A user from India reached out suggesting lower pricing for Visual Timer. It was a fair point — Google Play’s standard approach converts prices using current exchange rates, but doesn’t account for differences in purchasing power. An app priced at $1 in the US isn’t equally accessible everywhere.
The approach
I built a spreadsheet to calculate GDP-adjusted pricing by:
- Comparing each country’s GDP per capita against my home country’s
- Using both nominal and PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) models
- Accounting for local currencies
- Creating customized price points for different markets
Challenges
Platform constraints prevent pricing as low as the calculations suggest. Google Play enforces minimum price thresholds that aren’t always transparent — and sometimes exceed what market-adjusted calculations would justify.
Result
I implemented adjusted pricing — in some cases 10x lower — and planned to track whether these changes would increase purchases in price-sensitive regions.