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A soft launch, also known as a soft opening, is a preview release of a product or service to a limited audience prior to the general public. Soft-launching a product is sometimes used to gather data or customer feedback, prior to making it widely available during an official release or grand opening. A company may also choose a soft launch to test the functionality of a product, allowing adjustments to be made before a wider release and
marketing Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...
efforts are implemented.


Computer related

When implementing a soft launch strategy, a company releases a product with little or no marketing. A soft launch permits a company to react to customer demands quickly and effectively, introducing new features which will ultimately make the product successful. For companies with a limited budget, a soft launch can allow them to focus on product development rather than marketing.


Website

Soft launches can be used with websites to help roll out new features, test or tweak a design (or possible redesign) allowing a design which users dislike to be quietly retired. Changes can also be made to increase the functionality of the website and respond to user requests.
Gmail Gmail is a free email service provided by Google. As of 2019, it had 1.5 billion active users worldwide. A user typically accesses Gmail in a web browser or the official mobile app. Google also supports the use of email clients via the POP and ...
, for example, was soft launched in 2005 and fully launched one year later.


Hardware

In the instance of hardware products, a limited release soft launch can be used to test the market prior to a wide scale release. It also means companies are allowed to make last minute changes to the product after the soft launch. In many instances, soft launches of hardware are done in major metropolitan areas where the company has access to a wide variety of demographic groups.


Software

Soft launches are also used for software, with a small release being made to a limited group of individuals for
beta testing Software testing is the act of examining the artifacts and the behavior of the software under test by validation and verification. Software testing can also provide an objective, independent view of the software to allow the business to apprecia ...
. Software can be extensively tested by the releasing company, but ultimately it needs to be used to determine how effective it is. Major flaws in the design may emerge during beta testing and can be corrected before the product is released into a major market. Some software is soft launched on the Internet, which allows for easy
software updates A patch is a set of changes to a computer program or its supporting data designed to update, fix, or improve it. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, with such patches usually being called bugfixes or bug fixes. Patche ...
. Early beta testers can grow attached to the program and will continue to download new versions as they are released. Thus, companies often build up a loyal customer base, which spreads the word to other potential customers.


Mobile apps

Before committing to a hard launch in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, developers creating English mobile applications may choose to launch unofficially in less populous countries such as
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
, and
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
, to refine the app by analyzing usage and spending habits, which are thought to be similar to those in the United States. This may also reduce the chances of the American press noticing the app. Canada has the additional benefit of having similar
time zone A time zone is an area which observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between countries and their subdivisions instead of strictly following longitude, because it ...
s to the United States.


Brick and mortar establishments

When a
brick and mortar Brick and mortar (also bricks and mortar or B&M) refers to a physical presence of an organization or business in a building or other structure. The term ''brick-and-mortar business'' is often used to refer to a company that possesses or leases r ...
business wishes to open prior to its grand opening (to test its capacity and train its staff), this may be referred to as a soft launch or soft opening. When a business wishes to close but still allow customers to shop, this is referred to as a ''soft close''. The term test event is often used in sports, especially in the UK, to refer to events held in a newly constructed sports venue before its official opening. For example, a newly built venue in the UK is required to host two events at reduced capacity, with the second event using a larger capacity than the first, before being granted a safety certificate that allows it to hold events at full capacity.


On social media

The term "soft launch" has been used by social media influencers to hint at the existence of a significant other without making a formal announcement, as a subtler alternative to a "boyfriend reveal". Examples can include posting pictures of food or drink for two or a
selfie A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or smartphone, which may be held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. Selfies are often shared on social media, via social networking services such ...
in an unfamiliar location.


References

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