Learn 40 battle-tested tips for increasing revenue from in-app sales in your apps!

Making money from in-app purchases comes down to one question: why do we buy goods in the first place?

Let me give you a hint: it's primarily about meeting emotional and psychological demands. You'll have a leg up on your app if you can grasp how people think - and that's what this post is all about!

I'll explain 40 tips in this article that you can use right away to make more money with in-app purchases in your apps. Some of the skills you'll learn include:

• What is the best way to use the decoy effect to anchor pricing?
• How to make your store elicit favourable emotions
• How to make your game more appealing to "whales"
• And there are over 37 more suggestions!
• Are you ready to start making money the way the pros do? Then let's get right to work!

1. Increase Difficulty Gradually

Let's start with the basics: it's critical to make the user feel comfortable with your software.

Consider this: would you want to invest money in a game you've never played before? Almost certainly not!

This method is most effective if your game fits the following criteria: the user should be able to completely experience your app with few restrictions. You accomplish two things by doing so:

You've increased the average user session time, or how long users spend playing your game.

As you progress in the game, you increase the possibility that whales — people who are more inclined to spend a lot of money in your game — would buy pricey stuff.

People that don’t want to spend money in your game will spend copious amounts of time to try and master it on skill alone. As users spend time in your game, you can take advantage of complementary revenue streams, such as ads and offerwalls, RapidoReach, Tapjoy integration, or other passive monetization methods.

2. Provide chapters that can be unlocked.

Players will be more likely to use your IAP if you provide additional "bonus" content that is exclusively available to those who have purchased paid stuff. 

3. Showcase some of your IAP content

Would you buy anything if you didn't know how useful it would be?

Allow users to sample some — or all! — of your IAP content, both consumable and non-refillable. If customers can use consumable power-ups right away in your game, for example, they'll be more willing to buy more when they run out!

4. Make the player earn your in-app purchase content 

The method of earning IAP is based on the idea that as players progress in the game, they should be able to unlock more IAP content:

This method has a number of advantages:

Increased focus on your app's IAP content

Reduced frustration to customers who aren't interested in your premium content Increased perceived value of your IAP material4. Make the player earn your in-app purchase content

5. Include a "Save Me" option.

You can give individuals a "rescue me" IAP while they're in the middle of a major gaming session and are on the verge of dying, losing the game, or suffering some other terrible event. This type of material allows the user to continue playing without losing their score or progress in the game.

Because it relies on quick judgments made by the player in the heat of battle, games where players compete for leaderboard position might be a great way to monetise your app.

The most appropriate type of app for this method is endless running games. Apps like Subway Surfers and Temple Run are two examples of where you can see this concept in action.

6. Provide an option to "Remove Ads"

Despite the fact that it appears that everyone and their dog utilises this method, don't dismiss it! It's extremely simple, however many customers prefer to use your programme without being interrupted by advertisements.

To test this, go to the App Store and look at the reviews of apps that don't have this functionality. You'll be shocked at how many people ask for this feature when it isn't available.

7. Provide your players with the statistics they want to see.

Gamers adore the finer points of how they compare to other players in the game. Allow your users to purchase an IAP that allows them to compare themselves to other gamers from across the world!

8. Treat time as though it were a valuable commodity.

Most people regard time as a very valuable commodity, and gamers are no exception. People are generally impatient and want to have their wants met as quickly as possible.

Mobile games are an extreme example of how time is valued. A large chunk of mobile gaming occurs while players are waiting in situations where they may have to end their game at any point.

Gamers want to get as much gameplay as possible out of each session. You can profit from this by selling them time as a gift.

If you look around the App Store, you'll notice that numerous apps use this method to great advantage. Clash of Clans is a hugely popular game with a monetization plan based primarily on this method.

By investing the game's virtual cash, you can speed up construction or army building in Clash of Clans. It's a really effective tactic, but you can take it a step further and collect data on what motivates individuals to swap money for time.

Setting up a server where you can monitor and vary the length of the timed events in your game is a terrific method to assess and adapt the efficacy of your IAP approach. You can adjust the schedules in this way to achieve the ideal balance of event duration and IAP content sold!

9. Assist Users in Feeling Good

When people visit places, they establish strong linkages between feelings and past experiences. This regulation applies to your app as well. You can utilise a simple method to assist your users identify your software with a warm and fuzzy sensation.

Bring customers to your store on the first day of your game's launch and give them a reward simply for stopping by. They'll remember your thoughtful gesture and associate your store with happiness. Users who link your app with positive emotions are more inclined to spend money in the future.

9. Make a Relic Offer

Create some in-game content that is extra-special and pricey in comparison to other content. Cover it in diamonds, gold-plate it, whatever it takes to make it stand out among your other possessions. This will be your "Relic," a piece of in-app material that is just out of grasp for regular gamers.

10. Make exclusive offers that are only available for a limited time.

Offer limited-time promotions with your in-app purchases to create some urgency. Offering crucial things for 50% off — or more — increases your users' desire to buy.

If you can set up and control your IAP services remotely, experiment with the settings for "time left" and "cost" to see which combination generates the most purchases.

11. Provide the Correct Tool at the Appropriate Time

Powerful selling strategies include making special offers to the right players at the right moment.

