Soft Launch
Also called: soft opening
In a soft launch, a service or product is released before its planned launch with little or no marketing push. A soft launch is a preview release, often accessible to a limited audience.
In many cases, the soft launch serves as a dress rehearsal for the full launch. A soft launch offers early adopters or other interested parties a chance to test a company's product or service. The purpose of a soft launch is to gather feedback and data on user behavior. This valuable data allows organizations to make final adjustments before a broader release. Because the service or product has been tested and optimized, it is more likely to work properly during a full launch.
A soft launch also plays a major role in optimizing marketing expenditures. During a soft launch, companies look at factors such as customer acquisition, target audiences, and promotion. In this way, companies gain an understanding of the most effective and efficient marketing strategies.
The opposite of a soft launch is a hard launch or full launch.
