What Is A Soft Launch For Your App?

You already have an app, but it isn’t yet ready for the market. Users’ feedback is necessary in order for you to know what is and is not working. But how can you be certain that your app is ready to go live in the App Store and dominate the user attention race? Soft launches can help in this situation. Depending on the stage of development your product is in, you can choose between a soft or hard launch.

In this article, we’ll explore the soft launch for you. Please keep reading.

What Does “Soft Launch” Mean?

A soft launch is the introduction of a good, service, or campaign with little to no formal announcements or fanfare. The launch is more akin to a preview.

It can also be used to describe how a product is released gradually, i.e., releasing it in stages—which allows room to slowly develop the product into an offering that’s more ready for the market.

A product’s initial, less capable version is released during a soft launch. Before the release of the complete, final product, service, or other offerings, it is the launch of smaller components. Initial versions enable businesses to determine customer feedback or response and make the necessary changes in subsequent versions.

Based on predetermined metrics, all parties involved in the product development process have approved them for use in this evaluation.

Customer expectations are frequently low because a soft product launch takes place in stages or with a small audience. Customers are aware that a business is just beginning to launch an offering, so they understand this.

But before releasing a finished product, businesses must gather customer feedback during this stage and examine the comments to make changes for a better user experience.

Advantages Of Soft Launch For Your App

• One of the best strategies for retaining and engaging users in the early stages is a soft launch. The cost of user acquisition can be reduced by 90% through early in-app engagement. This is due to the fact that keeping an existing user will cost you 10 times less than finding a new one.
• It enables you to walk someone through the product step by step. As a result, you can keep a closer eye on how actual users are using the app and make any necessary adjustments right away, saving money by making small, stage-by-stage investments.
• In 2019, only 32% of users returned to an app over 11 times, according to statistics on mobile app user retention rate. In order to avoid having low retention rates, soft launching can help you figure out whether your app is ready for the market. If it isn’t ready, you can figure out what’s wrong and fix it in time for the official release, or you can close the project and begin a new one from scratch.
• It enables you to improve user experience. You can gather user feedback on their experiences using your app during the soft launch, such as their favorite features and perceived usability. Surveys and polls are two ways you can conduct this research.
• You can easily access usage statistics for the app through this. The first results of the soft launch will be available to you in a matter of weeks, and you can then base your course of action on them.
• It is beneficial to determine whether your app store page is optimized. Your app can begin indexing keywords after a soft launch, which will enable you to determine which keywords perform the best. As a result, the app will be recognized by the store, and you will be able to use the top keywords even when the app officially launches.
• You can segment your desired audience using this. By value, from highest to lowest, you can categorize the users of your app into different groups. Your ability to target users more effectively with each new release will be aided by this data, which will show you which users should be prioritized.

How To Plan A Soft Launch?

To prepare for your app’s soft launch, consider the following:

• What user groups ought we concentrate on?
• To gather relevant data, how many users should we aim for?
• What kind of budget do we have for the soft launch?
• Which areas will the soft launch be held in?
• The soft launch will last how long, exactly?
• What characteristics will the soft launch have? Which operating system should we focus on—for example, iOS, Android, or both?

You can create a plan that specifies the goals and outcomes of your soft launch with the assistance of the answers to these questions. Conducting market research is another crucial step in the development of an app.

Where To Soft Launch?

Where to set up a “training ground” for a product is one of the trickiest questions. Which nations should a soft launch occur in, in more detail? As a general rule, test the areas where you will move forward after the official release.

However, if a key market is relatively small, it is not advised to conduct tests there because doing so runs the risk of constricting future room for maneuver.

Considering the audience’s perspective (behavior patterns, welfare, mentality, etc.), you should pick a region or nation that is as similar as possible.) For instance, if the United States is your target market, you could opt for a soft launch in Canada or Australia, or another English-speaking nation.

Start with Hong Kong, Taiwan, and/or Singapore if you’re targeting Asian countries but your app only has English localization. These nations have a high percentage of English-speaking citizens and are the most devoted to foreign publishers.

The kind of app determines the target nation to choose. For instance, if the game is multiplayer, you might want to stress-test your servers with a sizable user base.

Due to their dense populations and sizable English-speaking populations, experts at Chartboost advise picking either India or the Philippines in this situation.

What Does “Hard Launch” Mean?

When a product is ready for market and free of bugs, it is officially launched in a hard launch. Because a formal announcement was made to the media and the public, more people are aware of the launch and paying attention to it.

An aggressive launch is excellent for attracting the attention of the media and potential customers. Grand store openings with celebratory ribbon-cuttings, the introduction of a computer game, or the beginning of a social media marketing campaign are all excellent examples of hard launches.

Details of the event, whether it be offline or online, are made available to the general public.

When there are problems with operations, a hard launch presents a problem. Customer engagement or response may suffer greatly if there is a technical issue or if an offering doesn’t appeal to the target audience.

For example, this might happen if a restaurant takes too long to serve the food or if a marketing campaign doesn’t have the desired effect on the target audience.

Hard Launch Vs. Soft Launch How Are They Different?

In terms of a soft launch vs. a hard launch, the primary difference is the state of readiness. A soft launch suggests that your product isn’t quite ready for the market or that your staff might need more time to get ready.

On the other hand, a hard launch denotes that everything and everyone is prepared to start.

It’s possible for a soft launch to target a smaller audience or not to release the entire product. The product is finished, though, and a hard launch is conducted for the entire audience. People won’t be shocked if changes are made to the product after a soft launch, but not after a hard launch.

Additionally, there are variations in results. A campaign or product will need time after a soft launch to start having an impact on a target market in terms of sales success, brand recognition, and user acquisition. Results will probably be more noticeable and immediate with a hard launch.

Final Words

With numerous apps vying for users’ attention among numerous rivals, the app market is becoming more crowded. By conducting a soft launch, you can reduce the likelihood that you will spend a lot of money launching a mobile app that may have numerous bugs or fail to satisfy users’ needs.