Imagine players in this position who are well aware that the odds are stacked against them; a timely offer of assistance is a terrific approach to generate IAP. 20. Make Stores That Are Both Beautiful and Practical

12. Make use of colour psychology

Consider how you show your IAP content, from the store popup to the basic buttons users use to purchase it. What impact does colour have on your customers' purchasing decisions?

Here's a chart that shows how colour affects mood:

This might serve as a starting point for you to use when you create your design assets.

Using the “A/B testing” technique to determine which colour — or a mix of colours — leads to increased conversion rates is a fantastic idea.

You don't always need to rethink the complete user interface; sometimes just altering the colour of a "Buy" button is enough to produce fantastic results.

Also Read: https://www.rapidoreach.com/blogs/b/why-should-I-use-market-research-surveys-to-monetize-my-app-through-rapidoreach

13. Make it simple to find your store

Make sure that users can find your store in a variety of methods. The easier it is for consumers to locate your store, the more likely they are to buy something.

14. Provide limited-time offers

One-time offers are quite tempting, but if you show them to the consumer too frequently, they will become extremely irritating. Don't show your "one-time deal" on every app launch; instead, show it once in a while to give the impression that the deals are limited. When you do deliver your one-time offer, make it worthwhile for the consumer by providing a truly cool item or a terrific value.

15. Make Multi-Purchase Offers

A common strategy used in supermarkets to encourage multi-buy behavior is to provide something for free if a user buys a particular amount of products. Don't go overboard, though; if customers acquire too acclimated to your "discount basement" prices, you may risk cannibalism of other IAP content.

16. Make Your Own Economic System

Create a virtual currency economy that is both achievable and premium. Achievable currency is one that a player can earn while playing the game and use to purchase in-app things. Only those who pay with real money get access to premium currency.

Allow your players to either collect achievable currency by playing your game frequently (thereby monetizing additional revenue streams such as adverts) or purchase and exchange premium currency for achievable currency.

Remote downloads of plist files to adjust the variables in your virtual economy are a good way to control your economy. This makes maintaining your IAP asset pricing easier, and it opens the door to more sophisticated scenarios involving price multipliers for subsets of IAP material.

17. Provide IAP as a Bonus

When you deliver an IAP asset to a user as a reward after completing a specific action, you may expect them to be grateful. It also has the added benefit of enhancing your brand's trustworthiness.

18. Take Control of Your Level Difficulty

If your game is level-based, you may charge an IAP to allow gamers to skip difficult stages. You may also use your good buddy the plist file to adjust the difficulty of each level to get the best balance between level difficulty and in-app profits.

When increasing the complexity of your levels, be careful not to frustrate your users; if you do, they will abandon the app early, and the likelihood of them returning will plunge. One thing you can do is include power-ups in the level as you adjust the difficulty; the use of the power-ups can help you determine how difficult the level is.

19. Recognize and Respond to Diverse Demographics and Tastes

If your game includes player characters, make your users happy by allowing them to purchase customised attire or selecting an avatar that they believe portrays their actual self.

As illustrated below, the game Temple Run has done a fantastic job with this:

20. Lend a helping hand when you're in a pinch

When you're standing in the grocery, you don't notice you've ran out of toilet paper, as the cliché goes. Rather than forcing your players to buy in-app purchases before they begin your game, help them when they need it most — in the middle of a battle!

21. Keep An Eye on Top-Grossing Apps

Top-grossing apps are built by studios that have mastered the art of engaging players and maximizing in-app purchases. Download their games and play them with an analytical eye to see what makes them so addictive — and what cues they use to encourage people to buy!

22. Use In-App Content to Achieve Non-Purchase Goals

Although most people will not pay money to play your game, they will appreciate receiving virtual cash in exchange for their services.

Request that people execute tasks that are valuable to you, and reward them with virtual currency in the game.

You can award your users for a variety of things, including:

Using email, SMS, or Facebook to invite friends to the app

Tapjoy or Sponsorpay are examples of fast acts that provide value for you.

Scores are shared on social media.

Using their social media accounts

I've signed up for your mailing list.

In your game, you'll need to create an account.

In a monetization plan, money isn't the only thing that matters. A social media mention, as well as increasing your marketing list through email signups, are both highly valuable actions.

23. Make a Polite Request

There is nothing more powerful than kindness when it comes to consumer pleasure. Always use the nicest language possible when you want your user to do anything, such as execute an action in exchange for virtual currency or purchase an in-app upgrade.

24. Evaluate and Improve Your Approaches

Even if your company is already profitable, there is always space for growth. The following are three questions to consider: How can I improve the effectiveness of my IAP strategy?

How can I improve the appeal of my IAP content?

How can I make it easier for people to buy my content?

Last but not least, never do anything to annoy your users on purpose.

Customers who are dissatisfied will not purchase anything from you. Worse, they may completely remove your app, stopping you from monetizing your revenue streams such as advertising. Your reputation will be made or broken by word-of-mouth recommendations, so focus on providing a truly exciting game experience and avoid letting greed spoil your game.

Always prioritize the users' enjoyment!

What Is The Next Step?

Join the discussion below if you have any questions, comments, or interesting ways you've used IAP methods in your apps.