Finding the right revenue model for your business and products is an extremely important part of starting and growing your business. It's an important part of building a brand. Discover popular recipe models and how to choose the right model.
- What is a revenue model?
- 11 different types of recipe templates
- Costs associated with revenue models
- How to choose your revenue model
In one of the mostfamous lines from the 1941 classic Citizen KaneCitizen Kane,Or Mr. Bernstein proclaims: “It's not a gimmick to make a lot of money... if you want to make a lot of money.” If only that statement were as true as it seemed. It is probably more accurate to say, “There is amany waysto make a lot of money."
This is especially true for software companies, as the rise of the mobile internet is fueling an explosion in the number of viable revenue models. However, choosing the most suitable revenue model for your SaaS business is not easy (even if you only want to choose one revenue model for your SaaS business).
Your choice will help you determine yoursales strategy, and from there the growth rates, the amount of money you need to invest initially, and the type of relationships you are likely to build with your customers. Even more – the choice determines the future of your company.
Let's take a look at some of the most popular recipe models in use today - why they're popular, why they work, and why they work (or don't work) for you.
What is a revenue model?
A revenue model is the revenue generation framework that is part of a company's business model. Common revenue models include subscription, licensing, and tagging. The revenue model helps companies determine their revenue generation strategies, e.g. B.: which revenue stream to prioritize, understand target customers and set prices for their products.
Revenue models are often confused with revenue streams, probably because each is a unique revenue stream. They are also confused with business models, which include revenue models. Revenue models help business owners decide how to manage their revenue streams and are required to complete a business model.
Without a well-thought-out revenue model, your business will incur costs it cannot afford. A revenue model lets you define, track, and forecast business growth based on specific customer segments.
11 different types of recipe templates
There is no perfect earnings model, but the popularity of some of the following methods suggests that many of them are well suited to the current state of the market. Here, we look at each type of revenue model and when they might be most beneficial and applicable.
1. Signature
Osubscription templateit's the "vanilla" SaaS revenue model, not that a well-performing subscription plan is boring. Businesses charge a customer for using a product or service every month or every year. All income is deferred and then paid in installments.
The subscription model is perhaps the most popular among SaaS companies because of the versatility it promises.recurring revenue, and high value: customer lifetime balance.Done right, it's a one-way ticket to sustainable growth.
Companies that work with recurring revenue models, such asSubscription or Licensing, you see more value from a customer over a given customer lifecycle.
Being able to offer a variety of value options means your business can meet more than one set of customer needs, increasing your appeal. Hubstaff's subscription plan, shown below, is a classic of its kind:
Hubstaff's various plans vary in price and features. This flexibility of the subscription model means hesitant or lower-priced customers can still get what they need, while keeping control of what they could get extra for a few extra dollars a month.
The freemium model is often described as a subscription revenue model, but it is actually a purchase model, not a revenue model. Freemium means giving users access to an app for free and then selling subscriptions for a premium tier that includes more features.
2nd mark
Markup is a very common revenue model for buyer companies (i.e. companies that buy the products they sell). It's as simple as it gets: take the cost of the products you just bought, increase them by X%, and get a profit margin on the original purchase.
There are several subgenres of the markup model, including the following:
- Wholesale: Selling goods or merchandise to retailers, business customers, or other wholesalers
- Retail: Identifying demand and fulfilling it across a supply chain across a range of potential retail outlets, including brick-and-mortar and e-commerce
In particular, markup is used by intermediaries such as e-commerce marketplaces such as Amazon. On average, Amazon charges a seller who uses its site 15% of the selling price plusFBA Fees(including storage, pick & pack, shipping).
3. Licensing
Licensing is the leasing of goods or services to other companies. The seller retains full copyright control of the product or service used by the buyer. Licensing is commonplace for media companies and for patents, copyrights, trademarks - anywhere intellectual property is used. For example, compare this to subscribers paying for a copy of a product or service.
Computer software makers like Adobe turn to royalty revenue models just as oftensubscription incomemodels.
A typical software license agreement, this time for an Adobe XI Pro package.
