value 2 you

Because only you know how much it's worth to you...

What is v2u?

Short answer:

Pay what you think is a fair price for the apps, files or services you download or use online where you see this logo:

Longer answer:

v2u (aka value 2 you or v2u-ware) is an open, free-to-use, unlicensed brand defining a philosophy where online vendors and providers let the end user choose the amount they pay to:
  • download applications, games, tools or extensions
  • download audio (e.g. mp3) or video files
  • utilise online services

    The discretionary payment will be in line with the end user's circumstances and their perceived benefit/quantity of usage.

    • What's the point?

    As the end user, you're in the best position to judge how much value an application is for your purposes, hence value 2 you.

    Maybe you have tried out an online music album and thought "I don't think that's worth $10, but I'd buy it for $5" - so you think the music's good but not great, or perhaps the demo clips were too short to risk full whack on what could ultimately be a letdown.

    Or how about you download a 10-day trial utility which contains one handy feature (let's say a file converter). Great, but - oh dear - the full version costs $30; yet you only expect to use the file converter rarely and won't be needing any of the fancy coffee making/ dog walking/ world-saving features bundled with the program. To you the application may be worth no more than $10.

    So what usually happens in the many cases like these? The user goes away dissatisfied and empty handed. The provider has the double blow of losing valuable revenue AND rarely knowing about it. Looks like when we're dealing online, one size doesn't fit all...

    Time for change?

    Before the digital age, materials and goods were predominantly physical and functional in nature (think bricks and houses) and so rigid pricing models made good sense. These days of course, many products take the form of electronic online distribution, so vast quantities can be replicated quickly and at little cost. Furthermore, these products can often be more niche or abstract in what they offer and both their usage and value may vary wildly between end users. With this in mind, should we not consider offering more flexibility with our pricing (at least for content that retails at the low-mid range price points)? We think so.

    Click here for more information, or to use v2u for your own products or services.