You know the drill. You finish building the app. You put it out there for all the world to see, use, and download. And nada. Or certainly not what you were expecting. Then again, it’s a crowded field out there, and how do you break through the noise and the plethora of apps vying for attention?
The Loadown is a SaaS based real-time revenue optimization platform that makes it easy to manage your mobile app pricing and boost your sales in real-time and the digital goods sold through them. It currently focuses on optimal dynamic pricing (for download, in-app, and subscription) and will shortly expand to advertising optimization solutions. The company works across the app spectrum, from large brands through to small developers,with an easy-to-set-up, automated optimization solution to boost marketing efficiency.
Cofounder Andy Arluk gives us the loadown on how they’re bringing Amazon-style dynamic pricing to the app space.
Tell us about the service.
The Loadown is a real-time revenue management and optimization service for mobile apps and digital goods sold through them. Through our advanced systems and algorithms, along with our active monitoring of your app and market performance, we determine, optimize, and execute your apps’ dynamic pricing (for download, in-app, and subscription). This significantly improves your apps’ revenue and conversions, provides more comprehensive coverage, and frees up your existing resources.
How is it different?
We provide an easy to set up, automatic way for apps to leverage the revenue boost from dynamic pricing, while allowing them to focus on their core product.
We are bringing Amazon-style dynamic pricing to the mobile app space.
What market are you attacking and how big is it?
All mobile apps that have a pricing component (either for download, in-app, or subscription price). For iOS alone, this market was over $10B in 2014. There are over 1.5M apps in each of Apple iTunes and Google Play stores.
What is the business model?
Freemium. App developers can sign up to get daily price suggestionsfor free. Apps that choose our automatic pricing service (where we perform all optimized price changes) via our platform pay a small subscription fee. We offer more sophisticated automated solutions for apps with greater complexity (e.g. with multiple in-app purchase options).
You recently raised funding. How much and who were your investors?
We recently completed an institutional seed round, led by one of the largest ad buying platforms in Asia, IGA Works. We had additional investment from NY area based angel group, Pleasant Valley Fund.
What types of apps are the most popular?
Games, Entertainment, Video, Education, Reference, Books, Newsstand.
How do you break through the noise?
Having a unique product: pricing optimization is an underserved, important, and effective area of app marketing and a powerful tool for maximizing revenue.
Showing proven results: our system has been shown very effective with our clients, as well as in other industries that widely implement it (e.g. e-commerce)
Our optimizations: targeting this market early, and the complexity of this space will provide a barrier to entry for other players who may wish to expand to this area in the future.
What are the milestones that you plan to achieve within six months?
Expanding our input data sets, integration with popular analytics SDKs, introducing advertising optimization, and growing our app client base.
If you could be put in touch with one investor in the New York community who would it be and why?
Brad Gillespe, IA Ventures.
Why did you launch in New York?
NY has a lot of app, content and media companies that are a prime market for our platform for their apps and content sold through mobile apps.
Which is your favorite NY area beach?
Fire Island.