The main difference between subscription and licensing is that subscription is for a fixed term, while licensing is perpetual until canceled by one of the parties involved. Licensing provides more stable recurring revenue; Subscription offers greater upselling opportunities.
4. Advertising
Advertising allows any platform to attract a significant amount of traffic to convert that traffic directly into revenue. You've seen it on your favorite blog, media site and social media platform (think Google, Facebook and LinkedIn): the medium's popularity is appreciated and advertisers pay to feature their product somewhere on it (known as a display - Advertising ). to co-opt a percentage of this site's user base.
Other types of advertising that fall under the same revenue model are search engine marketing, social media marketing,facebook adand mobile advertising.
On a typical page hosted by UK newspaperThe guard, which operates a donation revenue model, we see a display ad on the right.
It's easy to combine with other revenue models for greater impact. For example, this online news source that uses a subscription or donation based revenue model may also use advertising to increase its overall revenue.
5. Payment per user
One of the most enduring legacies of SaaS in business is the advent of pay-per-user (PPU). It's about giving a customer potentially unlimited access to a variety of resources, while only being charged for the services they use. In the early days of SaaS, the PPU seemed like the most viable revenue model because the software didn't require physical delivery, so it could be deployed quickly and inexpensively.
But as natural as it seemed at the time,Pay per user is not popularmore. Assigning value to your product is one of the most important considerations of your revenue model, and part of that is showing why it's worth your target customers' precious dollars, not just making everything so cheap and easy they can't refuse. So the problem with PPU is that value is rarely assigned to your product.
Also, PPU kills your monthly active user metric. The per-user metric is not the most useful metric for customers in terms of driving value - your take it or leave it approach actively works against your daily active user count and therefore contributes to your churn rate.
6. Donation
As evidenced by the rise and riseKickstarter- EPatreonIn business-based ventures, altruism, while unpredictable, is a pretty effective income model in its own right. Relying on donations from regular users is a common revenue model for nonprofits, online media (eg YouTubers), and independent news outlets.
7. Partner
what is it?affiliate marketing? This popular new model works by encouraging referral links to relevant products and charging commissions on any subsequent sales of those products. Use your product's synergy with another product in an adjacent room and both can benefit.
The affiliate model can be as simple as including a link to a book or other product mentioned in an article, or offering specific recommendations related to purchase history (again, Amazon is a master at this art). Some companies like Etsy even have aspecific programto its affiliates, where other businesses can earn a commission on eligible sales resulting from providing links to Etsy products and services.
The affiliate revenue model is gaining popularity due to its good integration with other revenue models, especially advertising-based models.
8. Arbitration
The arbitrage revenue model, mainly applicable to sellers or market-oriented companies, uses the price difference in two different markets for the same good/service to make a profit. You buy in one market (a security/currency/commodity) and simultaneously sell what you just bought in another market at a higher price, pocketing the temporary difference in price.
Arbitrage is popular amongaffiliate merchant, as well as with many cryptocurrency companies, SFOX being a prime example.
9. Commission
In this transactional revenue model, an intermediary charges a commission for each transaction it processes between two parties or for each lead it provides to the other party. It is particularly popular with online marketplaces and aggregators, as well as companies such as independent music distributors.
It is particularly easy to get started with a commission-based business model as it is based on existing products. However, if your area is not suitable for a monopoly and your company is (or could become) such a monopoly, then find the commission modelvery difficult to climb.
10. Data Sale
Ever heard the phrase, "If you can't see how the money is made, you are the product"? This is data selling in action.
Many companiesSale of digital productsand services could not exist without underlying core data assets. With the data sales revenue model, that data is sold directly to a private or business customer. While some companies use data sales as their primary revenue model, the use ofdata saleAdding another revenue model is virtually ubiquitous.
While some use it asbusiness venture, is also the theme considerably justifiedpublic concernand should be treated with caution when choosing your admission model.
11. Web/Direct Sales
The old redone revenue model, web sales and direct sales all involve paying for goods or services digitally.
Web sales involve a customer finding your product through outbound marketing (or a web search) and can be used for software, hardware, and subscription-based offers.
Direct selling revolves around inbound marketing and works well for dealing with multiple buyers and influencers in expensive markets.
