Benefits Of Shareware
|
Shareware has been fighting the stigma of being misunderstood for decades. While corporate software giants can no longer ignore the marketing potential of a trial version, small software startups are struggling with new listings and bandwidth costs. Businesses and individual consumers need to take a closer look at the benefits of taking advantage of shareware marketing. The concept of a trial version is not a new one. Consumer expectations, and the need for immediate satisfaction have spurned the industry to realize the need for instant software. The availability of file downloads in the Internet era, is spurning a revolution of purchasers who never leaving their homes or offices. As a result, the Internet has taken the proliferation of shareware to a new level.
Why the Success?
Why developers have succeeded using shareware marketing under poor global economic conditions is fairly obvious. Shareware allows consumers to evaluate an application prior to making a purchase decision. There are no risks to the consumer, if the trial version does not satisfy a purchasers needs, they do not spend the money registering. Evaluating the software prior to purchasing also increases consumer satisfaction as they gain a complete understanding of the software they are ordering and there is little room for surprises. Trying the software before buying is no longer a novelty it is a consumer expectation.
Traditionally, because the barrier to entry is fairly low, companies participating in shareware marketing are usually small and willing to provide personalized service uncommon in large companies. Customers often speak directly with developers requesting feature enhancements, thus improving the software for all. Software support forums with users helping other users have become commonplace. These allow developers to focus on future upgrades, while repetitive user issues can be quickly dealt with. Software developers, who market via the shareware method, have revolutionized traditional support models.
Many of the shareware directories provide ratings and user assessments. Often the user reviews provide insight to important feature sets. Allowing consumers an opportunity to assess and compare multiple products prior to making a decision.
Let us not forget the delivery advantage the shareware model has over the traditional retail counterpart. Shareware allows for instant gratification, there is no need to wait for a shipment because consumers can download and use the software immediately.
What does this all mean?
Marketing via the shareware method is far less expensive than traditional advertising, the increased customer demands, personalized service and instant satisfaction all provide an added consumer benefits. With Shareware, software developers, have a great method for consumers to evaluate and purchase their software. Consumers can easily determine if the software is suitable. Ultimately, by allowing the software to sell itself, consumers often obtain top quality software that is priced far less than traditional retail applications.
About The Author
Sharon Housley manages marketing for NotePage, Inc. http://www.notepage.net a company specializing in alphanumeric paging, SMS and wireless messaging software solutions. Other sites by Sharon can be found at http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com, and http://www.small-business-software.net
|
|
|
Microsoft Navision And Crystal Reports - An Overview
Microsoft Business Solutions ? Navision is an integrated solution for small and midsize companies looking to expand their busine...(related: Software)
Benefits Of Integrating Online Chat Software With Crm
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a strategy and processes used to learn more about customers' needs and behaviors in order to develop stronger relationships with them. CRM applications are traditionally developed as client-server software. The proliferation of the Internet and the Web has fueled the rapid growth of Web-based CRM or online CRM appli...(related: Software)
Microsoft Crm Implementation & Remote Support
We would like to give you pluses and minuses of Microsoft CRM.
Selecting Corporate Erp: Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains ? Estimation Parameters
As we could imagine, if you are reading this article ? you are in the decision making mode, probably replacing legacy system with the new one or abandoning either Unix/Mainframe or Apple direction for your corporation. In any case, nobody should make an outside influence on your decision ? you should be maximally objective. Let us give you our estimates and the parameters to check on the pool of the poss...(related: Software)
Microsoft Great Plains Upgrade ? Version 8.0 Overview For It Director/controller
If you have Microsoft Great Plains as main accounting and ERP system you need to know some technical details on Great Plains version upgrade and what is going on behind the scenes, which options do you have in case of Dexterity, VBA, SQL customizations, ctree/Pervasive migration to MS SQL/MSDE. As of right now it is reasonable to upgrade to Microsoft Great Plains 8.0
Is upgrade required? Not actually, but you have to consider the...(related: Software)
Microsoft Great Plains Jewelry ? Implementation & Customization Overview
Each Industry and market niche has business specific and unique requirements to ERP/Accounting System. Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains is ERP platform, ready for third party modules additions and customizations, plus being SQL Server-based system it opens you wide spectrum of integration options and tools. In this small article we'll give you Microsoft Great Plains implementation and setup highlights, typical for Jewelry retail network.? Fixed Assets. Jewelry retailer owns the network of jewelry retail outlets and each one has relatively expensive set of fixed assets: counters, holders, computers, etc. Co...(related: Software)
Making The Decision To Automate Your Software Testing
Not every software testing project can or should be automated. Before your department accepts a new test automation project, you should establish a process by which projects are rev...(related: Software)
Lotus Domino: Application Integration ? A Programmer View
There are two approaches for application integration:? Programmer's approach ? for applications integration it is necessary to create some program codes;? Integrator's approach ? in this case special software products are to be used and the integration process set up by those software settings.The following tools may be used for the first approach:? ODBC. In Lotus Domino codes may be used:o Three @-functions (@DbColumn, @DbLookUp and), which work with registrated ODBC-drivers . @DbColumn returns the whole column from external table, @DbLookUp process search by the key, and @DbCommand runs a command of ODBC-driver or external table (for...(related: Software)
Sql Scripts For Project Accounting: Microsoft Great Plains Series ? Overview For Developer
Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains has Project Accounting module where you can budget the project, assign it to customer contract and then log expenses, timesheets, inventory spending, and finally bill the customer against the project or contract. Microsoft Great Plains Project Accounting does excellent job, but there are cases when you need developer or MS SQL DB ...(related: Software)
Popular Fleet Maintenance Programs
Some companies that are in need of fleet management may choose to utilize the services of a fleet maintenance program. These programs can generally handle all of you fleet management needs. Tracking vehicles, keeping up with maintenance, handling fuel budgeting and logging work are among a few examples of what fleet maintenance programs can offer your company.For example, Enterprise Fleet Services is one of the leading fleet maintenance programs in the U.S. In their regular Fleet Maintenance Program, the company receives easy-to-understand reports concerning fleet management. Enterprise can analyze a...(related: Software)
Microsoft Business Solutions Var/partner Selection ? Overview For It Director/manager/controller
Microsoft Great Plains and Microsoft CRM become more and more popular, partly because of Microsoft muscles behind them. Now Great Plains is targeted to the whole spectrum of horizontal and vertical market clientele. Small companies use Small Business Manager (which is based on the same technology ? Great Plains Dexterity dictionary and runtime), Great Plains Standard on MSDE is for small to midsize clients, and then Great Plains serves the rest of the market up to big corporations. Microsoft CRM is extremely scalable and fits to all the market niches.<...(related: Software)
10 Ways To Learn A Software
Following tips help you to learn a software in lesser time and in an efficient manner:1. After installing a software package, look for any README file in the installed folder. Besides company and product details, it may give an overview of features, usages and limitations of the software.2. Next run the software and have a feel of the look of the software.Identify the different parts of its main screen.3. Look for the information shown in the TITLE-BAR of the main screen.Usually, it shows the...(related: Software)
site-map - Copyright © 2008 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved. | Software