Tag: Store

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App Store pricing upgrades have expanded to all purchase types – Latest News


In December, we announced the most comprehensive upgrade to pricing capabilities since the App Store first launched, including additional price points and new tools to manage pricing by storefront. Starting today, these upgrades and new prices are now available for all app and in‑app purchase types, including paid apps and one‑time in‑app purchases.

  • More flexible price points. Choose from 900 price points — nearly 10 times the number of price points previously available for paid apps and one‑time in‑app purchases. These options also offer more flexibility, increasing incrementally across price ranges (for example, every $0.10 up to $10, every $0.50 between $10 and $50, etc.).

  • Enhanced global pricing. Use globally equalized prices that follow the most common pricing conventions in each country or region, so you can provide pricing that’s more relevant to customers.

  • Worldwide options for base price. Specify a country or region you’re familiar with as the basis for globally equalized prices across the other 174 storefronts and 43 currencies for paid apps and one‑time in‑app purchases. Prices you set for this base storefront won’t be adjusted by Apple to account for taxes or foreign currency changes, and you’ll be able to set prices for each storefront if you prefer.

  • Regional options for availability. Define the availability of in‑app purchases (including subscriptions) by storefront, so you can deliver content and services customized for each market.

Get ready for enhanced global pricing updates in May

The App Store’s global equalization tools provide a simple and convenient way to manage pricing across international markets. On May 9, 2023, pricing for existing apps and one‑time in‑app purchases will be updated across all 175 App Store storefronts to take advantage of new enhanced global pricing. The updated prices will be globally equalized to your selected base country or region using publicly available exchange rate information from financial data providers. These price points will also follow the most common conventions in each country or region so that prices are more relevant to customers.

You can now update your current pricing to take advantage of the enhanced global pricing using App Store Connect or the App Store Connect API. If you haven’t made price updates for your existing apps and one‑time in‑app purchases by May 9, Apple will update them for you using your current price in the United States as the basis. If you’d like a different price to be used as the basis, update the base country or region for your apps or in‑app purchases to your preferred storefront. You can also choose to manually manage prices on storefronts of your choice instead of using the equalized price.

Learn how to select a base storefront

Learn how to set in-app purchase availability

Learn how to view the new pricing



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Apple’s App Store pricing gets a major overhaul


Apple’s App Store pricing gets an update

Starting now, app developers can select between over 900 price points to charge customers for any App Store purchase — even whole numbers like $1 are supported.

That means customers will see a lot more apps that cost $1 instead of the classic $0.99, and in-app purchases can go as low as $0.10. The highest a developer can charge for something is $10,000, though that requires special permission from Apple.

Developers have until May 9, 2023, to set up regional base prices. On that date, Apple will enable the new pricing across 175 App Store storefronts.



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New App Store benchmarks let devs compare app performance to peers


Developers have new analytics tools

Apple has added peer group benchmarks for developers using app analytics in their App Store offerings to let them compare performance to similar apps.

It lets developers put their app’s performance into context by comparing it to similar apps in the App Store. Apps are grouped based on their App Store category, business model, and download volume to ensure relevant comparisons.

Taking action on peer group benchmarks means developers can compare performance results across several important metrics, including conversion rate, day one, day seven, and day 28 retention rate, crash rate, and average proceeds per paying user. They are defined in the same way as the standard app metrics and displayed in weekly intervals.

For example, the App Analytics dashboard displays the statistics from the selected date range and the estimated percentage difference from the previous period of the same time. The dashboard is within the App Store Connect tool for user app acquisition, usage, and monetization data.

This allows developers to improve their conversion rate, set up a product page optimization test, create custom product pages, localize app and product usage, and more.



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Reasons why your ecommerce store should have a mobile app


Mobile apps for shopping have made it easy for customers to discover, browse and make purchases from their stores. Mobile apps for shopping have made it easy for customers to discover, browse and make purchases from their stores. Customers can shop from anywhere at any time, which means that you don’t have to worry about them missing out on a sale or promotion if they don’t get the chance to check your site in real-time.Top USA-based eCommerce development companies do the same for the businesses which aim to build a solid responsive website in order to attract more customers. 

Mobile applications also help you reach more customers by making browsing faster and easier than ever before! The average online shopper spends about 5 minutes on each website before moving onto another one. With a mobile app already installed on their phones or tablets, shoppers will be able to check out quickly without having any trouble finding what they need. They’ll also be able to search for products within seconds instead of spending hours clicking through screens trying find something similar among dozens of options.

Loyalty programs

A loyalty program is a great way to reward your customers for making purchases, and it’s also a great way to give them a reason to come back.

When you have an app, you can easily track customer activity in real-time. This means that you can send out personalized offers based on what the customer has been doing in your store (or even offline). For example, if someone uses their phone at one of your stores locations, there is no longer any need for them to check their email or social media accounts every day—they will get notified via push notification when they are eligible for special discounts or deals!

This type of interactive marketing helps drive revenue because people who use mobile apps spend more money than those who do not have access.”

Branding and Marketing

You can also use your app to build brand awareness and loyalty among your customers. You may already be familiar with the benefits of having a mobile app for your business, but here are some things you might not know:

  • Apps are a great way to get customers to engage with your brand. People who download an app tend to spend more time using it than those who don’t have one, which means they’re more likely to buy from you!
  • They create unique experiences for users—which makes them popular among millennials and Generation Zers alike! If people love using your product or service while they’re traveling, then they’ll be more likely to do so again when they’re back home again—which means more sales down the road as well!

Push Notifications

Push notifications are a great way to keep your customers engaged with your business. They can increase sales by up to 30%, and they’re an easy way to promote new products or sales.

Push notifications are also useful for sending coupons or discounts in order to increase conversions, which means more money in your pocket!

Faster loading time

You know that your customers are impatient and they want their products delivered fast. But, if a page takes too long to load, then the user will leave the site. To avoid this problem, you need to make sure that your mobile app has fast loading times.

A good practice is to use an app cache so that when a user visits your website for the first time or returns after an interval of time (for example, every month), only static content is loaded from the server instead of all new pages being loaded from scratch each time. This ensures faster browsing speeds for both desktop and mobile users alike!

Mobile apps can also use web services like Google Maps or Amazon Associates API in order to load dynamic content quickly—this way even if there’s no internet connection available at all! And lastly: Hardware acceleration allows certain hardware components such as cameras on mobile devices contribute towards page rendering speed by processing images before sending them over network connections – again improving overall performance without having any impact on battery life either!

Integrating with social media networks

Social media is a key component of any ecommerce business, and it’s important to integrate your social media presence with your mobile app. Your customers will be more likely to share their experience with you if they can do so right from their phones.

Social media marketing involves using online platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as a way of promoting products or services. For example: If you’re selling clothes online then you might post photos on your Facebook page showing off new designs in various colors; if you sell shoes then posting videos of people trying on different pairs could help promote sales. Similarly, if someone posts something positive about one of your products then this could result in increased sales at checkout!

Better user experience

The user experience is a big part of the ecommerce experience. It’s what makes or breaks your brand, and it’s important that you have a great one.

The best way to improve your user experience is by having a mobile app in place that allows customers to easily navigate through their product pages, check out quickly and easily with no errors or issues, and get notifications when they’re ready for delivery.

Here’s how it works:

Increase in sales and revenue

Mobile apps are a great way to increase sales and revenue. They can do this by increasing customer engagement, conversion rates, customer satisfaction and repeat purchases. This may sound like a lot of things but let’s break it down into three main benefits:

  • Increased Customer Engagement – With mobile apps you can engage with your customers in ways that weren’t possible before. You can use push notifications for example or send email updates directly from the app which allows you to stay connected with your audience 24/7 without having them check their inboxes on their desktop computers first (which takes time). You also have access to more data when interacting through social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter because they require less work than other channels like email or phone calls etcetera.’”

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many benefits to having a mobile app for your business. By implementing these apps, you will be able to provide better customer service and experience while increasing revenue by up-selling products and services that people might not have purchased otherwise. 

To get started with your mobile app development process, contact best b2b ecommerce website development services, which can help you move in the right direction. 

———–

Author Bio : Ekta Patel is the Digital Marketing Executive at Selected Firms –  a B2B Marketplace for Finding World Class Agencies. She is a Skilled Digital Marketer with 7 Years of experience in eCommerce, SEO marketing, Google AdWords, and social media content building. She has created quality content for the company’s websites/apps, blogs, and case studies. In addition, she has profound experience working for IT organisations and is responsible for introducing the latest eCommerce trends to the team.

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The cost of doing business: Apple’s App Store fees explained


The App Store is a powerful digital ecosystem.



AppleInsider may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made through links on our site.

The App Store has an enormous reach, enabling developers to access billions of users. But, there is confusion on how much Apple charges — and on what.

The 30% fee on App Store purchases is often criticized because it’s also the only way most apps can accept payment on Apple devices. So, to what exactly does Apple’s fee apply, and to what does it not?

App Store fees

On the iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and macOS App Store, Apple charges a 30% fee for apps and in-app purchases. However, the fee doesn’t apply to free apps.

Subscriptions are charged at 30% for the first year, which then drops to 15% for subsequent years.

Developers can also apply for the App Store Small Business Program. Under this scheme, if your business makes $1 million or less in a year, you qualify for a reduction of the fee to 15%.

Once your business income surpasses this threshold in a given year, the standard 30% rate applies for the rest of the year. However, if your income drops below $1 million, you can re-qualify for the scheme the following year.

Things for which App Store fees don’t apply

App Store fees only apply to digital goods and services, so this excludes physical goods, such as ordering on the Amazon app, food from DoorDash deliveries, and tangible services like Uber rides.

However, there are some interesting specifics. As is normally the case, the devil is in the detail, but so is salvation… if you’re lucky.

That’s because Apple has made a series of concessions over the years, either of its own volition or due to legal compulsion.

Exceptions and counter-exceptions

Paid boosts to social media posts incur the in-app purchase fee, but apps for the sole purpose of buying and managing advertising campaigns do not.

Additionally, “reader” apps — those used to consume previously purchased content such as news, books, music, and video — are also exempt from App Store fees on that content.

The weird case here is for game streaming apps, such as Google’s Stadia and Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming. Technically, they are allowed on the App Store without the subscription incurring a fee, but there are some difficult hoops through which you’d need to jump.

The main one is Apple’s stipulation that “Each streaming game must be submitted to the App Store as an individual app so that it has an App Store product page, appears in charts and search, has user ratings and review…”

That’s a lot of work, even if you have the rights to do so for every game.

Alternative payment processing

Following some high-profile lawsuits, Apple must allow developers to surface alternative payment methods to users in certain countries, which circumvents some proportion of Apple’s fee.

So far, the only country where this policy change has been universally applied is South Korea, where developers can now use their own in-app payment system. But Apple will still take a 26% cut, and you’ll probably still need a payment processor.

If you happen to be releasing a dating app in the Netherlands, you may be in luck: In this specific case, Apple must also give you the option of using an alternative payment processor, in exchange for a mere 27% fee.

Apple has been granted a temporary stay from a ruling forcing it to allow alternative payment methods in the United States. However, this is a changing legal situation so don’t rely on this just yet.

Then there’s Europe to consider, with its Digital Markets Act that aims to force Apple into allowing third-party payments and alternative app marketplaces, a situation Apple is apparently working to prepare for when it eventually becomes an issue sometime in 2024.

Apple’s full and current guidelines, including where its App Store fees do and don’t apply, can be found here.



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Inside Apple’s Singapore Marina Bay Sands retail store


Apple Marina Bay Sands in Singapore



AppleInsider may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made through links on our site.

The Marina Bay Sands Apple Store in Singapore is the first of its kind, appearing to float on water in Singapore’s Marina Bay — and we recently visited it.

Said by Apple to be inspired by the Roman Pantheon, the Apple Marina Bay Sands opened during the pandemic on September 7, 2020, and makes its mark as the only floating dome Apple Store on the planet.

Singapore’s first Apple Store opened May 27, 2017 on Orchard Road, an upscale shopping area. A second opened on July 13, 2019, and can be found inside Singapore Changi Airport.

On our recent visit to Singapore, we visited the third Apple store to open in the country, Apple Marina Bay Sands. It beckons Apple fans by day with its curious spherical design, and bedazzles the marina waterfront with its warm glow at night.

Designed by architects Foster + Partners who took inspiration from the Pantheon in Rome, it offers a truly delightful shopping experience for Apple fans.

History of Apple Marina Bay Sands

In 2011, Safdie Architects completed two Crystal Pavilions designed as transparent, geometric islands jutting along Singapore’s Marina Bay waterfront. The northern pavilion is home to Louis Vuitton and remains to this day with its sharp, irregularly angled facades.

The southern pavilion housed two luxury night clubs Avalon and Pangaea, but both nightclubs have since closed, and this pavilion has been replaced by Apple Marina Bay Sands. In striking contrast to its former jagged asymmetric design, Apple Marina Bay Sands was unveiled as a futuristic sphere.

Outstanding design

This is the only Apple store in the world that sits directly on the water and is joined to the land by a small bridge.

Apple Marina Bay Sands offers excellent views of the waterfront

Apple Marina Bay Sands offers excellent views of the waterfront

At first glance, this geodesic dome appears to float on water against the captivating backdrop of the Singapore skyline. This all-glass dome is made with 112 pieces of fully-glazed glass, with 10 narrow vertical bars for structural connection.

The glass dome is designed for seamless transparency between indoors and out, accentuated by tall potted trees meticulously placed throughout the store.

View from inside Apple Marina Bay Sands Singapore

View from inside Apple Marina Bay Sands Singapore

At almost 100 feet in diameter, it delivers a 360-degree panoramic view of Singapore’s famous Marina Bay. It does this quite comfortably as it’s shielded with circular sun shades from the intense Singaporean sun.

Getting there

There are two entrances to this eye-catching Apple store, with one via a small bridge connected to the boardwalk in front of the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. The bridge is sometimes closed, but there is another entrance.

Look for this sign when entering from within the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands

Look for this sign when entering from within the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands

Within the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, there is an elevator or escalator that goes up into the dome. Enter the Apple store from Basement 2 of the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

Entering Apple Marina Bay Sands from inside the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands

Entering Apple Marina Bay Sands from inside the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands

Don’t be fooled by this ordinary section of the Apple store. Walk all the way to the back of the store, and get on the escalator.

Walk to the very back of the Apple Store on Basement 2 of the Shoppes

Walk to the very back of the Apple Store on Basement 2 of the Shoppes

We stepped on the escalator and looked up, and were greeted by a semi-opaque oculus from which a glorious ray of light floods the entire dome.

We couldn’t help but feel a sense of giddy wonderment upon entering this bright and cheerful space filled with our favorite Apple products.

The Forum

A notable feature of this Apple store is its Forum in collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board.

Apple Store's Forum in collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board

Apple Store’s Forum in collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board

Here, Apple’s Singapore creatives host regular free events showing how to use Apple products specifically when visiting Singapore.

For example, current events include learning low light photography using Night Mode around Singapore Marina Bay, and basic photography capturing landmarks such as Jewel Changi Airport and Emerald Hill. You can check out the event calendar for the store from Apple’s website.

Add this to your Singapore itinerary

Apple Marina Bay Sands opened in September 2020 during the grim pandemic days. Even so, it garnered so many visitors upon opening that advanced appointments were required to enter the store.

Entering Apple Marina Bay Sands from either the elevator or escalator from Level B2

Entering Apple Marina Bay Sands from either the elevator or escalator from Level B2

As Singapore emerges from strict travel restrictions, appointments are no longer needed to visit this iconic Apple store. Its staff of 148, who collectively speak over 23 languages, is ready to welcome visitors from around the world.

