Upgrading alltradeart's subscription model

Published: 2009-01-26

alltradeart went for a year without any change to the subscription model. Originally I'd intended to change the pricing depending on popularity and launch promotional rates aimed at specific groups of users. This never happened, partly due to time constraints and partly to the fact it did OK as it was. Recently though the £30 yearly subscription hit a stumbling block, it suddenly seemed too higher a barrier of entry. It appears that the current turn of events had made users think twice about spending £30 on something with a potential zero return.

Something needed to change. I could simply reduce the subscription fee, £20-£25 would be more appealing to potential subscribers but I questioned if it would be enough of a change to create the additional upgrades to generate the same amount of revenue. I could add more functionality, great idea, i've got loads of features I'd like to add - groups, facebook integration, openid compatibility, the list goes on... but I'd originally planned to give these to all our users - not just the Pro accounts and I'm not too sure if they would be appealing enough to encourage users to upgrade. In the end I went for a model I thought our users would feel most comfortable with. By changing the billing period from yearly to monthly I believe the site offers a low enough entry point introducing users to the advantages of alltradeart Pro account without the larger commitment of a yearly subscription. It provides both myself and my users with the flexibility to evaluate the pricing on a monthly basis and the opportunity to interact with alltradeart's Pro users with a monthly billing reminder :)

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