London, 12 December 2012 – Lotaris, a leader in mobile application licensing and transaction management for developers, independent software vendors and software publishers, today opened the Lotaris in-appCommerce for Windows 8 Early Release Programme. Lotaris’ collaborative three-month programme, available to the first 300 registrants, enables developers to keep 100% of their revenues for 90 days after account activation. The Lotaris service leverages Microsoft’s industry-first opportunity for developers to use a third-party commerce platform within the Windows Store and provides more control over mobile and PC app licensing and payments. 

Lotaris in-appCommerce for Windows 8 offers app developers a compelling alternative to the Windows Commerce Engine, enabling direct user relationships and maximising revenues with a full range of app licensing and payment functions. The service puts developers and ISVs in control of how they license and charge for Windows apps by removing the barriers to buying and giving end users the ability to license and pay for apps on any Windows 8 device – PC, tablet or smartphone – in familiar ways: subscription, usage-limited trials, time-limited trials, full-app purchase, and more.

“The recent success of Windows 8 has given new impetus to the OS war. Research shows that 10% of Windows Phone gamers spend more than $25 a month in the Windows Store, compared to just 4% on both iOS and Android. These ‘Whales,’ along with flexibility of the app licensing and payment business models enabled through the new Lotaris in-appCommerce service, offer great monetisation opportunities for Windows 8 app developers,” said Christophe Lienhard, Chief Operations Officer, Lotaris.

“Lotaris in-appCommerce is much more than an app store license tool or mobile commerce platform. It is an app license management system that spans platforms and ecosystems. It will provide developers with deep commerce functionality including a self-service portal, complete in-app purchasing, user-flows, in-app catalogue management, billing and payments, merchant of record, back-office and customer care tools, and reporting and analytics,” added Mr. Lienhard.

During the Early Release Programme, Windows 8 developers will help test the Lotaris in-appCommerce for Windows 8 service, while leveraging revenue-generating benefits including:

• 100% of sales revenue – up to 5,000 transactions, during the first 90 days after sign-up; afterward, developers will benefit from the service as a lower-cost alternative to the app payments structure of the Windows Store; 9.85% (vs. 30%) revenue share and with a transaction fee of 0.35 USD
• Easy set-up and migration – from the Windows Store API to the Lotaris API, and even back again
• Dynamic licensing – that enables mobile-centric business models and the ability to work with multiple channels, payments and platforms
• Customer intelligence and CRM – through reporting and analytics, over time
• Convenient in-app licensing – for both Windows 7 and Windows 8, on a single commerce platform

The three-month programme begins today. Windows 8 developers may sign up to request the SDK from the Lotaris self-service portal, which offers simple activation and live support, then quickly begin to optimise revenues using the industry’s most flexible in-app commerce platform. 

Early Release Programme members are also encouraged to participate in the Lotaris-hosted Windows 8 Commerce Group on LinkedIn and to follow @Lotaris on Twitter.