Trial

What is a Trial?

In business, a trial is a period during which a potential customer can use a product or service, usually for free or at a reduced cost, before deciding whether to become a paying customer. It’s the digital equivalent of dipping your toe in the water before jumping in.

Common types of trials include:

• Free trials: Full access for a limited time 🕒

• Freemium: Basic features free, pay for advanced features 🆙

• Limited trials: Access to specific features or usage limits 🔢

• Paid trials: Low-cost introductory period 💰

Why Trials Matter

Understanding trials is crucial because:

1. They reduce barriers to entry: Customers can try without risk

2. They build trust: Users can verify the product’s value firsthand

3. They provide data: Companies can learn from trial users’ behavior

4. They can boost conversion rates: A good trial experience often leads to paid conversions

5. They allow for user feedback: Trial periods are great for gathering early user insights

Key Metrics for Trials

To know if your trial strategy is working, keep an eye on these metrics:

• Trial Sign-up Rate: Percentage of visitors who start a trial

• Trial-to-Paid Conversion Rate: Percentage of trial users who become paying customers

• Time to Conversion: How long it takes trial users to convert

• Feature Adoption: Which features trial users engage with most

• Churn Rate: Percentage of users who leave during or just after the trial

A typical trial-to-paid conversion rate might be around 10-20%, but this can vary widely depending on your product and industry.

Best Practices for Trials

Want to make your trial program shine? Try these tips:

1. Set clear expectations: Explain what users get during the trial and what happens after

2. Provide a great onboarding experience: Help users see value quickly

3. Offer timely support: Be there to answer questions and overcome obstacles

4. Use email nurturing: Guide users through key features and benefits

5. Implement a follow-up strategy: Don’t let trial users slip away without a reminder

6. Consider requiring a credit card: It can lower sign-ups but increase quality leads

Common Trial Models

Different businesses use different trial models:

• 14-day free trial: Common in SaaS, gives users two weeks to explore

• 30-day free trial: Offers more time, good for complex products

• Freemium: Unlimited free tier with paid upgrades (think Spotify or Dropbox)

• $1 trial: Nominal fee reduces frivolous sign-ups

• Limited feature trial: Access to core features only

The right model depends on your product complexity, sales cycle, and target market.

Challenges with Trials

Trials aren’t all smooth sailing. Common challenges include:

• Trial abuse: Users creating multiple accounts to avoid paying

• Low engagement: Users who sign up but don’t actually use the product

• High support costs: Trial users may need more help than paying customers

• Conversion drop-off: Users who love the trial but don’t convert to paid