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SPEAKER 1: Now let's shift gears to talk
about some of the new Dev tools and services
coming to the Microsoft Store.
Here to give us a look at what developers can expect,
please welcome Senior Program Manager Jessica Sachs.
Welcome, Jessica.
JESSICA SACHS: Thank you, so much.
I'm so happy to be here.
SPEAKER 1: Thank you for coming.
What has been your favorite part
of the Microsoft build so far?
JESSICA SACHS: My favorite part was
the store testimonial video with
developers talking about their experience
bringing apps to the Microsoft Store.
I love hearing how much our
open store policy helps developers.
For example, during the store testimonial video,
Daniel from Glass, a great photo sharing app,
commented on our open store policy
of allowing developers to
use their own e-commerce system and
keep 100 percent of the revenue.
This really struck me because I used to
work for a small startup and know firsthand
how important it is to reinvest
as much revenue as possible back into the product.
It's amazing to see that
our open store policy is
allowing developers to do just that.
I also loved hearing Pete from Wander share
his comment that Microsoft Store's ROI
speaks for itself.
The reason developers are seeing a great ROI is
the same reason that we've seen
a 3x increase in consumer visits to the store
because we now have way more ways in which
to connect consumers to great app experiences.
Our new storytelling module
allows us to tell stories about
the apps in our store
in ways that we couldn't in the past.
Our new pop up store allows
consumers to download an app for Windows
directly from the developer's website with
all the benefits of
the Microsoft Store distribution mechanism.
SPEAKER 1: You're right.
It is really wonderful to see
the positive impact that
the open store policy really has
had on developers. It's great.
Shifting gears a bit, today,
during the store's breakout sessions,
there were a number of announcements
made regarding Win32 apps.
How do you feel about what's coming
for Win32 app developers?
JESSICA SACHS: I am super excited about
the announcements made today related to Win32 apps.
Our open store policy allows developers to
choose which app format to bring to the store,
including PWA, UWP, and now Win32 apps as well.
On that note, the wait is over.
Anyone who wants to bring a Win32 app
to the Microsoft Store can now do so,
and we're offering new tools and services for
our Win32 app developers to help them save time,
be more efficient, and monitor installation health.
For example, if your Win32 repository is on GitHub,
you can take advantage of our new CI/CD pipeline
that will enable you
to get your code
published to the store quickly and easily,
which is a major timesaver,
and we've simplified the process
around understanding installer performance.
Today, a Win32 developer has to set up
a complex and very expensive infrastructure
to monitor how well their installer is performing.
We've solved this for our Win32 partners by simplifying
the process and giving them great analytics and
insights into how their installer is performing,
and we do this for free.
SPEAKER 1: Free is always good.
How exciting to hear, though,
that developers can now submit
Win32 apps with free tools and
services lined up to help them manage
their app in a truly meaningful way.
Were there any other announcements you're excited about?
JESSICA SACHS: You bet. I am also excited
about Microsoft Store ads because it expands on
our open store policy by giving our developers
more control over their own destiny
on the Microsoft Store.
Our goal with the Microsoft Store is to help users find
the apps they want and
discover apps they didn't know they needed.
Developers know it's hard to find new customers,
and the great thing about
Microsoft Store ads is that it helps
developers find users at
the right time in the right place.
So I encourage any developer also excited
about Microsoft Store ads to sign
up for that waitlist ASAP.
SPEAKER 1: That definitely sounds like something
every developer right
now should be signing up for, and it seems like
there are a lot of great changes coming
to the Microsoft Store.
It's exciting.
JESSICA SACHS: You can say that again.
With our open store policy,
new tools and services for Win32 Apps,
and the forthcoming Microsoft Store ads,
I just think developers have a lot to look forward to if
they release an app in
the Microsoft Store ecosystem this year.
SPEAKER 1: I know it's super exciting to
see you, guys, have really helped simplify it,
and "open", I think,
has been the term
that we've been using a lot since day one,
so definitely super exciting stuff.
I really appreciate your time, Jessica.
JESSICA SACHS: My pleasure.
Thank you so much.
SPEAKER 1: Awesome.
For more on these updates
to the Microsoft Store for Devs,
check out aka.ms/build.developercommunity.
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