How can developers sell their App outside the App Store How Developers Can Sell Their App Outside the App Store
The excitement of selling applications quickly fades when developers realize that the stores such as Google Play and Apple Store make up a significant portion of earnings.
The price isn't a modest amount -- it's 30 percent. This price is a huge burden and has forced developers to look for alternative methods. The good news for those who are like you is that there is a way to market your application without having to share the revenue with the mainstream media.
In this post, we are going to 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 Using the main App Distribution Channels
Before we dive into other ways to distribute apps, let's take a look at how the mainstream channel for apps works.
We've previously mentioned, these Google Play and Apple Store consume nearly a third the earnings of any app that is sold via their stores. However, that's not the only issue that comes with selling through these channels.
The majority of apps available are using these distributors to sell their products. There are a multitude of apps distributed through just two sites. The issue is How can distributors help their apps stick out?
Aha! By advertising, of course.
On top of the fee of 30, distributors are also paying for advertisements to make their apps seen. A study of one case showed the real price of app advertisements. The company 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 from $1.43 all the way to $5.36.
When we consider adding this expense to the mainstream distribution fee, it's easy to see why developers are searching for alternatives. 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 charging, the apps have created their own system for their subscriptions.
And companies such as Epic Games have taken matters in their own hands and released the world-famous game Fortnite accessible for download on their website and on the Samsung Store. This way, they've managed to avoid the huge 30% charge from the mainstream distributors.
The other advantages that selling outside the Google Play and Apple Store include:
- Alternative distributors typically do not charge an app listing fee. Third-party app stores may promote your product better since you stand a greater chances of being featured on an app of the day, or in other promotions
- Alternatives can be more lucrative than Google and Apple stores, if app creators have localized applications that target specific countries
But there are benefits for distributing apps via Google Play and Apple Store. The stores are not only considered by users to be an appropriate place to download, but it's also easy to distribute apps via these channels.
Spotlight: How One App Developer Makes Money Selling Outside the Main App Stores
The moment Christian Tietze started selling his products on the internet, he wanted to make cash and more control.
Tietze wrote about his experiences in a blog post on his site. Tietze found a number of issues when selling on the Mac App Store, including:
- 30% revenue cost (excluding VAT)
- You can't provide a demo
- You can't provide upgrade pricing
- You don't get to know your clients.
Then, he began looking at ways to market outside his Mac App Store.
"Distributing via using the App Store is convenient; everyone can see your product and download and update all from one location," Tietze says.
"On the negative side the other hand, you'll lose cash with every transaction. you're bound to the strict App Store policies regarding Sandboxing You are not able to create any promotions - and should Apple shuts down your account then your company is shut down.
"This doesn't happen often, however it could occur."
Tietze states that he (and many other indie developers) have chosen to distribute applications through their individual platforms. The platform he uses for distribution of his app, and the platform allows him to offer bundled discounts, sales and an API for a customized store.
" provides a trial storefront on the web and from within the application for in-app transactions. This is a convenient way to check whether your payment method works, as well as if the app goes from "locked" into "paid," he says.
Closing up
With regards to the app distribution options for developers, it's clear that times are changing.
In the past, the two major participants in the game of apps, Google Play and Apple Store had all the chips. If app developers wanted to offer their apps the chance of success, they had only one option: distribute their app across the two platforms and pay the 30 percent charge.
But, app developers are now getting back in control of their apps--and revenue streams.
Whether or not you choose an all-inclusive partner that to offer your apps direct through your site or make them available through alternative app stores There are many other choices out there for you to distribute your products. No matter if you're trying to reach customers in hard-to-reach demographics or distribute the app in-house and offer it to customers as a one-click download there are no limits to the possibilities.
Remember to remember that Google Play and Apple Store have a good reason for their popularity--millions of consumers around the world have faith in them. However, with the amount of apps being downloaded through alternative distribution methods every each day, you can see that consumers are tolerant regarding discovering the best apps for them.
You can check how easy to turn your site into a store with the help of Examples. Using the examples, you are able to set up different dummy stores in order to gain a feel for the tool's capabilities of Store Builder API. Store Builder API. These examples provide links or documentation pages and CodePen-like demonstrations of source code.