Why don't Indians buy software?
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We were going over our analytics the other day and a question came up: "Why don't Indians buy software?". We sell a small to medium sized business application online and we have regular sales in over 70 countries. In our web analytics we see India quite high on the list of countries where people download our software, very high, like fifth out of all countries, as well Indians regularly request a full trial license from us to fully test our software so we know they are engaged and interested. The mystery is that in over a decade in business we still have zero sales to India, not one single one. This despite thousands of downloads by Indians. The countries below India in downloads, even *way* below India still account for a large amount of sales. It's not piracy, we monitor that regularly. We've contacted the Indian people who requested a license as we do everyone and we always get an answer like "We thoroughly checked it out and decided to go with another package". Is there some kind of cultural thing we're not getting? Is it that they will always try to find a local equivalent if they can? Does anyone have a theory as to this mystifying behaviour?
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Can you detect if they're running your full trial software in a VM and simply resetting the VM to avoid the trial limits?
Best wishes, Hans
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Can you detect if they're running your full trial software in a VM and simply resetting the VM to avoid the trial limits?
Best wishes, Hans
Or if a Hindi version of the product is being sold openly. :~
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
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Can you detect if they're running your full trial software in a VM and simply resetting the VM to avoid the trial limits?
Best wishes, Hans
As I said we've been doing this for a while, the limits aren't based on dates at all. :) No system is perfect, ours is reasonable and effective enough. This whole topic of piracy has been discussed to death here over the last decade or so, it might be new to some but it's old hat to many of us. :)
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As I said we've been doing this for a while, the limits aren't based on dates at all. :) No system is perfect, ours is reasonable and effective enough. This whole topic of piracy has been discussed to death here over the last decade or so, it might be new to some but it's old hat to many of us. :)
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John C wrote:
This whole topic of piracy has been discussed to death here over the last decade or so, it might be new to some but it's old hat to many of us.
No serious security vulnerability, including blatantly obvious ones, will be dealt with until there is overwhelming evidence and widespread recognition that adversaries have already catastrophically exploited it. In other words, “significant psychological (or literal) damage is required before any significant security changes will be made” :cool:
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes -
As I said we've been doing this for a while, the limits aren't based on dates at all. :) No system is perfect, ours is reasonable and effective enough. This whole topic of piracy has been discussed to death here over the last decade or so, it might be new to some but it's old hat to many of us. :)
There is no failure only feedback
All very true, but you are seeing many downloads and no purchases. Occam's answer: they don't need to buy it, because somewhere in India there is a crack/technique posted.
Best wishes, Hans
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All very true, but you are seeing many downloads and no purchases. Occam's answer: they don't need to buy it, because somewhere in India there is a crack/technique posted.
Best wishes, Hans
They are downloading *and* requesting limited trial license keys. If they had a crack they wouldn't need the trial license key. I'm going with Nish and Ravisant who mentioned lazy consultants outsourcing their research to India for this one.
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They are downloading *and* requesting limited trial license keys. If they had a crack they wouldn't need the trial license key. I'm going with Nish and Ravisant who mentioned lazy consultants outsourcing their research to India for this one.
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John C wrote:
They are downloading *and* requesting limited trial license keys. If they had a crack they wouldn't need the trial license key.
Most people will assume everything is secure until provided strong evidence to the contrary-exactly backwards from a reasonable approach. :~
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes -
John C wrote:
They are downloading *and* requesting limited trial license keys. If they had a crack they wouldn't need the trial license key.
Most people will assume everything is secure until provided strong evidence to the contrary-exactly backwards from a reasonable approach. :~
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopesCongratulations, you have succeeded in annoying the shit out of me. If that was your goal well then mission accomplished! I've said repeatedly that I'm not interested in re-opening a discussion about piracy in this thread, you've attempted repeatedly to open such a discussion. Start your own thread and shove off mine.
There is no failure only feedback
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Congratulations, you have succeeded in annoying the shit out of me. If that was your goal well then mission accomplished! I've said repeatedly that I'm not interested in re-opening a discussion about piracy in this thread, you've attempted repeatedly to open such a discussion. Start your own thread and shove off mine.
