Late last week on the Android Developers blog we learned about a relatively major update to the Android Market. The biggest change is the layout, which starts on the home screen and extends all the way into the individual app screens. We’re done with the tab thing, and instead have everything on one page. I also thought the addition of two categories, for live wallpapers and apps that contain widgets, was a welcome addition. But there’s one aspect that has started a small controversy. Previously, users could purchase an app and then request a refund within 24 hours. That window has shortened to 15 minutes. That clearly has upset some users, but it’s not all bad.
The first thing to understand is that this is a concession to developers, not necessarily an anti-user measure. Processing refunds is a pain. The shorter window will mean fewer refunds issued, which will allow the developers to focus on other areas. Many other app stores — notably the iPhone — don’t offer refunds period. So this is basically a gratuity that has been reduced. Yes, it has been reduced significantly, which has rubbed many the wrong way. But I think there might be something else at play here.
There are certainly apps that take more than 15 minutes to evaluate. As I saw one commenter note, an app that helps preserve battery life cannot be ascertained in a quarter hour. That might take days, which means that the 24 hour period works at least a bit better. This is just one of many examples. Why, then, would Google shorten the refund period rather than extend it? Wouldn’t an extension lead to more people experimenting with apps, and therefore lead to more purchases?
This, I think, is a decision better left to the developers themselves rather than as a Market requirement. Developers that create simple apps might not want to extend a long trial period to customers. There’s just no need. Other developers that create more intricate apps might want to provide a longer trial period so that users can fully understand how it can help them on a daily basis. I’m a huge advocate of free trials, and I think that this new refund limitation could lead to more proper free trial programs.
Free trials are much better than the Google-imposed refund window. With that the user pays for the app, and then gets her money back. That means two transactions for the developer. There’s no choice in the matter, since it’s a universal aspect of the Market. But with free trials developers can distribute the app without creating a transaction. The software can then automatically expire at a certain date, at which time the user can make the single transaction. He’ll already have used the app for three, five, seven days, so that he knows whether he likes it or not.
The upshot is that it oftentimes takes three, five, seven days to determine how much a user wants or needs an app. The best way to get someone to purchase something is to give it to them on a limited basis and allow them to determine just how necessary it has become. Create an essential app, and you can sell tons by letting people use it for free before buying. I’m not sure that this is what Google and developers have in mind, but it certainly makes sense. While the universal refund period is nice, a truer free trial period for certain apps is even better.
