Apple has plans to soon allow developers to offer past subscribers discounted iOS, macOS and tvOS subscriptions in an effort for them to win back customers.
Apple detailed the shift in a recent news release on its iTunes partner App Store Connect news portal.
The tech giant is offering three specific categories of promotions to developers.
Free
Customers access your subscription for free for a specific duration — for example, a 30-day trial for a subscription with a standard renewal price of $4.99 per month.
Pay As You Go
Customers pay a promotional price for each billing period for a selected duration — for example, $1.99 per month for three months for a subscription with a standard renewal price of $9.99 per month.
Pay Up Front
Customers pay a one-time promotional price for a specific duration — for example, $9.99 for the first six months of a subscription with a standard renewal price of $39.99 per year.
Along with former subscribers, Apple says that the promotional subscriptions can also be offered to existing subscribers in an effort to keep them around. That said, if you’re new to an app, developers aren’t able to offer promotional subscriptions, according to Apple’s guidelines.
The new developer feature is set to be available in iOS 12.2, macOS Mojave 10.14.4 and tvOS 12.2.
While it’s unlikely that every developer that offers app subscriptions will take advantage of these new promotional options, those that do could see increased retention rates, especially with the new ‘Pay Up Front’ option. There are a number of apps I once subscribed to that I would consider using again if I was offered a cheaper, longer-term subscription offer.
Source: App Store Connect Via: MacRumors
