When an app is worth it in retail
Not as an acquisition channel. Nobody discovers your shop by downloading your app.
It is worth it when you already have repeat customers and the cost of reaching them is going up: marketplace commission, platform fees, advertising to people who already buy from you.
What actually goes wrong
You do not own the customer relationship. Marketplace buyers belong to the marketplace.
Fees scale with success. The better you do, the more it costs, and the fee percentage never falls.
Repeat purchase is harder than it should be. A regular customer still has to go through discovery, search, and checkout every time.
Stock lives in two places. Shop and online, reconciled by hand.
What we build
- Direct-to-customer appsCatalogue, cart, payment, order history, on both platforms.
- Repeat and reorder flowsThe single feature that changes the economics for a returning customer.
- Push notifications for new stock and offersReaching your customers without paying for the privilege.
- Loyalty that tells you somethingNot a stamp card, an actual view of who your best customers are.
- Stock and catalogue managementOne place, shared with your existing site if you have one.
Common questions
Should I build an app or use Shopify?
If you are starting from nothing, use Shopify. It is cheaper and faster. An app makes sense once you have repeat customers whose behaviour you want to own, or when marketplace and platform fees have become a material cost.
Will people download a shop app?
Repeat customers will. One-off buyers will not. That is why an app is a retention tool rather than an acquisition tool, and why it works best for businesses that already have regulars.
Can it work alongside my existing website?
Yes, and usually should. The app and the site can share the same catalogue and orders, so you are not maintaining two sets of stock.