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Rubes_sw · Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 2:01 pm Post subject: Programmer Furstrations

Hi Guys

Just doing some checking...

My most popular program Pixy Color (used to be Pixy Pro) has had an amazing: 53,387 downloads since jan this year !

It only costs £4.95 and i have had 1 user registration ! ( depressing or what ).

From what i can tell people like it and the reviews are good... So whay are people not buying it?

The unregistered version is fully functionally except that you have to wait for 10 seconds to use it when you run it. ( so a 10 second delay ).

Is the probem, that im giving too much away ?... in other words after the 10 seconds they can continue to use it etc...

Is it time for a re-think?

Nathan

Garrett · Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 3:04 pm Post subject:

I myself haven't been in the shareware game for many many years now, but when I used to sell my Memory-Trax program, I had far more downloads and only sold about 50 registrations over the program's life time. Eventually I gave up on trying to make money via shareware and only considered it a hobby that I may never see any money from.

PGWARE · **Web Host** Joined: 29 Dec 2001 Posts: 1564

Typical conversion rate is 1-2% on shareware.

You need to get more downloads. Download a pad generator, to create an xml pad file (just contains information about your program in xml format), then use software like robosoft to submit your program to thousands of shareware sites.

Make sure you are offereing convenient ways to sell your software to end users; not all are willing to hand over a credit card. Put paypal, amazon on your website as accepted payment methods.

Visit www.trialpay.com and setup an account there too, you can offer your software free to customers if they try an offer. For instance if they signup to netflix they get your software free but you get paid by TrialPay/Netflix for the referral - often you get more money then what your original sale price was; this also depends on the customers country and the payout amount by advertiser/offer. You can set a minimum payout amount for each country/region.

Make sure the end user knows the software is NOT free and should be purchased, you can annoy them with some nag screens but dont make it super annoying either. Limit the feature set so they should purchase to get access to features. If you give all features away after a 10 second wait whats the purpose to buy?? Just launch the program, go get a drink of water and come back to a fully functional program.

marty · Professional Member Joined: 10 May 2001 Posts: 789

I understand your frustration. But like PK said, 10 seconds is like giving it away. The way I work is to enable certain features when the registered the product. At least one "must" feature should be enabled only when they decide to buy.

The ratio is about right %1, which is low. There so much competition on the net, difficult to get into any market these days.

Trialpay... PK you ever used that? I opened an account, not quite sure what to think about it.

Martin

PGWARE · **Web Host** Joined: 29 Dec 2001 Posts: 1564

Trialpay pays out very well, we use it. There are many users not willing to buy software, but if you offer it free when they signup to say 'neflix' then they are willing to bite; they get netflix and they get a copy of software for free.