Selling virtual/digital products

Have you tried giving away free trials or free samples?

[farmboy]

For those of you who sell virtual/digital products such as ebooks, access to a website, email newsletters, etc., have you experimented with giving away a free trial or free sample?

What were the results?

FarmBoy

[hendrix10706]

Yes, I gave a free trial and the results were as expected.
More than 50 users bought the full application after the trial expired.
Of course depends on the product you are selling.
Mine is a tell a friend script with contact importer. I guess it is the best one :)
<snip>

[edited by: buckworks at 3:47 pm (utc) on June 11, 2009]
[edit reason] No promotional URLs; see TOS [/edit]

[farmboy]

More than 50 users bought the full application after the trial expired.

50 out of how many who took the free trial?

I'm wondering if, for example, I have 1,000 visitors and offer them the product up front and another 1,000 visitors and offer them the free trial, how many actual sales will be for the first 1,000 as compared to the second 1,000?

I'm currently running a test myself and I'm wondering if others have done this and what were the results.

FarmBoy

[hendrix10706]

Sorry, I meant 50%. But this depends on the product you are selling of course.
Regarding your example, if you could make the users consider the product is useful for them, for sure you will have a high percentage of purchases after you will release the trial.