Introducing AppsBidder.com: For developers and App users
1By Nubi Kayode
All apps have one common destination; the marketplace. However, with a number of marketplaces springing up, strategizing to offer attractive packages to developers is now the kill card. Appsbidder.com is introducing a platform where users can collaborate with developers to implement app ideas and suggest billing system. Besides rewarding app downloads, the site also rewards social engagement and gives out monthly prizes.
Features
Surfing the website is quite interesting, especially when you try navigating with “How it Works”. It gives a thorough walkthrough, inviting you to the Game Tutorial and the Information Page.
The founder did say the platform doubles as a window for developers to showcase their apps on a cheap marketing solution based on ‘gamification’; as well as an e-shop for anybody to create and acquire apps for sale. So both the developer and user, not forgetting Appsbidder, get to walk away happy.
Pros
• Multiple Publishing Platforms: Appsbidder attracts a wide range of platforms including Android, Blackberry, Facebook, HTML5, iOS, Linux, Windows, Windows Phone, and Symbian among others.
• Multiple Distribution Channels: Uploaded apps can be accessed from the appsbidder server via web or mobile device.
• No Sign-up Costs: This should be attractive to developers, as compared to the $50 -100 in other marketplaces.
• Incentives for User: Users get rewards for sharing information – from giving feedback on a particular product to sharing app links on social networks.
• Earn-More: Developers pay only 17% when app sales are made. This is amazing compared to the traditional 40%.
• Sense of Ownership: Developers have the freedom to distribute apps in whatever manner suites them e.g. free download, single-use license, sales of license – all of which are supported through license agreement documents
Cons
• Tendency for App Sabotage: Anyone can maliciously disapprove of an application which might lead to it getting delisted. But the Appsbidder team says there is a system in place to prevent people from maliciously disaproving an app. You have to have downloaded the app to disprove the app- it take a considerable amount of people to get enough disapproval for them to review an app for removal, and the developers still have 30 days to make changes after that. So maybe this is not a con after all.
• Size of Reach: How many people – developers and users visit this relatively new site? Some may be skeptical publishing on only Appsbidder for now due to its limited reach
• App platform Bias: Possibility for an alpha app platform to emerge, leaving other platforms suffer. For example, iOS developers have 3,761 published apps making it about 10,000% more than the next in line, Android, with 30 apps. Apps with low publishing figures get to lose relevance
Summary
At first consideration, Appsbidder will get any developer excited because it costs nothing to publish on the platform, and the site gets to take only 17% of sales. The social network feel to the platform also allows developers get review and feedback on published apps.
Although the developers are the main target for Appsbidder, the ‘Like’ and ‘Disapproving with Application’ may be tools for everybody else to either laud or sabotage an app.
A bragging right for Appsbidder is that finding a similar marketplace with such freedom and options is next to impossible. Will this play out well or not? Time will tell, but I will go out on a limb to say Appsbidder will be a one stop market for developers and users in the nearest future (if properly managed – especially the user end of the platform).
For more information please visit: Appsbidder.com Follow on Twitter: @appsbidder
