手机操作系统与应用商店的兼容问题仍然令人纠结，如何完善应用商店的游戏搜索、运营优化以及付费选择等服务，开始成为游戏开发商、发行商和运营商共同关注的焦点。位于英国和瑞典的Accumulate机构已给出答案，并于日前宣布向60多个国家推出全球应用内置计费解决方案。针对这一话题，PocketGamer记者采访了Accumulate英国总部的总经理（延斯·劳瑞森）Jens Lauritzson，下文即为访谈内容：

an interview with MD of Accumulate

问：为什么说推出其他收费方式（除应用直接付费下载、应用简装版推广以外的其他形式），对手机游戏的发展至关重要？

首先，我们并不认为免费应用简装版有助于促成付费下载。要提高付费转化率，就应该提供完整的应用版本。简装版游戏往往已经自成体系，玩家无需再次下载或者更新，即可享受免费游戏体验。开发商可以考虑采用按游戏次数计费（pay-per-play）以及游戏租借等其他收费方式，因为这些选择降低了玩家的准入门槛，相对有利于提高付费转化率。

我们提供的付费选择越多，用户购买应用的机率就越大，这就好比是超市的零售促销方式，顾客可以根据产品的包装规格，各取所需，这一点对游戏销售也完全适用。

问：目前许多主流应用商店仍未采用灵活多变的收费方式，您如何看待这一现象？

我觉得现在大部分应用商店在上线运营前，普遍缺乏建立运营商计费系统或其他促销手段的前瞻性，忽视了用户的消费体验。不过多数应用商店的优势就在于，它们可以事先安装在手机平台上，简化了游戏搜索的操作过程。

至于黑莓App World、诺基亚Ovi Store等应用商店面临的问题就是，它们的用户大多直奔免费应用，而非付费下载应用。我们针对这类应用商店提供的解决方案就是，以免费下载模式促成下载量的最大化，待应用安装或测试完成后才开始有选择性的“零售”收费。

问：您认为贵公司的Flexion技术有何优势，尤其是在促进Android游戏销售这方面？

对许多开发商来说，Android平台并不是十分理想的聚宝盆，Android应用商店的流量虽然相对可观，但没有提供良好的计费系统作为主要结帐方式。开发商使用了Android应用商店提供的服务，效率总会降低，他们就不得不放弃这一领地，转战其他市场。而Android应用商店一旦呈现没落的迹象，他们又认为竞争风险降低，纷纷扎堆回归，争夺Android应用的经营资格。预加载组件的情况与此类似，但手机原始设备制造商们已经开始意识到预装Android内容将是这一市场的未来走向。

Flexion技术可以帮助Android应用开发商从预加载组件中获利，开发商也可以使用Flexion Discovery工具让用户通过搜索发现更多游戏应用，建立自己的应用运营解决方案。

只要应用商店允许开发商使用自己的计费系统，Flexion就能让开发商实现这一操作。假如Android应用商店允许开发商使用自己的工具，GetJar和Mobango这两套解决方案会是Android应用开发商的理想选择。

问：为什么说你们的全球应用内置计费系统会让手机游戏产业受益？

应用开发商无论规模大小，都可以使用这套零售工具掌握应用经营主导权，提高现有销售渠道的营收转化率。要知道目前为止，不少应用开发商主要还得靠广告赞助为生。

问：您认为这套工具在哪些地区的推广会更受欢迎？

可能是一些信用度较低的地区，比如说那些预付款玩家最遭罪、应用下载后玩家拒付款的市场。亚洲推行基于使用体验的付费模式已有时日，另外你会发现GetJar下载量最大的地区是印度和印尼，所以我们相信Flexion工具对这些地区会更有吸引力。

Android desperately needs more flexible selling opportunities says Accumulate MD

Create your own store solution with Flexion 

As the mobile OS and apps markets continue to fragment, developers, publishers, aggregators and operators are having to think much more carefully about the difference between discovery,fulfillment and purchasing options.

One company that cuts across many of these issues is UK/Swedish outfit Accumulate.

It’s just announced a global in-app billing solution across 60 countries, so we caught up with Jens Lauritzson, MD of Accumulate UK, to get his opinion on the opportunities in this fast developing ecosystem.

Pocket Gamer: Why are methods aside from straight app purchase or a free Lite version important for mobile games?

Jens Lauritzson: Firstly, we do not believe in free Lite versions as they do not help conversion. Full versions which can be unlocked on device is the method that should be used to increase adoption and conversion rates.

Lite versions actually have the opposite effect since they often become a game in itself and people do not bother to upgrade as it requires a new download. Other pricing options such as pay-per-play and rentals are important since they lower the entry barrier and increase conversion.

If you give a customer more than one pricing option, the likelihood that the customer will purchase the game increases significantly. It is pretty basic retailing and you just have to look at any supermarket shelf to see the choice they give customers in terms of size of packaging. The same applies for games.

Are you surprised the main app stores haven’t implemented more flexible purchasing options yet?

Yes, I think the focus has simply been on getting a store up and running and many have forgotten some of the essentials such as operator billing and ease of purchase. Normal operator stores are usually way ahead in terms of user experience and ease of purchase.

However app stores have one advantage, which is to be pre-installed on the device, making discovery easier.

The next challenge for stores such as BlackBerry App World, Ovi and others will be to get customers to buy and not only come for free content. Our solution could help them do that by using the free download model to maximise downloads and then let purchases be made on the device once the content has been installed and tested.

How do you think technology such as Flexion could help, especially in terms of paid Android games?

Android desperately lacks opportunities for developers to make money from premium content. The only proper store with traffic is the Android Market and that does not offer good billing coverage using Checkout as the main option.

Operators have been pretty slow in implementing Android offerings as they gave up the battle for this market straight away and it is only now when Android Market is failing that they are getting back into the game with operator portals for Android content.

It has been the same with preloads but OEMs are now realising that preloaded Android content is the way forward.

Flexion can help Android developers make money from preloads and also to create their own store solution using Flexion Discovery, which allows them to offer more games to their customers.

Where app stores allow developers to use their own billing, Flexion can help them do this: I am thinking of the likes of GetJar and Mobango. The best solution would have been if Android Market focused on distribution and provided developers with tools or let them use their own.

Why should the industry be excited by your new global in-app billing options?

This is a great opportunity for small as well as big developers to control their own sales by using retailing tools that give them all the essentials and can monetise existing distribution channels.

Up to this point they have only been able to rely on advertising funding.

Are there any regions of the world where you think they will work especially well?

Markets with the highest number of pre-pay customers today suffer most from low credit and failed pay per download purchases.

We already know that Asia has been using usage-based models for a while. If you look at the biggest downloading markets on GetJar you will find India and Indonesia. We believe these markets could be very attractive for Flexion.（source:pocketgamer）

声明：本文中文为游戏邦翻译，英文原文采用pocketgamer，转载请保留版权信息，谢谢！