Getting one new app noticed in a sea of 100,000 apps is impossible. However, each app gets one (guaranteed?) opportunity to gain a certain sales momentum through exposure on the by Release Date (aka new releases) list. If you’re in a competitive category, your app may get a few days on the front page, or perhaps your app gets nearly a week. Either way, without this jumpstart, your app is destined to only garner a few sales. However, the Release Date lists are now broken–many apps appearing on the list have 2008 release dates (some are outdated releases for 2.0 only–not even updated for 3.0 software update for the iPhone and iPod Touch). If this problem is not fixed soon, ALL apps released in this current timeframe will be DOA. Our Serving Sizer Recipe Converter app falls under this predicament! Our first day of sales can be counted on one hand, instead of 10x that amount for a partial first day of sales.
Getting one new app noticed in a sea of 100,000 apps is impossible. However, each app gets one (guaranteed?) opportunity to gain a certain sales momentum through exposure on the by Release Date (aka new releases) list. If you’re in a competitive category, your app may get a few days on the front page, or perhaps your app gets nearly a week. Either way, without this jumpstart, your app is destined to only garner a few sales. However, the Release Date lists are now broken–many apps appearing on the list have 2008 release dates (some are outdated releases for 2.0 only–not even updated for 3.0 software update for the iPhone and iPod Touch). If this problem is not fixed soon, ALL apps released in this current timeframe will be DOA. Our Serving Sizer Recipe Converter app falls under this predicament! Our first day of sales can be counted on one hand, instead of 10x that amount for a partial first day of sales.
We’re trying to run a business here. We’ve done what a business should:
1) We’ve analyzed the markets (see my recent post “Earning a Living As a Mobile Software Developer”). We selected a direction to take in the mobile space.
2) We bought a Macbook and a few iPhones, self-taught ourselves Objective-C, and embraced the Human Interface Guidelnes (HIG).
3) We’ve kept our costs low by bootstrapping (keeping our size to two–we’re a husband and wife team). We’ve done all our graphics, programming, web design, marketing, and accounting in-house, to save on costs.
4) We followed the rules and tested extensively prior to release. We submitted two apps and were rewarded with no rejections.
5) We patiently awaited the absurd waiting time for approval. Although, we were very lucky to get through smoothly in about 10-11 days for each new release and each update. (Date Wheel, our other app, has been updated twice.)
6) We developed a business plan for release of our planned lineup of apps, targeting the “AppStore B” approach.
7) We targeted Serving Sizer for release prior to the U.S. Thanksgiving holidays (it’s a cooking app which, we think, will prove VERY useful over the holiday season) and we hit our target submission date (and were approved for release on November 9th).
8) We strived for a aesthetically pleasing and highly usable UI. Serving Sizer is ‘zazzed up with great graphics and some cool unique animations (all following the HIG). We believe we were successful.
9) We devised a two-app plan–release Serving Sizer now, a lite-type ‘sample’ version, at 99c, before the holiday, and follow-up with Serving Sizer Pro by the end of the year.
10) We priced Serving Sizer low, since it’s meant to be a “snack app” and a promotional tool for our Pro version. Serving Sizer at 99c was supposed to generate sales for the Pro version through up-selling.
In short, we set goals, we made plans, and we hit our targets, like any real business. However, one “oops” by the distribution channel has completely dashed our chances at gaining the sales momentum gained by being listed in the by Release Date list out of the gate. So, we’re still searchable, and still going for “AppStore B,” the slow and steady rate. We will be releasing Serving Sizer Pro by the end of the year, but instead of the 99c app driving sales, Serving Sizer Pro will (hopefully) get the exposure that Serving Sizer was denied, and perhaps the reverse cross-sell will happen?
So what happened with the AppStore and what’s going on now?
This past week, coincidentally after the time change?, all the AppStore lists went haywire. The top 100 contained many apps no one had ever heard of. Developers were shocked, but many casual users probably didn’t know the difference. As a result, the app listed at #1 actually gained sales from this error. Apple quickly fixed these lists, but then the problem migrated into the top 100 lists by category. Apple again jumped on this and froze all top lists.
But then something weird started to happen after this was fixed. The by Release Date section began to be sorted nonsensically. Apps were listed in a strange order and only (in most cases) 1.0 versions were listed. Blogs started to speculate that Apple was closing another area where developers were “gaming the system.” No more updates would be listed in by Release Date, only real New Releases. This change could be a good thing–additional exposure for new apps and perhaps shorter approval times for everyone because developers would stop using updates as a promotional tool and submit fewer binaries. It is a win for Apple, too. After all, Apple earns money from new apps, not from updates. If they have 10 reviewers working on new releases and 10 on updated submissions, then half of their reviewers are not generating additional income for Apple by approving apps for sale. It really makes good business sense, despite being disappointing for some developers. It also stops the abuse–bogus bug fixes and no real new features for an update, just to get another week’s exposure in the list.
However, this change is not what is going on in the Release Date list. Yes, only 1.0 apps are listed, but they are not listed chronologically. These apps may show a November 2009 release date in the iTunes store, so on the surface it appears to be working, but upon closer look, these apps are not new releases. Some apps at the top are 2008 releases. Some appear to be outdated releases, not even updated for the 3.0 iPhone software update. A few recent 2009 releases appear in the list, in-between the other apps, but it is difficult to tell if there is any rhyme or reason to the current sort order. On-device doesn’t show the release date in the list, so it appears even more nonsensical. To make matters worse, the feeds are also messed up, so all those online App browsing stores are also incorrect. Apple, your AppStore is broken–can you please fix it? And hurry please?
Other options for Serving Sizer’s new release
Yes, I have other promotional methods at my disposal. I will be issuing press releases, I blogged about the release, I tweeted about it, I posted it on Facebook, I will also be contacting as many review sites, armed with promo codes, in hopes that they are interested in doing a review among so many other requests. I will send a newsletter announcement to my current customers. However, none of these options can compete with the visibility on the AppStore itself. Our lone chance, previously granted to each app, is exposure on the Release Date list. But alas, that is not in the cards for Serving Sizer this time. (update: Serving Sizer is now showing up on the second page of the Release Date list, below many of the aforementioned 2008-released apps. I guess something is better than nothing…)
Why am I writing this post?
Having no control of the distribution channel of your product is frustrating. When things go wrong and you are adversely affected, it is even more so. I’m writing this for several reasons:
1) to vent (I feel better already)
2) to point out what’s really happening on the AppStore so it gets fixed (no one seems to be talking about it)
3) to try to promote my Serving Sizer app and gain some control over our destiny and
4) to warn other developers who have apps in the queue on what to expect when they receive that exhilarating “Your application is Ready for Sale” email and their bubble is immediately popped when they appear on no lists in the AppStore and no one knows their app even exists.
Thanks for reading. I wish you all well on your upcoming apps and, hey, if you are cooking this holiday season and want to convert your 4 serving recipe to one for a crowd, please pick up Serving Sizer to make your life easier!