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John C wrote:
Congratulations, you have succeeded in annoying the sh*t out of me.
It’ll often be considered “irresponsible” to point out security vulnerabilities (including the theoretical possibility that they might exist), but you’ll rarely be called irresponsible for ignoring or covering them up. :rolleyes:
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes -
Ah alright, I thought your product was aimed at developers. If it's a business product, it's no wonder your tool sells so poorly in India. Indian businesses are not run anything like they are in the US/Canada. Unless you've lived and worked there, and understand typical Indian business process flow, it would be unlikely that your product will be helpful to anyone in India. I am sure there are tons of local products that would do the job closer to what they want (even if they may not be as stable as your product).
Regards, Nish
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Then you need to expand your question to ask what competitor they went with, and why they went with them. Find out what you need to do to make your product attractive in this market - it could be something as simple as the competition has a local office with local support.
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My bank has local support. I can tell because when I told the support person to have a good night at 0800 she said that I should have a good night also. :-D
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes -
64th in traffic to our website and no sales. Dead last in sales is Laos but second to last is the Faroe Islands which I had never heard of before I looked at the list.
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John C wrote:
Dead last in sales is Laos
Wow Laos is less than zero sales in India and Bangladesh? Odd you can purchase your software in Viang Chang (Vientiane) for US$3! Even your brokers in Bangkok charge twice that amount. :-D
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes -
Congratulations, you have succeeded in annoying the shit out of me. If that was your goal well then mission accomplished! I've said repeatedly that I'm not interested in re-opening a discussion about piracy in this thread, you've attempted repeatedly to open such a discussion. Start your own thread and shove off mine.
There is no failure only feedback
Univoting is a nice touch. Very mature. :laugh:
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes -
We were going over our analytics the other day and a question came up: "Why don't Indians buy software?". We sell a small to medium sized business application online and we have regular sales in over 70 countries. In our web analytics we see India quite high on the list of countries where people download our software, very high, like fifth out of all countries, as well Indians regularly request a full trial license from us to fully test our software so we know they are engaged and interested. The mystery is that in over a decade in business we still have zero sales to India, not one single one. This despite thousands of downloads by Indians. The countries below India in downloads, even *way* below India still account for a large amount of sales. It's not piracy, we monitor that regularly. We've contacted the Indian people who requested a license as we do everyone and we always get an answer like "We thoroughly checked it out and decided to go with another package". Is there some kind of cultural thing we're not getting? Is it that they will always try to find a local equivalent if they can? Does anyone have a theory as to this mystifying behaviour?
There is no failure only feedback
If you are very sure that piracy is not the case, then I believe that they are surely going for free alternatives. Over here in India, the mindset is like: If you get something for free, then why pay for it? This leads to the Software market being dwarfed. Are you sure that there aren't any open source alternatives to your Software? If there are even 5 tools which do the job combined together, I'm guessing that they would be going with that instead. That, or there are those poor employees wishing for the day when their boss would approve and buy the Software from you. This is also a possibility. :)
My Blog What you do, when you don't know what to do is what you do when you don't want to do what you do.
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Or if a Hindi version of the product is being sold openly. :~
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopesWho the hell in India uses software in Hindi? Nobody, and I mean nobody I know uses software in any language other than English.
Cheers, विक्रम (Have gone past my troika - 4 CCCs!) "We have already been through this, I am not going to repeat myself." - fat_boy, in a global warming thread :doh:
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Who the hell in India uses software in Hindi? Nobody, and I mean nobody I know uses software in any language other than English.
Cheers, विक्रम (Have gone past my troika - 4 CCCs!) "We have already been through this, I am not going to repeat myself." - fat_boy, in a global warming thread :doh:
Vikram A Punathambekar wrote:
Who the hell in India uses software in Hindi? Nobody, and I mean nobody I know uses software in any language other than English.
