02
02/07
2:13 am
Who wants to buy a box?
I recently read an article by Ben over at Instigator Blog about creating a Product Box to display the tangible side of downloaded/hosted software.
I completely somewhat disagree with what he wrote for reasons I will explain below.
The last “boxed” software I purchased was in 1998 and it was called Red Hat 5.0. It shipped with 2 cd’s and I was happy to buy it because I didn’t see myself downloading 2 x 650MB cd’s on a 33.6k modem.
When you purchase boxed software in a store, you can touch it, you can turn it around, read the back, and even compare it to other boxes stacked next to it.
Nowadays, buying boxed software is a huge risk because you don’t know if it will do what you want. We’re not 1998 anymore. The only time this strategy works is when you’ve previously used the software and/or you trust the maker (i.e: Adobe Photoshop Upgrades).
I don’t think anyone benefits from seeing a picture of a box. He said it himself, “the client never gets any actual software box”. So why show them something they’ll never get?
I think it’s MUCH better to display what the actual software does, with the help of screenshots, online demos and downloadable trials. Show them exactly what they’ll get. If they’re interested, they’ll buy.
Finally, does your documentation really need to be hidden and distributed “only” with the software? I personally don’t like nasty surprises, and I don’t think i’m the only one, so why not give your customers something to talk about by allowing them to access the documentation beforehand? If your documentation is well presented, it might even help you win them over! An added benefit!
What do you think? Feel free to share your opinion.
Ben Yoskovitz
February 2, 2007
9:37 am
Thanks for writing this up Alex, and continuing the discussion. I wasn’t proposing that people sell software-in-a-box (although some of us long for the good old days of 1998, but that’s another story.)
Product boxes can be effective in certain instances – landing pages and sales letters for example. And not just for software – e-books, audio books, PDFs, etc.
I don’t have the references on-hand, but I’ve read numerous studies on the effective use of images on landing pages (and in other cases) where a product box might apply.
Certainly a screenshot could be an effective image as well – but a screenshot might not always show what you want, depending on the image size.
You could also use the technique I provided to create 3-D screenshots which could look pretty cool.
Alex
February 2, 2007
9:49 am
Hi Ben,
I agree that viewed from that perspective the effect can be quite different.
I guess it all comes down to a matter of context for what you’re trying to sell.
It might even be a good idea to “try” each method and see what works for you. I will keep this in mind when i’m ready to launch my software.
Thanks for the feedback.