Earlier this week Apple notified developers about upcoming App Store price changes and new price tiers. Today 9to5Mac reports that Apple has posted the alternative price tiers allowing developers to price their apps differently. Although alternative price tiers have been around for some while now, what makes the latest developments interesting is that Apple will now allow developers to price their apps lower than the usual $0.99 price in emerging markets.
As you can see from the above image, the new pricing strategy is for India, Russian, Indonesia, Mexico, Turkey, China, and South Africa. Special pricing means, for example, that the developer can use the Alternative Price Tier A, which sets the app’s price at 15 Russian roubles (about 26 US cents). The second option is to set at 29 roubles (roughly 51 cents), which compares to the regular price of 59 roubles (about $1.04)
The same goes for other countries: In China, for example, the developer can set the app’s price at 1 yuan (16 cents), while in Mexico the same app could cost 5 peso ($0.32).
The pricing strategy update allows developers to benefit from emerging markets by offering the apps at a price lower than usual. Now it remains to be seen if this will trigger the desired spike in sales.