Starting from Apple’s first corporate office in Singapore’s Ang Mo Kio over 40 years ago, it’s involvement in the area culminates with this whimsically futuristic Apple Store. Perhaps this is yet another way Apple is inspiring us to think different.

Apple Marina Bay Sands address

The Apple Marina Bay Sands is hard to miss, but here’s the address to add this to your Singapore itinerary: 2 Bayfront Ave, B2 – 06, Singapore 018972.



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App Store Awards celebrate the best apps and games of 2022





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Apple announces biggest upgrade to App Store pricing, adding 700 new price points





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Apple announces biggest upgrade to App Store pricing, adding 700 new price points – Latest News


Developers will also gain new flexibility to manage pricing globally

Apple today announced the most comprehensive upgrade to pricing capabilities since the App Store first launched, providing developers with 700 additional price points and new pricing tools that will make it easier to set prices per App Store country or region, manage foreign exchange rate changes, and more.

Since the App Store’s inception, its world-class commerce and payments system has empowered developers to conveniently set up and sell their products and services on a global scale. The App Store’s commerce and payments system offers developers an ever-expanding set of capabilities and tools to grow their businesses, from frictionless checkout and transparent invoicing for users to robust marketing tools, tax and fraud services, and refund management.

Pricing has been foundational to these capabilities, enabling developers to choose from a variety of business models, such as one-time purchases and multiple subscription types. These new pricing enhancements will be available for apps offering auto-renewable subscriptions starting today, and for all other apps and in-app purchases in spring 2023, giving all developers unprecedented flexibility and control to price their products in 45 currencies throughout 175 storefronts.

Under the updated App Store pricing system, all developers will have the ability to select from 900 price points, which is nearly 10 times the number of price points previously available for most apps. This includes 600 new price points to choose from, with an additional 100 higher price points available upon request. To provide developers around the world with even more flexibility, price points — which will start as low as $0.29 and, upon request, go up to $10,000 — will offer an enhanced selection of price points, increasing incrementally across price ranges (for example, every $0.10 up to $10; every $0.50 between $10 and $50; etc.). See the table below for details.

In each of the App Store’s 175 storefronts, developers will be able to leverage additional pricing conventions, including those that begin with two repeating digits (e.g., ₩110,000), and will be able to price products beyond $0.99 or €X.99 endings to incorporate rounded price endings (e.g., x.00 or x.90), which are particularly useful for managing bundles and annual plans.

Starting today, developers of subscription apps will also be able to manage currency and taxes across storefronts more effortlessly by choosing a local storefront they know best as the basis for automatically generating prices across the other 174 storefronts and 44 currencies. Developers will still be able to define prices per storefront if they wish. The pricing capability by storefront will expand to all other apps in spring 2023.

For developers distributing their apps around the world, the App Store’s global equalization tools have given them a simple and convenient way to manage pricing across international markets. Today’s enhancements expand upon these capabilities, allowing developers to keep their local currency constant in any storefront of their choice, even as foreign exchange and taxes fluctuate. This means, for example, a Japanese game developer who gets most of their business from Japanese customers can set their price for the Japan storefront, and have their prices outside of the country update as foreign exchange and tax rates change. All developers will also be able to define availability of in-app purchases by storefront.

Periodically, Apple updates prices in certain regions based on changes in taxes and foreign exchange rates. This is done using publicly available exchange rate information from financial data providers to help ensure prices for in-app purchases stay equalized across all storefronts. Currently, developers can adjust pricing at any time to react to tax and foreign currency adjustments. Coming in 2023, developers with paid apps and in-app purchases will be able to set local territory pricing, which will not be impacted by automatic price adjustments.

These newly announced tools, which will begin rolling out today and continue throughout 2023, will create even more flexibility for developers to price their products while staying approachable to the hundreds of millions of users Apple serves worldwide, and in turn help developers continue to thrive on the App Store.

Learn more about auto-renewable subscriptions

Learn about pricing for auto-renewable subscriptions