soft launch strategies for mobileapp companies
DESCRIPTION
Learn First, Start Strong - Soft Launches give you an opportunity to test your game’s market readiness in a representative environment before launching to the wider worldTRANSCRIPT
Learn First, Start StrongSoft Launch Strategies for Mobile
App Companies
Jeremy Sacco
Manager, Content and Communications
June 17, 2014
800 CLIENTS 2300 APPS
40 of 502013 TOP GROSSING APPS
World’s leading mobile appmarketing platform
About Fiksu
2.7 billion DOWNLOADS GENERATED
BostonNorthamptonSan FranciscoLondon
HelsinkiSingaporeTokyoSeoul
What Is a Soft Launch? A controlled release of your app or game in a test market outside your primary market
POLL: Experience with Soft Launches
Why Do It? • Getting it right the first time is essential
• Time in app: 6X growth in 4 years
• Mobile game usage grew 66% in 2013and games command 40% of app usage
• Can isolate success factors and problemareas and quantify user response togame mechanics or app features
What Data Should You Gatherfrom a Soft Launch?
• What outcome would prove your hypothesis or give you theinformation you need?
• Is there a possible outcome where your data is inconclusivebecause of either lack of granularity or insufficient data?
• Will the data lead to tangible improvements?
Know your goals and think about the testing scientifically:
What Do You Want to Measure?User Acquisition• How much does it cost to bring in users?• What’s your organic lift?
User Experience and Retention• How are users interacting with your app or game?• Are they moving beyond the first level or two?
Monetization and Virality• How long does it take players to make a purchase?•Are people sharing your app or game?
Overall Economics
SOCIALFacebook in particular
INCENTIVIZED
DISPLAY
VIDEO
RTB
Choosing a Tracking Partner
• UA: App marketing and ROI
• UX: In-app analytics
Accurate detailed data is critical
Use both UA (User Acquisition) and UX(User Experience) tracking
POLL: Tracking Partners
Choosing a Test Market
• Pick a country that has market similarity to your target audience
• Developers targeting the US typically test in Canada, New Zealand, or Australia
Getting the Details Right
• Links are working
• Ratings tools and comments are operative
• 3rd party integrations are active and working
• Images and content are in correct sections
Triple check your app before releasing itto a test market. Make sure:
App Store Presence
Your first impression to users when it’s time to launch• Test different banners and app
icons
• Put lessons into effect immediately
General Scope
A soft launch typically takes 2-4 weeks,but depends on:
• How many users you need to get enough data
• Your internal resources
• Your budget
What’s Next?
• Analyze
• Improve
• Update
Case Study: Card Battler GameSoft launch led to improvements:13% increase in the % of returning users
95% increase in the % of purchasers
Then in US:28% increase in the % of returning users
31% increase in the % of purchasers
15% increase in the number of purchases
Planning a Soft Launch?Fiksu Can Help.
• Media buys against four different mobile ad channels in a chosen testbed country – creatives included
• Optimized buying over two weeks
• Minimum 6K downloads (but expect more)
• Final report detailing performance, recommendations for full launch tactics, and advice on next steps
What you get:
