Aiming to allow sellers to convert Apple and Roku users to paying subscribers, Vimeo has upgraded its VHX white-label video solution to support in-app subscriptions for partner branded over-the-top (OTT) products.
The new payment feature enables viewers to subscribe on Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and Roku devices and, says the company, opens doors to Apple, which Vimeo believes continues to dominate streaming media devices. Thus, it says, it is giving video sellers ‘the ultimate opportunity’ to gain more subscribers and grow their video business.
“We’re excited to help our sellers tap into the Apple and Roku app marketplaces, where the potential for discovery and subscriber conversion is huge,” explained Casey Pugh, co-founder and head of product at VHX, which Vimeo acquired in May 2016 . “We’ve already seen success with one of our top sellers — viewers who find their app in the app store are 33% more likely to start a free trial than viewers on the Web.”
Vimeo says that the new system offers a number of benefits such as the ability for sellers to offer flexible free trial lengths to customers for both monthly and annual subscriptions. For in-app subscriptions the seller is charged $1 per subscriber per month, plus platform fees which are 30% for the Apple platform and 20% for Roku.
Additionally, Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, and Roku users can subscribe to a video network directly in apps, making it even easier, argues Vimeo, for sellers to acquire new customers.