Costs associated with revenue models
A good revenue model isn't just about getting as much revenue as possible out of a sales cycle; It's also about balancing your market ambitions with your resource requirements. A start-up revenue model can differ significantly from an established company as their capabilities are so different. When choosing your model, considering the cost is essential to ensure profitability.
cost of sales
The first cost you're likely to consider is the cost of products - how much it costs to produce the products or services you'll sell. For hardware, this might include testing and manufacturing; for software, it covers the entire development cycle. Regardless of what you produce, there are also administrative costs involved.
You'll find that cost of goods is a much less comprehensive metric than cost of sales, which is the total cost of producing and delivering a product or service to consumers. This includes everything we just covered plus sales and marketing expenses. Cost of sales is most commonly used in SaaS and other service-oriented industries because it makes it easier to understand the many costs that occur outside of SaaS production.
prototyping costs
Prototyping is a fundamental aspect of every production cycle and, unfortunately, one of the most expensive. When testing prototypes or beta versions of your new product, even the smallest revisions can require costly changes to your production/development process.
This typically includes base cost plus iteration cost. When forecasting prototyping costs, it's a good idea to plan for several iterations; It's very unlikely that you'll get it right the first time, especially if your product is innovative or consists of multiple features.
equipment costs
One of the nice things about being a SaaS company is that there are no production lines that need to be running. Despite this, device costs still play a role.
firmware,Application development tools, server rentals, and any other subscription-based management services (like Slack or Hubstaff) all play a role in your device costs, but overall, device costs should be the easiest to predict.
Labor costs
An underpaid workforce is an unhappy workforce (if it is a workforce at all); Labor costs come from your bottom line.
Based on the interaction of salary and commission in yourcompensation plan, as well as the type of commission you offer (permanent or capped? Are there accelerators/delays?), you need to plan your personnel expenses differently.
advertising and marketing costs
Your advertising and marketing costs are determined as follows:
- The size of their respective advertising and marketing teams
- The exposure scale you are shooting
- Your approach to advertising and marketing:
indefinite indefinite indefinite
How to choose your revenue model
With all these options, how can you expect to make up your mind? The answer is in your own product.
Know your market
Where are your customers? How accessible are they to you? If your buyer personas are primarily individual customers, reach them with subscription options that are expertly tailored to their needs andhow your product can serve them. On the other hand, if you're looking to sell to larger companies that need a customized version of their core product, consider a license-based option that will allow you to build a solid, profitable relationship that lasts a long time. term.
If you know your market, you should also know your competitors. Before deciding on a revenue model, make sure you understand industry benchmarks: where is the baseline for equivalent products in the market? Where is your product located? Question your product honestly. An open assessment of your product's value not only avoids the mistake of over-rating (or under-rating) your product, but also shows you how to capitalize on its value and what your development compass should be.
Consider the strength of your ties to similar compatible companies. For example, if you use time management software and have ties to a nearby company that sells compatible HR software, get in touch with them. A strong network connection can be leveraged with an effective strategy based on an affiliate revenue model.
Know your product
Knowing your product is just as important as knowing your market, if not more so. Sometimes the nature of a product will itself dictate the best revenue model for it. If you have a variety of products, does it make more sense to have them as a subscription service or as one-time purchases? Smart money in this case for your growth and daily user count would be the subscription option.
Again, honestly evaluate your product's performance. How does your product compare to competitors? How wide is your resource array compared to the others? Knowing your product allows you to choose a revenue model that hits the sweet spot between value and willingness to pay.
If your product is not a simple software offering, continue to consider your options. For example, if your product is platform-based, examine your advertising prospects to capitalize on the traffic buzz and think outside the box to identify potential partners for an affiliate strategy that will give your earnings an extra boost.
Pitchfork's partnership program with craft beer producers can be seen in the leftmost tab.
Music blogging platform Pitchfork found that the only thing its readers love more than left-wing music is craft beer, so they launched a feature affiliated with Brewer's Outlet in October. It is a smart display of affiliate earnings evaluation.
