Registration Incentives

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Registration Incentives

• Common Myths and Misconceptions
• About
• Consumer Shareware

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Myth 1

• Get the user addicted to your program and then
  ask them to buy
• At the end of the trial period, users will the so
  completely enthralled with the programs
  brilliance they will have no choice but to buy

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Fact

• A trial versions half life is one day
• Over 75 of registrations happen within two days
  of download
• No significant jump in registrations at the end
  of the trial period

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Myth 2

• Rich functionality speaks for itself
• A beautiful interface is just a window dressing

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Fact

• Users generally only exercise the programs most
  basic functionality before purchase
• Functionality will be inferred based on the
  quality of the interface

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Myth 3

• Use gentle reminders to encourage users to
  register
• Provide generous trial periods

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Fact

• Nice programs finish last
• Ask for registrations early and often
• Make sure the user has an incentive to register
  and register early
• What you are selling is merely the difference
  between the shareware and registered versions,
  not the registered version itself
• Steve Pavlina, Dexterity Software

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Myth 4

• Users always evaluate the trial version before
  purchase

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Fact

• As many of 20 of your customers can be coaxed to
  purchase on impulse
• Encourage impulse buys through well placed buy
  links on web sites and product cross-sells
• Capture the sale as early as possible

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Myth 5

• There are only two types of customers those who
  are honest and those who arent

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Fact

• There are two types of customers those who are
  honest, and those who are honest when it is more
  convenient to be honest
• An easily found, widely available crack can
  impact sales by 30 or more

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David HallsDirector of Development,
Emetrixdavid_at_emetrix.com