You are developing an expensive software and you want people to try your stuff but not all of them may be willing to shell out that kind of money. You can either offer a time-limited trial version that offers all the features for free (shareware) or you can opt for less-expensive lite version that lacks some feature.
As a software developer, which path should you take?
- You can combine the two ideas. Start with a time-limited trial of the complete product so customers are impressed and hooked. After the trial expires, revert to a hobbled “Lite” version that continues to function, but which misses vital features. Because they can still try to use the product, but fail, they’ll want to purchase.
- A “Lite” version can segment the market. Often there are several distinct market segments that don’t require the same features and cannot bear the same price tag. For example, photo-editing software might have an inexpensive, simple version so that amateur photographers can do common tasks like cropping and red-eye-removal, but also have an expensive edition for things like creating bound photo albums or DVD slideshows – supporting services professional photographers offer their clients. link.
Find this article at: http://www.labnol.org/tech/shareware-software-or-lite-version/12688/