Expect the unexpected
As your product line changes and your business grows, your original revenue model may change. You can start with a subscription revenue model, which then, with time and opportunity, will pick up aspects of the affiliate, advertising, and data sales models. You can start as a fledgling indie fundraising blog with a little publicity, then find a large enough audience to avoid advertisers, install a subscription model, and maintain the integrity of your writing.
Alternatively, you can start with a subscription, see just a fraction of your potential success, and switch to a royalty model. The important thing is that you are willing to change your revenue model or introduce additional models to complement what you are already using if the situation calls for it.
Your revenue model is unique
So many revenue streams, so many revenue models, so little time.
There are some fundamental differences between the revenue models. For example, if you're a SaaS company that makes your own software product, you probably won't get that far with an arbitrage model. If your product is a medium or you are a seller, a subscription-based revenue model will not cut it. A product with a high potential revenue threshold is not best served with a donation model.
However, choosing a crowd-centric revenue model that works for your product and then how to combine it with appropriate aspects of other models is up to you, and yours alone. As you define, add to, and refine your model, you must always keep your product and market in mind. After that it should be easy to generate the earnings yourself.Citizen Kanecalled.
FAQs
11 revenue models, examples and tips for choosing the right one? ›
When picking a revenue model, the most important thing to remember is the target market and audience your pricing strategy has identified. You want to understand their pain points and what model makes the most sense for charging them.
How do you choose a revenue model? ›When picking a revenue model, the most important thing to remember is the target market and audience your pricing strategy has identified. You want to understand their pain points and what model makes the most sense for charging them.
What are the 3 main types of revenue models? ›Common revenue models include subscription, licensing and markup. The revenue model helps businesses determine their revenue generation strategies such as: which revenue source to prioritize, understanding target customers, and how to price their products.
What is your revenue model example? ›The simplest example of a revenue model is a high-traffic blog that places ads to make money. Web resources that present content, e.g., news (value), to the public will make use of its traffic (audience) to place ads.
What are the four basic components of the revenue model? ›A revenue model is a conceptual structure that states and explains the revenue earning strategy of the business. It includes the offerings of value, the revenue generation techniques, the revenue sources, and the target consumer of the product offered.
What are the 4 C's of revenue management? ›The strategic levers of yield management can be summarized as four Cs: namely, calendar, clock, capacity, and cost.
What are the five major source of revenue? ›The 5 major sources of revenue for the Government are Goods and Services Tax (GST), Income tax, corporation tax, non-tax revenues, union excise duties . You can read about the Taxation System in India – Types, GST, VAT, Objectives, Limitation in the given link. Download The E-Book Now!
What is step 5 of the revenue recognition model? ›Step 5: Recognize revenue when, or as, the entity satisfies a performance obligation. You'll either recognize revenue over time or at a point in time. If recognizing revenue over time, apply a single method of measuring progress for each performance obligation.
What are 3 revenue strategies? ›Many strategies can be employed to achieve the goal of increasing revenue, but three of the most effective and proven strategies are to focus on customer service and satisfaction, to identify new target markets, and to increase the efficiency of existing operations.
What are the four biggest sources of revenue? ›Sources of Federal Revenue
Most of the revenue the U.S. government collects comes from contributions from individual taxpayers, small businesses, and corporations through taxes. Additional sources of tax revenue consist of excise tax, estate tax, and other taxes and fees.
What are the 3 criteria for revenue? ›
The seller has a present right to payment. The customer has legal title to the asset. The seller has transferred physical possession.
What is the basic revenue model? ›A revenue model is the strategy of managing a company's revenue streams and the resources required for each revenue stream. A business model is the structure comprised of all aspects of a company, including revenue model and revenue streams, and describes how they all work together.
What is revenue with suitable example? ›For a business, revenue is all of the money it has earned. Income/profit usually incorporates other facets of a business. For example, net income or incorporate expenses such as cost of goods sold, operating expenses, taxes, and interest expenses.
What are the 4 methods of improving revenue? ›If you want your business to bring in more money, there are only 4 Methods to Increase Revenue: increasing the number of customers, increasing average transaction size, increasing the frequency of transactions per customer, and raising your prices.
What is step 4 of the revenue model? ›Step 4 of the new five-step revenue recognition standard i.e. ASC 606, requires the allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation in a contract with a customer. The transaction price is the basis for measuring revenue. It is not always the price set in the contract.
