Rudy Huyn on X (Twitter):
We've just launched Microsoft Store installers for web - A new and streamlined way to install Store apps directly from http://apps.microsoft.com
Feedback indicated that the install flow involved too many clicks. Previously, installation required:
- Clicking 'install' on our website
- Confirming the deep-link dialog (except if it was already allow-listed)
- Clicking 'install' again in the Store's mini-window
Why did we have a second 'install' button? It was necessary to ensure that the installation was initiated by a user and not by a malicious script, which is a risk when using deep links.
To enhance user experience and increase conversions for our ISVs, we conducted an experiment over the last five months: instead of launching the Store through a deep link launching the Store and opening a mini window simulating an installer, why not extract this code and use it in a standalone installer?
That's exactly what we did. We built an undocked version of the Store using the same logic and code as the larger app, managing prerequisites, entitlements, downloads, and installations in the same way. However, this time, it was packaged in a much smaller and undocked executable.
Having the code undocked this way has many advantages:
- Only two clicks needed.
- A lightweight installer launching much faster than the Store.
- Always up-to-date and includes the latest features and supports all products, even if the Store app has not been updated for months.
- Always works, even if the Store was removed.
- Supports multi-installations in parallel.- ...
The feedback from developers and users who participated in the initial three rounds of our experiment has been extremely positive, and the results clearly demonstrate this.
This new method of installing Store applications has, on average, led to a 12% increase in installations and a 54% increase in the number of applications launched after installation.
For all these reasons, we have decided to expand the experiment to more products and markets today and are already planning further improvements. Try it and DM me if you have any questions or feedback for the team!
