In-App Purchases
Monetizing mobile games and apps can be done in various ways, such as offering paid products and subscriptions or distributing titles for free. However, if you choose the latter option, you might wonder how to make money from free games. The answer lies in in-app purchases. Let's explore in-app purchases’ meaning and functionality.
What Is In-App Purchase?
In-app purchases (IAPs) are virtual items that users can buy with real money within a game or app. These can be:
- extra levels;
- additional lives;
- advanced weapon;
- hints;
- features;
- DLCs, and more.
By implementing IAPs, developers can earn profits from free projects. While IAPs can enhance the user experience, their absence should not significantly limit customers who plan to use a free product.
At the same time, it is also important that IAPs in your app are affordable compared to what competitors offer. You can estimate the average cost of IAPs in your category using Store Charts in Asolytics tools.
The principle behind IAPs is straightforward. Users of your game or app can access the internal store at their convenience and purchase additional items as needed. This purchased stuff then automatically becomes available in the main product.
For example, users can immediately use advanced weapons in gameplay after buying them. Offering such additional opportunities increases the value of free services. To maximize IAPs, developers should make them easily accessible and user-friendly.
Therefore, even with a free service, you can generate revenue by offering IAPs. They can be used in combination with other monetization methods and can serve as a powerful ASO tool for iOS developers.
Since IAPs appear as separate items in search results on the App Store, proper optimization can significantly increase the visibility and discoverability of the main product. Find out how to use in-app purchases to the fullest to promote your iOS app in our blog.
Learn more on the Asolytics blog – use your knowledge straight away in Asolytics tools!