App Downloads and Sales

awec

Apologies if this has been done before.

How do you casual, small app developers find releasing apps to the likes of the app store? Do you find it hard to get sales / downloads with the absence of a substantial marketing budget?

Obviously I am not looking figures, but does anyone ever make any money from their app? There are success stories out there, but I am curious if these are the exception.

Would mobile app consumers be likely to pay for an app (free ones are different entirely) that isn't a big name high profile app? Do you find you have to work hard for sales?

What about free apps, do you find they get downloaded? I understand the way the app store search works has a huge impact on how your app will perform.

This isn't market research or anything like that, just genuine curiosity on my part.

Atomic Pineapple

I have one main app and one secondary one, both on Android, both more personal projects. I never planned on making any money out of them. My main application has over 5000 downloads and just over 3000 active device installs.

They are ad free but I have estimated what I would make if I had ads in the app and it worked out at around €50 - €70 a month so it would't be great but a nice bit of extra cash for doing something I enjoy in my spare time anyway.

I found it easy enough to promote my main app through forums and things and it's still on an upwards trend with downloads which has to be a good thing!

People will buy things based on others advice is what I find even if its from a small developer, so I reckon if you make a really good app and make a good push to get it out to enough people then the word will spread and you never know. It is however a flooded market and getting noticed in the first place is the big issue in my opinion.

awec

Good reply! Yea, I agree about the flooded market. Getting noticed is almost what I was getting at.

I take it your apps are free? 5000 is a great figure!

Atomic Pineapple

Yes sorry mine are free as they are just personal projects to create a sort of portfolio for further career prospects ( I work as a mobile developer)

awec

draffodx wrote: »

Yes sorry mine are free as they are just personal projects to create a sort of portfolio for further career prospects ( I work as a mobile developer)

Yea I suspect that's the origin of a lot of apps.

Atomic Pineapple

awec wrote: »

Yea I suspect that's the origin of a lot of apps.

Indeed, although I am at the point in my career where given time I am going to have a go at creating an app that makes money, I feel I have a grasp on what users expect to get for their money now and am looking forward to creating a project that involves trying publishing and marketing.

Maximus Alexander

I released a Christmas live wallpaper as my first ever app. With no marketing whatsoever it just passed 2500 free downloads and I have made a few quid off the paid version too. I consider those figures pretty good for a first attempt with no marketing, given the small amount of hours that I put into it as a hobby.

While the market is flooded, there are literally millions of devices activated each day and people will browse the market and just download lots of things that take their fancy. I'm planning on putting some real effort into a more unique and interesting app now, because I was quite pleased with that performance as a proof of concept.

Draco

It can be immensely frustrating. I released my latest iPhone app (Santa Report since you ask) two weeks ago for 89c. I promoted it via Twitter and Facebook, sent in to a couple of radio shows (no joy there), had it featured on Broadsheet and WorldIrish. It managed to reach #12 in the overall top paid apps and #2 in entertainment. After all that, it's just managed 135 (35 of which were from free codes).

It is a niche app so I wasn't expecting to make an absolute fortune from it but still, it's been disappointing overall. The main takeaway I've gotten from it is that I need to come up with a better way of promoting it.

Still, I won't be giving up (and I've already moved on to the next app of my own).

awec

See that's what I was thinking.

I guess though the current model promotes quality. Poor apps won't get downloaded, great apps will have their figures boosted as word spreads on social media.

I imagine a lot of people view app dev as a way to make some serious cash given the amount of smartphones etc on the market, but I reckon to make serious money you have to have serious money to invest.

Atomic Pineapple

awec wrote: »

See that's what I was thinking.

I guess though the current model promotes quality. Poor apps won't get downloaded, great apps will have their figures boosted as word spreads on social media.

I imagine a lot of people view app dev as a way to make some serious cash given the amount of smartphones etc on the market, but I reckon to make serious money you have to have serious money to invest.

It would depend on what you planned to develop really, a game yes then serious money to invest would give you a better chance of making money in the end. But I think given time more so than money talented developers can create money making applications with only a small cash injection up front.

My main issue with my applications is the graphics, I had to do them myself and with only some self thought PS skills they end up looking pretty generic whereas if I had some money to get a graphic designer on board it would instantly improve the look and feel of my apps and give them a more professional feel that customers want.

I think with a small bit of cash up front it should be possible to make a good app go a long way!

awec

Graphics would be my problem too. Good functionality isn't good enough nowadays, it has to look nice.