I want to be a raving fan of NI, but...

Dave N

I see that the Mk3 S88 is being offered with a huge amount of software and no additional cost (omnia + komplete + a hardware instrument of choice …. that could be 700-800 dollars of software for free … impressive)

This is great for attracting new customers to NI, but ….

How about offering the Mk3 S88 (and even the 61 and 49) at a reduced price for those of us who already own all (or most) of the software (maybe a reduction of something close to the value of the freebies you're offering new customers who haven't spent all the money I have at NI!!!)?

My complaint that you only do deals for new customers and don't support existing customers has become an annual one …. and has stopped me coming as often to what used to be my favourite site.

I am not questioning your need to make a profit and I accept that bribing new customers is a common practice … but what about customer retention - rewarding loyalty creates very vocal advocates and is also recognised as a winning strategy, particularly in a crowded, increasingly competitive market.

A discounting strategy that is only focused on new customers is going to make you work too hard - loyal customers who feel you recognise their value, do your advertising for you …. I want to be a raving fan, but you make it hard!

Dave

DunedinDragon

Personally I think a general "bonus" discount reward for those folks that have purchased a significant selection of any individually purchased NI products over a given time frame might better serve the purpose. It's something they could easily do by just canvassing all our purchases/upgrades within our NI accounts over the last few years and simply qualify us for the bonus.

Currently I have 118 individually purchased NI instruments not counting upgrades, and I upgrade ALL of my libraries when it becomes available. That should be worth some kind of loyalty reward. I know they're focusing on expanding their customer base, but very few of those new customers will likely purchase a lot more stuff much less upgrade existing libraries when they become available.

PoorFellow

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/45658/i-want-to-be-a-raving-fan-of-ni-but

I see that the Mk3 S88 is being offered with a huge amount of software and no additional cost (omnia + komplete + a hardware instrument of choice …. that could be 700-800 dollars of software for free … impressive)

Quote : "+ a hardware instrument of choice"

That's huge misunderstanding, what is offered is a Kontakt instrument , a Kontakt instrument is a software library for N.I. Kontakt 8. Also I am sure that despite that N.I. are not very clear about this then there is limitations to the offer including that the offer is not valid for NKS partner Kontakt instruments.

donmaddonald

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/45658/i-want-to-be-a-raving-fan-of-ni-but

I often feel the same way — I had similar thoughts when I bought my S61 and MK3. But at the end of the day, I try to remind myself that NI is a business, not a charity or a cult that owes us rewards for being loyal. As customers, we choose to buy and use their products because they offer great quality and a solid ecosystem — at least that’s how I see it.

From a business standpoint, it probably wouldn’t make much sense for them to offer the kind of deal you're suggesting to existing users. After all, we already know the value of their products and chose them for a reason. I do think some of the deals they offer are quite generous, considering. And honestly, with how many of us “loyal” customers there are, it’d be hard for them to stay profitable if they gave out discounts based on how much gear we already own.

Like I said, I felt the same when I bought my S61 — I already had most of their stuff, so I didn’t need convincing. But for someone new to their ecosystem, a bundled offer or intro deal might be what gives them a real sense of how the hardware and software work together — and that could be what turns them into a loyal customer, just like us.