What is an In-App Purchase?
In-app purchase is the ability for customers to buy products or services from inside a mobile app, without having to navigate to a web browser. In-app purchase is a popular revenue technique that enables brands to give away an app for free and still profit from its use.
This is a particularly critical feature for mobile gaming. Mobile game players are apt to spend more money than the average person on in-app purchases. That’s partly because gamers tend to be in a higher economic bracket, but it’s also the nature of gaming, where the full or enhanced experience is often enabled only by in-app purchase.
Why Does In-App Purchase Matter to Customer Service?
Customer service is integral to in-app purchase. Customers must be able to get fast and effective customer service within the same app they’re using to make their purchase. If they have to navigate to another app, web browser, or other type of interface, the ease of in-app purchase is lost.
For this reason, smart brands use in-app messaging to communicate with customers throughout their journey to purchase and while using apps. In-app messaging is native, mobile messaging that happens right within the app — a highly conversational and engaging method for communicating with customers directly. In-app messaging provides on-demand support from within the mobile experience, in context, and allows you to solve customer issues and answer questions faster.
Types of In-App Purchase
In-app purchases (IAPs) are a crucial revenue stream for mobile apps, offering various types to enhance user experience and monetization.
- Consumable purchases are items like virtual currency or extra lives that are used up and can be bought repeatedly.
- Non-consumable purchases include permanent upgrades, such as ad removal or premium features, which are bought once and retained indefinitely.
- Subscriptions provide users with ongoing access to content or services, often on a monthly or yearly basis, and may include tiered levels for different benefits.
Understanding these types helps how to effectively design their monetization strategies and cater to diverse user needs.
How Helpshift Supports In-App Purchase
Helpshift supports in-app purchase by enabling in-app messaging and providing a superior support experience, thanks to the Helpshift SDK. The Helpshift SDK, which stands for “software development kit,” is a set of tools that allow software developers to create custom applications on Helpshift’s basic technology. These applications can contain specific functionality, including customized in-app purchase potential.
Unlike APIs, a more simple way of connecting two different software entities, SDKs are robust tool kits containing libraries, documentation, code samples, processes, and more. The Helpshift SDK allows you to deploy, customize, and test in-app purchase functionality so that it’s ultimately right for your specific app and customers.
Additional information About In-App Purchase
- Product page: Deliver Digital Customer Service Across Channels
- Product page: Bring Customer Support To Your App
- Developer guide: Developer Guide
- Support: How do I download and integrate Helpshift SDKs?
- Support: Guide: Native SDK Implementation
