W3i's Robert Weber calls out Mark Rein over the power of App Store discounting

With the debate between the Premium Pricers and the App Store Pegglers currently incarnated into the respective forms of Epic's Mark Rein and EA Mobile's App Store 99c sale, others are wading into the debate.

One such is W3i's Robert Weber.

"Why should someone else's good fortune of getting a great deal cause me to feel screwed?" he ponders over the psychology of App Store buyers who discover the game or app they bought at one price has been discounted to a lower one.

That's one of the implied reasons Rein says Infinity Blade's $5.99 price won't be slashed.

Two ways to sell

Of course, with background in free downloads supported with monetisation options ranging from advertising to additional downloads, plus its Apperang iOS ad and distribution network, Weber was always going to have strong views about the power of discounting.

Indeed, he titles his post "Mark Rein from Epic Games Is Wrong: Discounting Is Good For App Publishers & Consumers."

"I applaud EA for their aggressive $0.99 app promotional strategy. It is crucial to maintain high visibility in the App Store over the holiday season. EA will rack up the sales this holiday season, and leave other game makers like Epic Games in the dust," he adds.

Although with Epic's Infinity Blade still solidly at the #4 position in the US top grossing iPhone chart, and EA's games seemingly having peaked, the market's conclusion about which strategy works best may suggest otherwise.

[source: App Marketing Tips]