We’re grateful and humbled by the response and suggestions from the developer group since we introduced the brand new Microsoft Retailer on Home windows final yr and our Open App Retailer rules in February. At the moment, we want to rejoice the builders that joined us on this journey and share new discoverability alternatives on Home windows, the launch of Microsoft Retailer Adverts to assist builders attain the suitable clients on the proper time, and new instruments for Win32 and PWA builders.
Over the previous yr, Microsoft Retailer welcomed hundreds of nice apps like ACDSee Gemstone, Adobe Categorical, Audacity, Canva, Course Hero, Discord, Drawboard PDF, Epic Video games, Firefox, Luminar Neo & Luminar AI, Mailchimp, Meitu XiuXiu, Microsoft Groups, OpenOffice, Paramount+, PuTTY, WinZip, and Zoom. Within the first quarter of 2022 alone, we noticed greater than a 50% enhance in new desktop apps and video games coming to Microsoft Retailer in comparison with the identical interval final yr.
We’ve additionally been partnering with Amazon to offer Android builders a straightforward path to carry their Appstore apps to Home windows 11. Amazon has already introduced hundreds of apps and video games to Microsoft Retailer on Home windows 11 and will proceed to develop the catalog month-to-month. The Amazon Appstore preview is at present out there within the U.S., and it’ll increase to 5 extra international locations, together with France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the UK, by the tip of this yr. Be taught extra right here.
New discoverability alternatives on Home windows
At the moment, we’re saying additional steps we’re taking to assist builders attain and retain new clients by means of the Microsoft Retailer:
- Home windows Search. When an app is listed in Microsoft Retailer, Home windows Insiders will quickly be capable of open Begin, sort the title of an app, view search outcomes from Microsoft Retailer, and simply set up it from there with out distracting from their stream. Begin is a extremely used floor in Home windows, and over half of consumers search from Begin repeatedly. When clients search from Begin, they typically seek for apps, so Home windows Search is a worthwhile new channel for acquisition of Retailer apps.
- Restore Apps. As we famous earlier this yr, the PC market noticed the largest progress in a decade. To make it simpler for purchasers to transition to their new PCs shortly and seamlessly, we’ll quickly take a look at a brand new function within the Home windows Insider channel that helps clients routinely restore their apps, beforehand put in from the Microsoft Retailer, to their new Home windows gadget. This may even assist builders retain their clients with out having to remind clients to re-download their app.
- Pop-up retailer. The pop-up retailer and Microsoft Retailer badges permit builders to simply promote apps on any web site, extending and simplifying the set up expertise. Discover out extra about how one can create badges right here.
Introducing Microsoft Retailer Adverts
We’re additionally excited to introduce Microsoft Retailer Adverts, a brand new product designed to assist builders develop their enterprise by getting their apps or video games in entrance of the suitable clients on the proper time and to encourage Microsoft Retailer clients with nice, partaking content material. A developer of a music-making app, for instance, will be capable of create an advert marketing campaign to get their app in entrance of an viewers that likes music or likes to make music.
Within the coming months, builders will be capable of create advert campaigns within the Microsoft Retailer utilizing Microsoft Promoting. Solely builders with printed content material on the Retailer will be capable of run advert campaigns, which ensures adverts are contextual for purchasers.
We’ll quickly kick off a pilot program to check and collect suggestions; builders all in favour of taking part can enroll on the waitlist. We stay up for sharing extra particulars sooner or later.
Now open to all Win32 builders
Final yr, we introduced a waitlist program for Win32 apps in Microsoft Retailer and welcomed tons of of builders. At the moment, we’re happy to share that this system is now open to all Win32 builders (.NET, C++, Electron, Flutter, Qt, Rust, and extra).
We’re additionally introducing new options designed in response to suggestions from this system:
- Automating Retailer Submissions. Utilizing the brand new GitHub Motion or Relaxation APIs, builders will be capable of automate and handle app submissions instantly from their CI/CD construct pipeline. Microsoft PowerToys is a good instance. You possibly can study extra right here.
- App visibility. Builders can now make their Win32 apps undiscoverable to check them with a small group earlier than going reside.
- App telemetry. Builders will quickly be capable of entry new analytic dashboards to get extra insights about their Win32 apps, perceive their consumer acquisition funnel, app utilization, well being metrics, and set up success analytics.
- App critiques. Builders can now interact with and reply to critiques on Win32 apps.
New instruments for PWA builders
Over the previous years, PWABuilder.com has been one of the best useful resource and gear to study, get began, construct, and package deal high quality PWAs and distribute apps to Microsoft Retailer or different marketplaces.
In partnership with the developer group, we’re releasing new capabilities:
- PWA Starter. This functionality helps builders bootstrap their growth of PWAs, aiding with efficiency, integration with the host Working System, and pointers for a fantastic consumer expertise.
- PWA Studio. This can be a new Visible Studio Code extension to assist construct, package deal, and publish PWAs to Microsoft Retailer with out leaving Visible Studio Code.
- Meta Quest assist. PWAs in Microsoft Retailer are already supported on HoloLens gadgets, and Meta has just lately introduced assist for PWAs on its VR gadgets. Microsoft and Meta partnered to make PWABuilder the last word instrument for packaging PWAs for digital and blended actuality, giving builders the flexibility to sideload packages for Meta Quest and HoloLens.
We wish to thank the developer group for the suggestions we’ve got obtained up to now yr and stay up for persevering with our partnership to make Microsoft Retailer on Home windows higher for all builders and clients.
To study extra about these and different updates, try the Construct 2022 schedule.