That is why India is fairing better than Thailand. In Thailand (Myanmar, Kampuchea, and Laos) products written in Sanskrit are used more than products written in English. Maybe not commercial applications, but in general Sanskrit is used much more than English.
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes -
We were going over our analytics the other day and a question came up: "Why don't Indians buy software?". We sell a small to medium sized business application online and we have regular sales in over 70 countries. In our web analytics we see India quite high on the list of countries where people download our software, very high, like fifth out of all countries, as well Indians regularly request a full trial license from us to fully test our software so we know they are engaged and interested. The mystery is that in over a decade in business we still have zero sales to India, not one single one. This despite thousands of downloads by Indians. The countries below India in downloads, even *way* below India still account for a large amount of sales. It's not piracy, we monitor that regularly. We've contacted the Indian people who requested a license as we do everyone and we always get an answer like "We thoroughly checked it out and decided to go with another package". Is there some kind of cultural thing we're not getting? Is it that they will always try to find a local equivalent if they can? Does anyone have a theory as to this mystifying behaviour?
There is no failure only feedback
John, I'd like to reassure what Nish and Ravi said. At times, I've wondered at the kind of work some people do in service based software companies. People just outsource everything from development, research, QA, design, all the way up to localisation. It could very well be that guys here are just doing the research and posting their findings to their contractors somewhere in the US or UK. I live here, and I know the trend here. When I say it, take my word for it - this *is* a strong possibility. Another possibility could be that your product is being researched by engineers in India, and that's being done for a competitor (the competitor has outsourced researching on all their competition). In any case, if it's a software that helps carpenters and building contractors to get their daily work done, I'll be shocked if you sold something like 50 licenses in 5 years. It works in a completely different way here. It isn't like every carpenter is at worker class - you can get any of your work done, from low class all the way up to world class. And the higher class, professional ones would almost always like to go with local vendors (inclusive of software) so that they could customise it, and get support as and when they need. You don't know it until you've seen it. :)
"Real men drive manual transmission" - Rajesh.
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John, I'd like to reassure what Nish and Ravi said. At times, I've wondered at the kind of work some people do in service based software companies. People just outsource everything from development, research, QA, design, all the way up to localisation. It could very well be that guys here are just doing the research and posting their findings to their contractors somewhere in the US or UK. I live here, and I know the trend here. When I say it, take my word for it - this *is* a strong possibility. Another possibility could be that your product is being researched by engineers in India, and that's being done for a competitor (the competitor has outsourced researching on all their competition). In any case, if it's a software that helps carpenters and building contractors to get their daily work done, I'll be shocked if you sold something like 50 licenses in 5 years. It works in a completely different way here. It isn't like every carpenter is at worker class - you can get any of your work done, from low class all the way up to world class. And the higher class, professional ones would almost always like to go with local vendors (inclusive of software) so that they could customise it, and get support as and when they need. You don't know it until you've seen it. :)
"Real men drive manual transmission" - Rajesh.
This is a perfect summary of what's going on here. My 5! :thumbsup:
My Blog What you do, when you don't know what to do is what you do when you don't want to do what you do.
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Ah alright, I thought your product was aimed at developers. If it's a business product, it's no wonder your tool sells so poorly in India. Indian businesses are not run anything like they are in the US/Canada. Unless you've lived and worked there, and understand typical Indian business process flow, it would be unlikely that your product will be helpful to anyone in India. I am sure there are tons of local products that would do the job closer to what they want (even if they may not be as stable as your product).
Regards, Nish
Latest article: Code Project Posts Analyzer for Windows Phone 7 My technology blog: voidnish.wordpress.com
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We thought of that but we are getting hundreds of downloads from India a *week*. There just aren't that many companies in this market.
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John C wrote:
we are getting hundreds of downloads from India a *week*
It is quite natural, whenever we guys found it is useful we used to download and also refer to some of our friends. Weekly getting hundreds of download is very less, it has to be improved.
Regards, Koushik. Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out if they've got a second. Give your dreams all you've got and you'll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you.