Developers can now publish apps to the Vodafone 360 Shop through the JIL.org website to selected Vodafone operating companies in Europe. Developers can choose to select from one, some or all of the selected markets for each app they publish.
Vodafone offers developers a number of features, including:
- Pricing. Developers can select from 20 price points ranging from €0.49 to €9.99 (£0.49 to £9.99 in the UK) and set separate prices for each Vodafone market.
Revenue shares. A standard 70/30 revenue share is offered, as used by other mobile app stores. Developers will be paid monthly, approximately 60 days after the end of the month in which revenue was earned. Vodafone can pay developers in €, £ or $ with direct funds transferred into the developer's bank account. - Review process. Developers' apps will be reviewed within 10 business days. Accepted apps immediately become available in the Vodafone 360 Shop for the local markets the developer has selected.
- Reporting. Reports available on JIL.org will let developers see how many downloads/ sales each app has had at each price point in each market. Both daily and monthly reports are available. For paid apps, there are additional monthly reports showing the revenue share split and any applicable tax calculations, as well as invoices and remittance reports detailing and confirming payment.
- Range of handsets. Apps published to the Vodafone 360 shop are supported by 50 different handset models, including the Vodafone 360 H1 and M1 phones from Samsung, and many Symbian/ S60 phones from Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung. Developers can choose to select from one, some or all device classes for each app they publish. Because apps published through JIL.org are based on HTML, CSS and JavaScript, developers will be able to design apps that scale across a range of phone models.
Vodafone has also launched http://developer.vodafone.com – a site with information on the Vodafone 360 platform, including technical guidelines to consider when building a mobile app.
"Through the JIL.org site, we are providing developers with simple upload methods, a transparent review process and greater insight thanks to enabled country-specific market and pricing information," said Lee Epting, Director of Content Services at Vodafone Group. "Combined with our new dedicated developer.vodafone.com site, we can help developers quickly tailor their apps to local markets, making them more relevant and generating more downloads."