Voluntary policy to limit the number of coupons issued by watch content sellers

Galaxy Watch Studio
#1

Galaxy Watch Designers and Developers,

Effective August 1, 2020, Galaxy Store watch app and watch face sellers are limited to issuing a maximum of 50 coupons per content ID, per country, per month*. This volume is sufficient for normal customer support needs and marketing promotions.

We are asking Samsung Galaxy Watch sellers to voluntarily limit their coupons issued to this amount, until more permanent changes can be made.

Please read the Samsung Galaxy Store Terms and Conditions clause 5.2 regarding compliance with store guidelines and documentation. Samsung may track the number of coupons issued or redeemed and enforce the policy.

If you have a question, you can contact support@samsungdevelopers.com.

Thank you,
Galaxy Store Seller Portal

9 Likes
#2

To clarify:
There is no total amount per seller. Each seller is allowed up to 50 coupons, for each unique content ID, for each country, every month.
For example, a single seller is allowed:
50 coupons in France in September for watch face A
50 coupons in France in September for watch face B
50 coupons in France in September for watch face C
50 coupons in Italy in September for watch face C
50 coupons in Spain in September for watch face C
and it resets the next month…
50 more coupons in France in October for watch face A
50 more coupons in France in October for watch face B
50 more coupons in France in October for watch face C
…

Ron

4 Likes
#3

It’s okay … some sellers will think twice before issuing coupons.

1 Like
#4

They could also limit the watch faces that developers and designers upload per month.
I see very simple clock faces with a background image and many go up every day.
This should be reviewed by Samsung.

9 Likes
#5

Totally agree. This would contribute to much better conditions of competition between devs. It is sad when a developer works 2 weeks on a design that in a few hours disappears from the ranking of new applications due to 10x the same design which differs only in color.

4 Likes
#6

I also start issuing coupons like other developers. Watch faces quickly getting into top 100 places. but the sales are very low compare to before.
TOP PAID 500 watches are not TOP PAID watches. It’s TOP Coupons issued watch faces. Once customers get knowledge about coupons. Next time they are not buying and simply waiting for a coupon or ask me to send a coupon. It’s frustrating to creates new watch faces. This coupon system must be revamped by Samsung.

4 Likes
#7

I work a lot with tizen Studio.
When I create a watch face with Tizen Studio I get functions that are not available in GWS.
For example:
AOD changes color.
The color settings remain recorded even if the watch runs out of battery.
I can create a stopwatch on the same screen.
I can create a Torch.
And much more.
This takes a lot of work because I also have to design the style of the watch face.
This is a disaster, the developers have gone into the background.
If Tizen Studio already does this, why was GWS created?
To fill the Samsung app store with watch faces?
Coupons should not exist.
As the fellow above says, they are coupon sales.
This is not going to go well.
Time will tell.

2 Likes
#8

Is that really the case? I thought that downloads made through coupons no longer affected the rankings in the store. It was stated several times, also here on the forums, at least half a year ago. Is it still possible to climb the rankings just by giving away coupons?

@r.liechty_SDP could you please comment on this?

In general, “voluntary policy” sounds like an oxymoron to me. A policy has to be applied and enforced, not politely asked for. No one is going to voluntarily stop, while others still do it. So the question is, when will this be applied from the technical side?

#9

First off. Voluntary… A policy requires a reasonable time before it can be enforced. SDP is asking that the sellers do this on their own until the “reasonable time” elapses. This thread is a notification of the policy and all in the Watch Sellers ecosystem should get an email on it. I believe that warnings will be sent to violators before revocation of the watch face seller partnership.

Downloads is still a factor in Top Paid list, there are other factors added in the Top Paid ecosystem that we thought would lessen the affect of coupons and it worked until the coupon dispensers were used.

Ron
Samsung Developer Program

2 Likes
#10

I’m with you … quality is more important than quantity …

3 Likes
#11

100% Agree, every day I see too much watchface with simple image background and some text fill up in “new” watchface category. I hope samsung will do something.

1 Like
#12

I have seen the watch faces that came out today in the samsung app store and I still do not understand how they allow watch faces with a simple and repeated background to come out because it brings out the same dial changing only the color.
Quantity matters, not quality.

1 Like
#13

“Quantity matters, not quality” wrong :slight_smile:

Sales matter… People actually buy some of those faces so by having hundreds of them, the Seller is making money, and so is Samsung. Same as when we were all told that Sellers who did not sign the pledge would be removed, removed if they didn’t have sales! :slight_smile: Revenue matters (which is right), cause this is a business :slight_smile:

#14

When I said that quantity matters and not quality, I meant that for Samsung it seems that this is more important.
If there is no quality, why do I want quantity?
If the GWS software is going to reach a limit where no more functions can be done.
With Tizen Studio it is more difficult since it can execute many functions.
Do you have any design that the color in AOD mode changes color when the color is changed in normal mode?
This is asked by many people.
I mean, the watch faces created with GWS have many limitations.
Always the same functions.

#15

This is definitely a step toward a better ecosystem. I hope Samsung will ban these automatic coupon dispensers as well, in both watch faces and themes. As long as coupon downloads are a part of ranking algorithm, many developers will continue to use these automatic coupon dispensers despite the monthly limits.

As result, the top of Top Paid list will have a base of 50 downloads from the coupon plus the actual sales. That puts developers who don’t use automatic coupon dispensers at a disadvantage of 50 downloads. Unless the ranking algorithm will be discounting the monthly 50 coupon downloads?

Setting up an automatic coupon dispenser is fairly simple. It’s a matter of personal choice and principals. IMO, offering free contents without merits is a bad idea for the brand, it devalues your brand like those McDonald kid’s meals throwaway toys. At the same time, I understand some developers have to do it to stay on the Top Paid list.

2 Likes
#16

X9_Studio,

The issue is that the store is the same for Android Mobile content and for Watch content. Samsung may track the number of coupons issued or redeemed and enforce the policy.

Ron
Samsung Developer Team

1 Like
#17

If a developer or designer wants to publicize their watch faces, the only thing coupons do is disadvantage watch faces with better features.
Buyers have taken the vice of coupons and few sales.
That’s what the free option is for.
Let free clock faces go up and coupons not be used.
This is my opinion.

#18

Hello everybody,

This is our question to @Niklas, posted in the Telegram group on July 31.

“ Hello Niklas, hello everyone!

Let’s consider the following case. If I have 200 watch faces, old ones, and now I issue a huge number of coupons for each of them, just before Samsung cancels this option. I would have millions of coupons that will be valid till August 1, 2021. This means that I could distribute them and organize huge giveaways a whole year ahead and my old watch faces would flood the market and occupy the top places. By the way, this is practised by some designers even now.

So, what will Samsung change? Just limit the number of coupons or change the algorithm for the top positions?”

As Niklas did not answer it, we post it one more time here and ask about your opinion, too.

Meanwhile, we see that some of the sellers are currently spreading around a huge number of coupons for their older watch faces via emails, Telegram groups and coupon generators.

@r.liechty_SDP wrote: “Samsung may track the number of coupons issued or redeemed and enforce the policy.” What does this mean? May? Some sellers may be controlled and checked some may be not? Samsung may do it, but it’s not sure and it’s not obligatory and no one knows if it will happen. This is how it sounds to us.

So we have the following questions:

  1. Does the distribution of a huge number of coupons issued before August 1 comply with the new policy or not?

  2. Does the distribution of a huge number of coupons issued after August 1, but for a watch faces released before August 1, comply with the new policy or not?

  3. Can Samsung guarantee that there are conditions for loyal competition when asking for voluntary compliance with recommendations which are not part of the official documentation?

  4. What would be the consequences for the sellers who issue and distribute more than 50 coupons as prescribed and who is going to control this?

#19

  • Does the distribution of a huge number of coupons issued before August 1 comply with the new policy or not?
    It does not

  • Does the distribution of a huge number of coupons issued after August 1, but for a watch faces released before August 1, comply with the new policy or not?
    They do not

  • Can Samsung guarantee that there are conditions for loyal competition when asking for voluntary compliance with recommendations which are not part of the official documentation?
    I don’t think anyone can guarantee anything and what is loyal competition is probably a concept for every individual. From first look it appears that this is being complied with.

  • What would be the consequences for the sellers who issue and distribute more than 50 coupons as prescribed and who is going to control this?

Samsung may track the number of coupons issued or redeemed and enforce the policy.

Ron
Samsung Developer Team

#20

Can coupons limit be carryover to the following months? Let’s say in August I issue 50 coupons with 1 year expiration date, only 10 coupons are used. Do the remaining 40 coupon codes be carryover to September when I can issue another 50 coupons, so I would have 90 coupons to dispense in September?

If carryover is permitted, then it can be used as a loophole. Perhaps coupon codes should expire 30 days from the date they are issued?