What are two types of revenue and give an example of each? ›Types of Revenues
Operating revenues describe the amount earned from the company's core business operations. Sales of goods or services are examples of operating revenues. Non-operating revenues refer to the money earned from a business's side activities. Examples include interest revenue and dividend revenue.
The third step in this process is determining the transaction price. Transaction price is defined as the amount of consideration expected for the exchange of goods or services to a consumer. A transaction price can be fixed or vary based on timing or performance factors.
What are the stages of revenue model? ›The four main steps to building a superb revenue model are industry research, defining your target audience, creating your unique value proposition, and doing business valuations at least annually.
What are 7 core principles of revenue management? ›In revenue management, the major functional components for its application are: (1) market segmentation, (2) inventory pooling, (3) demand forecasting and supply forecasting, (4) overbooking's control, (5) revenue mix controls, (6) exception processing and (7) performance measurement.
What are the 5 steps of revenue management strategy? ›The stages in this process are Data Collection, Segmentation, Forecasting, Optimization, Dynamic Re Evaluation.
What is step 6 of the revenue cycle? ›
The seven steps of revenue cycle include preregistration, registration, charge capture, claim submission, remittance processing, insurance follow-up and patient collections.
What are the components of revenue? ›The components of a revenue budget are the expenditure and the revenues from tax and other sources; this component is known as revenue receipts of the Government. You can read about the Revenue Receipts- Tax Revenue and Non-Tax Revenue in the given link.
What are different sources of revenue? ›- Selling Assets. Selling items is an extremely common revenue stream. ...
- Fees for Usage. This revenue stream involves money that comes from how often or how much someone uses a service. ...
- Subscription Fees. ...
- Renting, Leasing and Lending. ...
- Licensing. ...
- Brokerage Fees. ...
- Advertising Fees.
Revenue-generating activities include advertising, prospecting, setting appointments, selling, and closing. They're vital to any business but don't necessarily result in an immediate sale. Rather, they create the conditions under which a sale can happen.
What is Step 1 of revenue recognition model? ›Identify the contract with the customer. Identify the performance obligations within the contract. Determine the overall transaction price of the contract. Allocate the transaction price between the identified performance obligations.
What is a key concept in revenue recognition? ›The revenue recognition principle, a feature of accrual accounting, requires that revenues are recognized on the income statement in the period when realized and earned—not necessarily when cash is received.
What are the basics of revenue recognition? ›Revenue recognition is an aspect of accrual accounting that stipulates when and how businesses “recognize” or record their revenue. The principle requires that businesses recognize revenue when it's earned (accrual accounting) rather than when payment is received (cash accounting).
What are the 9 essential strategies for increasing revenue? ›- Set defined goals. Make quantifiable goals for how much you want to increase your sales and revenue. ...
- Target repeat customers. ...
- Target former customers. ...
- Grow your geographic reach. ...
- Refine your pricing plan. ...
- Add products or services. ...
- Bundle products or services. ...
- Upsell products and services.
- Get clear on your goals. As with any plan, you need to start with goals. ...
- Assess where your company currently stands. ...
- Decide who owns what. ...
- Hold weekly planning meetings. ...
- Reassess and address any constraining factors. ...
- Launch your revenue growth plan. ...
- The bottom line.
A revenue generation strategy can be defined as a plan of action for increasing a business' income by focusing on short- and long-term opportunities for sales throughout the business.
What generates the most revenue? ›
- Health & Medical Insurance in the US. ...
- Commercial Banking in the US. ...
- New Car Dealers in the US. ...
- Life Insurance & Annuities in the US. ...
- Pharmaceuticals Wholesaling in the US. ...
- Public Schools in the US. ...
- Retirement & Pension Plans in the US. ...
- E-Commerce & Online Auctions in the US.
Public revenue which is a major contributor to the total central revenue is tax revenue. Revenue earned by government by taxing people is called tax-revenue.
What are the four primary reasons that revenue growth is critically important to your business? ›By accelerating the rate of revenue growth you generate more profits faster which enables you to (a) take more profits, (b) reinvest in your business, (c) create new sources of revenue, (d) merge or acquire another business, and (e) improve the value of your business.
