What Is A Soft Launch In Software Development?

A soft launch is the release of a finished product ahead of schedule to a limited audience with a minimal marketing push.
The soft launch draws its roots from the restaurant and brick-and-mortar retail industries. In these markets, new locations often undergo a “soft opening.” In a soft opening, operating hours or menu and merchandise offerings are limited to help the team work out any process difficulties prior to a grand opening.
Based on these soft openings, soft launches have translated well into many other industries, namely software development.
In particular, the field of mobile app development has proven ripe for soft launch potential. With success in the field being tied to positive customer feedback, developers often opt for a soft launch to test app performance against a segment of their target audience prior to a full release on the app store.
Soft launching is also an easy way for your business to conduct A/B testing. This testing involves comparing two versions of a product to determine which performs better.
For existing software, if you soft launch a new version to a small number of users, you’ll be running two versions of the software at the same time. In doing so, you’ll have set up the environment for A/B testing and can determine if new features truly add value.

References :

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