Good point — this is something we need to address. Our most popular products (browser plugin and iOS app) both have free trials so that people can see how much they like to read with BeeLine. The iOS app actually has very significant free functionality, so if you just want to use it as a reading list (like Pocket/Instapaper) you can do so for free via the Share Extension, which populates an offline reading list.
Things get more complicated, as the browser plugins are subscription ($2/mo or $22/yr) and the iOS app is one-time IAPs (mostly a few bucks, but more for the Kindle feature). I'm not sure how to succinctly communicate this, but you and other commenters make clear that we need to have some info here.
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts!
Thanks for the follow up. What if I have a website and I want all my pages rendered in Beeline? I immediately noticed being able to read faster and more comfortably. I view Beeline as a conversion optimization tool.
We have a JS widget that can be dropped into websites. I'd be interested to see if we can increase your conversion rate or other key metrics.
CNET did a study [1] that showed BeeLine readers were much more likely to finish an article, but it would be great to take things to the next level and see how that translates into purchases or other conversions.
PS While your wife is pretty awesome thinking on her feet, I don’t see the case for ML providing meaningful optimization for Beeline. Maybe you dodged a bullet getting a pass from a VC with unrealistic expectations.
I have nothing to do with the website/product in question, but could you explain a bit more why you would "bounce" (assuming bounce means you would lose interest) if you didn't immediately see pricing information?
For me, I almost always bounce if I don't immediately see pricing information as it is an important signal with respect to whether or not this is something that's targeted towards me and/or whether or not they think I'll get sticker shock if they show it to me right away. In either case, the lack of readily available pricing makes me negatively inclined to spend more time looking into a product where I don't know if I'd ever consider paying whatever price they don't want to tell me.
It doesn't need to be a lot of detail, or precise. Even just a "from $..." or "plans starting at ..." would be enough.
I agree. There have been a lot of times I’ve been interested in something that seems to be exactly what I’m looking for but when I manage to find pricing information it’s starting at $990/mo. And now I’ve wasted all that time on a product very obviously not designed to help me remember to pick up bread at the store.
I appreciate that Citus Data is right out in the open that entry level is $800/mo. I know straight up I can’t afford it. But they also tell me the size of their minimum instances, which also tells me my product hasn’t yet scaled to the level to need their service. And by the time it does, $800/mo will be acceptable.
Ah, so were you talking about the partner pricing, for integrating into a site/app? I can see how it would be helpful to at least have some prices shown for that, to show the ballpark. For a casual website owner who just wants to make the copy easier to read, the pricing is de minimis (just enough to make sure that folks are serious about integrating and not wasting our time with a bunch of back-and-forth). Shoot me an email if you want to talk further!
Two reasons. First, the tech spoke for itself and I was sold, if I could afford it. Don’t insert the friction of having to exchange an email and suck my information out of me to find out the cost. That goes against every theory and study about conversion, dating back to before the web. They have a saying, when you’ve made the sale, shut your fucking mouth. And as my example demonstrates, sales leak out of that funnel simply because people can’t be bothered.
Second, the other saying is if you have to ask how much it costs, you can’t afford it. So by concealing the price, the company is telling me the cost is too high and they know it. They are telegraphing that part of their sales process requires a salesperson to coerce the money out of me.
Interesting point about involving a salesperson — it came across that you would have to negotiate with a literal person before purchasing? I sort of always figure that it's just a matter of an upgrade notice that displays a price and that's that.
Also, note that we don't actually require (or even ask for) email addresses or anything personal when you install the browser plugin. You just click install, try it for 2 weeks, and then buy if you want. The standard pricing is $2/mo, with a discount for annual purchase.
I totally appreciate the feedback and will see how we can better communicate our pricing to alleviate concerns like this.
Things get more complicated, as the browser plugins are subscription ($2/mo or $22/yr) and the iOS app is one-time IAPs (mostly a few bucks, but more for the Kindle feature). I'm not sure how to succinctly communicate this, but you and other commenters make clear that we need to have some info here.
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts!