In most cases it's just too unsimple/too expensive to pay $1, and especially recurring.
Look at how many people buy stuff in Free2play games, and it works because it's dead simple (enter your appstore password, click "confirm" and be done - and you can even disable the password verification). Time to buy literally less than 10s if done well.
Now compare this to a typical micropayment on a desktop site:
1) Payment provider forces autocomplete off => remember which email you signed up with
2) Payment provider disables password pasting => manually type in your secure 32 char password
3) Two screens of confirmations, if you're extra unlucky you have a two-factor stuff in the loop, too
4) Redirect to the original content (compared to mobile, where payment is an overlay)
Total time wasted: minimum 2-3min.
To make stuff worse: PayPal e.g. demands 20ct of 1€ transferred, and German VAT takes another ~15ct AND corporate taxes (assume them at 10ct, and even then it's low) - which means you're out 50% of the payment value after fees and taxes. Not very profitable...
Oh, and another thing I forgot: often enough even paying for a newspaper/service doesn't get rid of all adverts! In my eyes that's outright fraud. And even if services DO disable all ads, I have yet to see one that also cuts the data-milking tracker services. I paid for the product, so I'm NOT the product any more.
Look at how many people buy stuff in Free2play games, and it works because it's dead simple (enter your appstore password, click "confirm" and be done - and you can even disable the password verification). Time to buy literally less than 10s if done well.
Now compare this to a typical micropayment on a desktop site:
1) Payment provider forces autocomplete off => remember which email you signed up with
2) Payment provider disables password pasting => manually type in your secure 32 char password
3) Two screens of confirmations, if you're extra unlucky you have a two-factor stuff in the loop, too
4) Redirect to the original content (compared to mobile, where payment is an overlay)
Total time wasted: minimum 2-3min.
To make stuff worse: PayPal e.g. demands 20ct of 1€ transferred, and German VAT takes another ~15ct AND corporate taxes (assume them at 10ct, and even then it's low) - which means you're out 50% of the payment value after fees and taxes. Not very profitable...
Oh, and another thing I forgot: often enough even paying for a newspaper/service doesn't get rid of all adverts! In my eyes that's outright fraud. And even if services DO disable all ads, I have yet to see one that also cuts the data-milking tracker services. I paid for the product, so I'm NOT the product any more.