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Business

David Warren
David Warren
1,803 Points
Posted by David Warren
David Warren
1,803 Points

Trial Membership Charges

Hello Community, I need some advice.

I've just come to work for a small membership company as their first (and only) employee aside from the owner. Right now, we are charging 1.99$ for a week-long trial membership to a 20$ per month subscription based website.

My question is this: is charging for the trial membership a good idea? Does it do anything for us? Or should the trial membership be free?

I appreciate the help!

5 Answers

Giuseppe Elia Brandi
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.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree seal-36
Giuseppe Elia Brandi
Front End Web Development Techdegree Graduate 69,630 Points
Giuseppe Elia Brandi
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree seal-36
Giuseppe Elia Brandi
Front End Web Development Techdegree Graduate 69,630 Points

Good day David, I guess you may receive a few different answers regarding your inquiry. As a consumer I have to confess I am not always comfortable to give my details (debit card included) for a 7 days trial especially if I know that I am going to be charged automatically for full membership after the trial period. I would certainly be happy to be given a 7 days trial for a modest amount of money and then accept to go ahead with a full membership after testing your services. Naturally this is my point of view - I do not exclude that somebody may complain for that charge as he/she get a FREE 7 days trial from you competitors. My advice? See what your competitors are doing and if possible give your potential customers something extra. Best Regards.

Giuseppe Brandi

Jack Carr
Jack Carr
7,329 Points
Jack Carr
Jack Carr
7,329 Points

Free 7 day or 1 month trial for a few reasons.

1.) From my point of view, charging that $2 seems a bit desperate, almost as if they company knows its service is not good enough for someone to pay for a full month. Instead the charge for a trial, anyway to make money.

2.) Giving personal details to something I may never use again just doesn't sit right with me.

3.) Netflix is one of the biggest online subscription services out there. Emulate what the success' are doing. 1 full month free.

If you truly believe the service is good enough for the $20 price tag. Letting people test for 1 week or 1 month for free should not be a problem, as you would truly believe these people see the $20 value and subscribe.

David Warren
David Warren
1,803 Points
David Warren
David Warren
1,803 Points

Thanks Everyone!

Anyone else who might know about this topic, I'd love to hear your opinions.

Sharon Walls
Sharon Walls
9,234 Points
Sharon Walls
Sharon Walls
9,234 Points

I agree with Giuseppe and Jack:

  • Check what your competitors are doing
  • Free trials are generally better: Yes, you have to give something away but you are actually getting an email address and an opportunity to market to that person in return. So it's worth marketing to a larger user base than making a pittance from a smaller group.
J. T.
PLUS
J. T.
Courses Plus Student 582 Points
J. T.
J. T.
Courses Plus Student 582 Points

I agree with everyone else. Free trial--one day, one week, one month, any duration is fine to get an idea of the service. I'd take a free limited trial access rather than pay for a trial I'm unsure of from the start. You'd lose me as a potential subscriber if asked to pay for trial as I wouldn't hand money over to something I'm unsure of without some sort of preview.