included [name (tier) = description*]:
- All Pro (8) = get all features for one low fixed price
- Pro - Live (10) = access to the Live features, including beat-matching and network IO with Wands
- Pro - Publisher (1) = unlimited publishing of dances. Free Publishing has been enabled for the foreseeable future
- Pro - Video Out (3) = enables presenting dances on 2nd monitors, via cables or AirPlay
- Pro - Track Editor (2) = unlimited tracks in your dances
- Wands - Circles (2) = A collection of circular shaped wands, some of which vary in size as you move them across the screen.
- Wands - Sampler (1) = A collection of 16 wands with a variety of styles. (Has occasionally been offered for free.)
- Wands - Snappy A (1) = A collection of 10 wands that feel snappy under your fingers.
- Wands - Snappy B (1) = A collection of 10 wands that have a snappy response
- Wands - Sticks (5) = A collection of 10 wands that look like sticks.
- Wands - Streaks A (1) = A collection of 10 wands that leaves long streaks behind.
- Wands - Streaks B (1) = A collection of 10 wands with streaking qualities.
- Wands - Streaks C (1) = A collection of 10 wands with long trails.
My initial idea was a stream of wand packs. It never took off. In hindsight, I wonder what a more active direct channel marketing effort might have done to improve their performance.
Many of the Pro features have appeared in various releases, with an All Pro option that buys all current and future features.
Many features get discovered. For instance, after adding the # of free tracks allowed, an IAP alert appears asking the user to purchase Studio Pro. Plugging in a cable, or activating AirPlay presents an IAP alert for Video Out.
I amped it up in v6, with a paywall UX that appears frequently before the Home screen. It has three options: go basic, go All Pro, and Go to the Store. It also has a series of pop tips that offer more details about the available products. I won't cite specific numbers here, but this has been a very successful development.
Present - 6.3
With the pending release of version 6.3, tappr.tv offers a new form-modal Features UI:
- All Pro (8) = get all features for one low fixed price
- Wands Pro (5) = currently 100 wands and all future Wand features
- Studio Pro (2) = unlimited tracks in your dances
- Video Out (3) = enables presenting dances on 2nd monitors, via cables or AirPlay
- Live Pro (10) = access to the Live features, including beat-matching and network IO with Wands
The paywall and Video Out remain the same.
Studio Pro is just a rebranded Track Editor.
All wands are now presented in the Wand Picker, and touching many of them bring up an IAP info alert, asking the user to purchase Wands Pro.
In the Studio, the dance track list now has prominent "+ Add track…" as the last item (instead of the smaller "+" button in the upper left corner), which asks the user to purchase Studio Pro.
In all ask dialogs, there's also an option to "Go All Pro", and another to "See Features".
Future
All of the Pro features are currently fixed cost, with the added value that I can add individual features to these Pro products in the future.
For instance, it's obvious we need a Wand Maker, which would probably be in Wands Pro. Similarly, there's definite need for much more powerful tools in Studio Pro, like a timeline-based track editor for finer crafting.
I've only scratched the surface with Live Pro.
And I will continue to experiment with tier strategies.
Farther down the road, social patronage could be cornerstone of a Theater Pro subscription model. In fact, all of the pro features could become pro subscriptions.
Now I'm really talking crazy.