Why As A Consumer My Subscription Costs Are Getting Out Of Control?
And I do not see a end in sight.
The subscription model is the cost we pay to be part of the future.
I might as well call myself minimalist, not in the true sense of the movement, but for the fact that I pay to own nothing but use everything. The price of subscription for the services I use for my basic luxuries and needs.
The legacy pricing model of a typical software put a lot of onus on the developer to deliver a significant improvement and the consumer that knows the balance of present and future needs.
Perpetual Licensing
The traditional pricing model attempts at luring the consumer by giving them a taste of the software and/or app and allowing them to make a decision based on their need.
The problem of retaining a consumer meant developing newer prominent features that are not just up to the market standards but also appealing to the existing and new user base.
Ultimately it became a legacy model for a reason as businesses could not sustain the growth and sell on their promise.
Subscription Model
The model allowed the businesses to sell Minimal Viable Product with promises of new and improved features in the near future.
It allowed users to get a taste of the service and long for improvements in services and new features. In case the promise didn't hold onto the expectation or was undelivered, the user was free to cancel and opt-out.
In all this, we as consumers became used to paying for the future with the money we make in present.
Consumer and the cost of a subscription-based future
I, as a consumer, need not evaluate my need at the time of purchase. I have to believe that in long term the price will be justifiable.
While I understand that an indie developer may benefit from a subscription model to cotinue the development in an iterative way due to a lack of resources in the early stage, enterprises and big corporations charge a hefty recurring fee to use their services which could easily be licensed.
I might sound very critical of one model over other but as a consumer, I do not see a say or an escape from a subscription model.
I pay a premium price for a future feature that I am yet to evaluate to my needs and use.
As a consumer, what seems to be the future in this subscription-driven market? Is it sustainable?
Excellent point. It helps new start ups to get their product out quickly but as a consumer subscription for every service is a burden in the long run. Take ott and fall in Netflix subs.