Here at Bowen Research we’ve had an interest in online game micro transactions for several years. We ran a national survey on the topic with about 1000 gamers, and presented it when we organized and led a panel for the 2010 Login Conference (on online gaming). Some negative comments about micro trans, unearthed in the survey, were that items are too expensive, or the reason for buying an item just wasn’t explained very well (most felt the explanation of the benefit of items was average or below). We looked at general attitudes on micro transactions, most favorite types of items, best promotions, etc. For highlights of this study just click on the link at your right.
NEW MATH MODEL APPROACH
We have been searching out a math model approach to optimize micro transaction pricing. In other industries, even tweaking pricing a little can sometimes increase revenue dramatically, and the complex world of online item pricing seems well suited for a mathematical approach. We’ve specialized in conjoint analysis, the leading pricing analytical tool for consumer products, such as telecommunications, etc.
In a complex pricing environment, where there may be hundreds of possible options, setting pricing based on judgment or trial and error is simply not very effective. A math model which can balance a vast array of inputs should perform better.
We are now working with the industry leader in conjoint software, on an approach that we at Bowen Research think can optimize pricing for micro trans and potentially increase revenues 10-15%.
Please give me a call, Hugh Bowen, if you’d like to discuss this further. (650 712-1506)
To successfully market consumer electronics products, you must know the heart and soul of the consumer. Do you agree?
For the last 15 years, in order to become intimate with consumers, we’ve become intimate with the products – including games, websites and mobile products. We play every level of each game we test, inching over every bit of a web page, using cell phones ourselves and talking with consumers individually as they show us the menus, icons and features, telling us how they relate to their phone.
We have to get intimate with your products, because that’s how people use them. High tech consumer devices, whether for entertainment or communication, are today entwined in people’s lives, and more so all the time.
What’s more, the marketplace moves at the speed of light. Only if you truly understand how your consumers feel about your products – the practical and the emotional elements – can you optimally develop and market them. Bowen Research can help you do that. The bottom line is that your products can flourish, just as we’ve helped products flourish for firms from AOL to Sony to Korean game startups.
We dive in where some fear to tread
One theory of research says you shouldn’t get too close to a product, to preserve your objectivity. We believe the opposite. Dive into the consumer experience, know it intimately. Then when a consumer brings up a nuance, you understand. You ask them questions and move along with them on a path toward understanding their experience.
Why games, web and mobile? All three are essentially electronic interfaces – with the same issues of flow, clarity, ease of use, and maintaining consumer interest. We are experts in learning if the consumer feels comfortable or frustrated, and if the overall interaction with the device satisfying. If not, what should be changed? If it’s good, what can be better? What is the likely level of market success?
Resources that give you an advantage
Beyond the interface, we have depth of experience in how licenses can affect these products, how consumers feel about advertising and packaging. We have the tool box to tackle all these issues – with 25 years game industry experience, a dozen years launching web sites and conducting online research including chat groups and surveys. We blend online techniques and focus groups to really nail the issues. We have partners who know the most sophisticated quantitative models -- whether it’s for pricing, customer satisfaction or brand mapping (click here for our “services.”) We have an online resource that electronically delivers full system spec info on five million PC game visitors yearly; connections with the finance and VC community; a London partner for European work; and top research talent in Los Angeles. (click here to see more info on our partners)
It’s never too early or too late to get intimate with your target.
We’ve taken an intimate approach to researching hundreds of game, web and mobile projects over the past 15 years.
If you agree that the key to success is to know the heart and soul of the consumer, we can help. Call us today to discuss your qualitative and quantitative research needs for games, web and mobile, at +1 (650) 712-1506.
