Revenue Optimizer

Build revenue features and monetization systems. Analyze existing codebases to understand features, calculate costs, and create data-driven pricing strategies.

Workflow

• Discover - Scan codebase for features, services, and integrations

• Cost Analysis - Calculate per-user and per-feature costs from services

• Design - Create pricing tiers based on value + cost data

• Implement - Build payment integration, pricing logic, and checkout flows

• Optimize - Add conversion optimization and revenue tracking

Feature Discovery

Scan codebase to build feature inventory:

Feature Discovery Process:

1. Scan routes/endpoints → identify user-facing features
2. Scan components/pages → map UI features
3. Scan service integrations → identify cost-generating features
4. Scan database models → understand data entities
5. Cross-reference → map features to their cost drivers

Look for these patterns:

• Routes/Controllers: Each endpoint = potential feature

• React/Vue components: Feature-specific UI modules

• Service clients: AWS SDK, OpenAI, Stripe, Twilio, etc.

• Background jobs: Compute-intensive operations

• Storage operations: S3, database writes, file uploads

Example feature inventory output:

Features Discovered: ├── Core (low cost): Auth, dashboard, CRUD ├── Premium (medium cost): PDF export, email, file storage └── High-Value (high cost): AI analysis, video processing, real-time sync

Cost Analysis

Analyze services to calculate true costs per user/feature. See references/cost-analysis.md for detailed patterns.

Service Detection

Scan for these cost sources:

• Config files: .env , config/ , secrets

• Package.json/requirements.txt: SDK dependencies

• Infrastructure: terraform/ , cloudformation/ , docker-compose

• Code imports: aws-sdk , openai , stripe , twilio , etc.

Cost Mapping

Map fixed costs, variable costs (per user), and feature costs (per use). See references/cost-analysis.md for detailed cost mapping patterns and output format.

Pricing Strategy Design

Combine feature value + cost data:

• Calculate cost floor (break-even per user)

• Assess feature value (what users pay for alternatives)

• Set price = max(cost + margin, perceived value)

• Group features into tiers by cost similarity:

• Free: Low-cost features only, cap variable costs, goal < $0.50/user/month

• Pro: Medium-cost features, price at 3-5x cost, primary revenue driver

• Enterprise: High-cost features (AI, video), value-based pricing (10x+ cost OK)

Optimal Price = (Cost Floor x 0.3) + (Value Ceiling x 0.7) where Cost Floor = Cost to Serve / (1 - Target Margin).

See references/pricing-patterns.md for implementation examples.

Complete Analysis Example

When asked to create a pricing strategy, produce a full analysis:

PRICING STRATEGY REPORT

CODEBASE ANALYSIS

Services: AWS S3, OpenAI GPT-4, SendGrid, Auth0, Vercel, PlanetScale

Features: Core (6): Dashboard, project mgmt, collaboration, reporting Premium (3): PDF export (Lambda), analytics (Postgres), API access AI-Powered (2): AI writing + smart suggestions (GPT-4)

COST BREAKDOWN

Fixed (Monthly): Vercel $20 + PlanetScale $29 + Auth0 $0 = $49/month

Variable (Per User/Month): Auth0 $0.02 + Storage $0.01 + Email $0.01 = $0.04/user

Feature (Per Use): AI Writing $0.03 | PDF Export $0.01 | API $0.001

USAGE PATTERNS

API Calls/month: Casual 50% ~50 | Regular 40% ~500 | Power 10% ~5K AI Generations: Casual ~5 | Regular ~50 | Power ~300

Tier Limits: Free 100 API/10 AI | Pro 5K API/100 AI | Business unlimited

REVENUE MODEL

Distribution: Free 80% | Pro 15% | Business 5% ARPU: (80% x $0) + (15% x $19) + (5% x $49) = $5.30/user LTV: ($5.30 x 0.87) / 0.04 = $115 Cost to Serve: Free $0.10 | Pro $2.50 | Business $12 Break-Even: 62 users

12-Month Projection (15% growth): M1: 100 users, $530 MRR M6: 266 users, $1,410 MRR M12: 814 users, $4,314 MRR -- $51,768 ARR

RECOMMENDED TIERS

FREE ($0) 3 projects | 100 API | 10 AI | 500MB PRO ($19/mo) Unlimited | 5K API | 100 AI | 10GB | Margin 87% BUSINESS ($49) All Pro + 50K API | 500 AI | 50GB | 5 seats | Margin 76% ENTERPRISE Custom $200+ | Unlimited | SSO | SLA

Overage: AI $0.10/use | API $0.005/call

Payment Provider Selection

Provider Best For Integration Complexity

Stripe SaaS, subscriptions, global Low

Paddle SaaS with tax compliance Low

LemonSqueezy Digital products, simple Very Low

PayPal Marketplaces, existing users Medium

For detailed integration patterns, see:

• Stripe: references/stripe.md

Pricing Tier Design

Common patterns:

• Good-Better-Best: 3 tiers with clear value escalation

• Freemium: Free tier with premium upsell

• Usage-Based: Pay per API call, storage, or compute

• Per-Seat: Charge per team member

For tier structure examples and implementation, see references/pricing-patterns.md.

Subscription Implementation

Key components:

• Subscription state management - Track active, canceled, past_due

• Webhook handling - Process payment events reliably

• Entitlement system - Gate features based on plan

• Billing portal - Self-service plan management

For subscription system patterns, see references/subscription-patterns.md.

Checkout Optimization

Conversion-focused checkout implementation:

• Minimize form fields (email → payment in 2 steps max)

• Show trust signals (security badges, money-back guarantee)

• Display social proof near purchase button

• Offer annual discount prominently (20-40% standard)

• Pre-select recommended plan

For checkout implementation details, see references/checkout-optimization.md.

Feature Gating Pattern

// Entitlement check pattern async function checkFeatureAccess(userId: string, feature: string): Promise<boolean> { const subscription = await getSubscription(userId); const plan = PLANS[subscription.planId]; return plan.features.includes(feature); }

// Usage in route/component if (!await checkFeatureAccess(user.id, 'advanced_export')) { return showUpgradePrompt('advanced_export'); }

Revenue Tracking

Essential metrics to implement:

• MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue)

• Churn Rate (cancellations / total subscribers)

• LTV (Lifetime Value = ARPU / churn rate)

• Conversion Rate (paid / total signups)

Implementation: Send events to analytics (Mixpanel, Amplitude, or custom) on:

• subscription.created

• subscription.upgraded

• subscription.canceled

• payment.succeeded

• payment.failed

Quick Implementation Checklist

• Payment provider account and API keys configured

• Webhook endpoint receiving and verifying events

• Subscription state synced to database

• Feature entitlement checks on protected routes

• Billing portal or plan management UI

• Upgrade prompts at key user moments

• Revenue events tracked in analytics

• Failed payment retry and dunning emails