Mobile games developer Halfbrick, the company behind Fruit Ninja and Age of Zombies, has become the latest developer to sign up for GetJar’s Gold Virtual Currency program, which rewards consumers for downloading Android apps with virtual currency which they can use towards the cost of premium apps, or for in-app purchases. 

GetJar says the program has helped a number of its developers double their sales and their conversions % by integrating the GetJar Rewards SDK. It says the program is becoming popular amongst developers who are signing up to achieve global reach, provide an alternative payment method for the consumer, and still make money. The program attracted 1m users in its first month after launch. 

“We’ve been working with GetJar on the initial phase of GetJar Gold and will continue to work with them on the Virtual Currency integration so we can offer our customers a choice on how they want to pay,” says Halfbrick CEO, Shainiel Deo.  “We think this is a good alternative to monetize our premium games.”

Another developer, Exelentia, as seen sales of the pro version of its Wiki Encyclopedia app double since signing up to the program, even though his installed base of users has remained the same. Exelentia director Melvin Clough says: “What we like most about the GetJar Rewards SDK is how it works in tandem with our existing payment solutions. We were able to see a huge increase in sales and conversions fairly quickly. Users who pay continue to do so, and those that want an alternative, now have that opportunity by earning Gold Coins. We were concerned that adding the SDK would cannibalize our paid users, but we haven’t seen that at all.”