Introductory Pricing for iOS: Getting Started

Introductory Pricing Best Practices

To add Introductory Pricing to an app that already has auto-renewable subscriptions, you don’t have to make any changes to the code. You can just make the relevant changes in App Store Connect and let Apple take care of the rest. However, if you really want to make the most of this great new way of enticing users into subscriptions, you might want to make some UI/UX changes to make sure potential buyers are aware of the introductory price your app offers.

Apple Human Interface Guidelines about In-App Purchase points this out specifically: “When offering an introductory price, indicate the introductory price, the duration of the offer, and the standard price the user pays after the offer ends.”

Consider these points when adding introductory prices to apps already live in the App Store:

• Make sure your users are aware of the offering. Display the discounted price in a clear and appealing way so users know exactly what they’re purchasing. You can get all of the details you need in the new property added to SKProduct called introductoryPrice (of type SKProductDiscount). This data includes: price, priceLocale, paymentMode, subscriptionPeriod, and numberOfPeriods.
• Don’t promise your users an introductory price that they find out they’re ineligible for after they’ve already started the purchase process. Determine eligibility as early as possible in order to match the display to the user’s specific case.
• Introductory prices for promoted IAPs also appear on the App Store. When deciding how to use this feature, remember that potential users can see the discount before they install your app. When used properly, introductory prices can attract new users to install your app and convert existing users into new subscribers.
• Users can now easily view and manage their subscriptions via this link apps.apple.com/account/subscriptions. There, they can see their subscriptions and switch between different options in a subscription group. It’s important to check how your IAP offerings look there and to direct your users there when relevant.
• Finally, Apple added a new subscription retention dashboard in App Store Connect ▸ App Analytics. Once your app is live, keep an eye on the retention dashboard for trends. Notice how introductory prices improve user acquisition and use this data to make decisions about your app’s future offerings and business model.

Where to Go From Here?

I highly recommend checking out Apple’s Introductory Pricing Documentation and the Best Practices and What’s New with In-App Purchases session from WWDC 2018.

Also, be sure to go over Apple’s Receipt Validation documentation for more details on how to validate your receipts. This is necessary for determining user eligibility for introductory prices.

Introductory pricing is a great addition to your IAP toolbox and can help you attract new subscribers. After all, what’s an app without active paying users? :]

As with other types of IAPs, don’t forget about Apple’s guidelines – allow users to restore purchases, fail gracefully and provide a great user experience, even for ineligible users. As long as you keep your users in mind while you’re designing and developing your app, both you and your users will benefit from it.

Post your questions or comments about this tutorial in the discussion below!