What is revenue class 11? ›Revenue is the sum of cash and credit sales which is earned as a result of goods or rendering of services.
Are there different types of revenue? ›Revenue is of two types i.e. operating revenue and non-operating revenue. The money that is brought by the business activities of a company is known as revenue.
Why is a revenue analysis important? ›The Revenue Analysis provides a view on the income generated from the sales of your products over time. This report presents a view on the net sales revenue for any chosen time period. It provides the basis for performance comparisons of revenue obtained between different time periods and product segments.
How many types of revenue models are there? ›It outlines business operations and activities that lead to income generation. There are five revenue models primarily: recurring, sales, affiliate marketing, and advertising.
What is a revenue recognition model? ›Essentially, the revenue recognition principle means that companies' revenues are recognized when the service or product is considered delivered to the customer — not when the cash is received.
What is a simple example of total revenue? ›Total Revenue Examples
Let's say your business sells 10 dresses that each cost $50 and 15 skirts that each cost $20. To calculate the total revenue, you would multiply 10 by $50 and 15 by $20, then add both totals together. The total revenue would be $800.
E-commerce revenue models are used to generate income online and include product and information sales, affiliate marketing, online advertising, subscription services, and transaction fees.
What chart is best to compare revenue? ›
The waterfall chart shows gradual changes in the quantitative value of an entity that is subject to change by increments or decrements. This is one of the best chart types for visualizing income, expenses, and profit/loss details.
How do you differentiate revenue model and cost model? ›The revenue is defined as the total income a business receives from selling a good or service to its customers. The cost is defined as the total expenses that are incurred in the production of goods or services by any individual or organisation.
What are 3 examples of possible revenue streams of businesses? ›- Asset sale. The most widely understood Revenue Stream derives from selling ownership rights to a physical product. ...
- Usage fee. This Revenue Stream is generated by the use of a particular service. ...
- Subscription fees. ...
- Lending/Renting/Leasing. ...
- Licensing. ...
- Brokerage fees. ...
- Advertising.
What are the five primary revenue models in e-commerce? There are several models that businesses use to generate revenue. The most commonly used method is product and information sales. The other methods include affiliate marketing, online advertising, subscription-based services, and transaction fees.
How do you compare two revenues? ›To compare competing businesses, find the percentage of revenue for each line item. To find the percentage of revenue, divide each line item by the revenue. Multiply the figure by 100 to get a percentage. The percentage of revenue tells how much profit you keep from every sales dollar you earn.
Which chart is most effective? ›Bar charts are good for comparisons, while line charts work better for trends. Scatter plot charts are good for relationships and distributions, but pie charts should be used only for simple compositions — never for comparisons or distributions.
Which type of chart is most effective? ›Line charts are the most effective chart for displaying time-series data.
What are the 9 business model categories? ›The Business Model Canvas consists of nine essential parts: Customer Segments, Value Proposition, Revenue Streams, Channels, Customer Relationships, Key Activities, Key Resources, Key Partners, and Cost Structure.
What is the 4 C's model business? ›The 4 C's of Marketing are Customer, Cost, Convenience, and Communication. These 4 C's determine whether a company is likely to succeed or fail in the long run. The customer is the heart of any marketing strategy. If the customer doesn't buy your product or service, you're unlikely to turn a profit.
What are the six business model design techniques? ›The six Business design tools explained in the book were Customer Insights, Ideation, Visual Thinking, Prototyping, Story Telling and Scenarios.
What is the revenue model concept? ›
A revenue model is a framework for generating financial income. It identifies which revenue source to pursue, what value to offer, how to price the value, and who pays for the value. It is a key component of a company's business model.
What does a revenue model describe? ›A revenue model is the strategy of managing a company's revenue streams and the resources required for each revenue stream. A business model is the structure comprised of all aspects of a company, including revenue model and revenue streams, and describes how they all work together.
What is a revenue operations model? ›The Revenue Operating model is a series of repeatable activities that companies can do across marketing, sales, customer success, and other revenue-generating functions. It's a framework designed to align internal operations better to drive revenue growth.