Or do we put up with them as there’s no alternative?
What, then, is going on with subscriptions?
“While it’s common to hear complaints about subscription models, the reality is more nuanced.
Subscription fatigue is a real thing.Gilles Lambert / Unsplash
Many users appreciate the flexibility and access provided by subscriptions.
Captive Audience
Subscriptions are great in the right places.
Rodion Kutsaiev / Unsplash
The mobile software maker has a few options.
This phone probably has some subscription apps on it.Rodion Kutsaiev / Unsplash
The problem, then, might not be subscriptions as a concept but subscription fatigue.
Sub Standard
On the desktop, this problem has been mostly solved for years.
You download a free time-limited or feature-limited trial, and if you like it, you buy it.
It’s not just phones, either.Wesson Wang / Unsplash
you’re able to use that app for as long as it continues to work on your machine.
Sometime later, the developer releases an update.
If you want it, you pay an upgrade fee (not full price).
If you don’t want it, you could stick with the version you have.
This model itself is not perfect.
You pay an in-app fee, and that gets you a year’s worth of new features.
If you want to get new features for another year, you pay again.
So, what makes a worthwhile subscription that we’re happy to pay for?
“The key to a successful subscription model lies in the perceived value.
Users are willing to pay for subscriptions if they believe they are getting their moneys worth.
