Make an App for the Business that You Love with a Website You Already Have — MADE BY YOU on Thunkable
Anyone who has ever tried to start their own fashion brand knows that retail can be very hard. Margins are thin (do customers always expect a sale?), trends change constantly (are Hawaiian florals out already?), physical pop-ups can be exhausting, inventory needs a place to live (usually in your bedroom!), fulfillment is non-stop (even on holidays and weekends) and consumers now love to BORIL — Buy Online (just to) Return It Later.
3 years ago, my friend Stephen and I were doing work in Bangladesh when a large factory collapsed, killing over a thousand people in what was and still is the deadliest workplace incident in human history. This tragedy gave birth to a new brand called New Market Goods that aspires to re-imagine the relationship between consumers and the hardworking makers of their garments often located worlds away.
With the holiday season fast approaching (many retailers see 40% of their annual sales in this final quarter), one surprising insight from my experience in retail is that while it may be nice to reach a million people with your products, it’s usually your most devoted customers who not just encourage you — but also may make or break your bottom line. Yes, it is those customers who often are not your intended target audience who end up coming to your holiday pop-up shows and bringing all their friends — who buy not just one garment but all variations of the same garment. In the very competitive but increasingly important world of mobile retail (the leading 25 retailers see at least 50% of their online sales from mobile) where potential competition is just a tap or swipe away, how do you build deeper relationships with those very important loyal customers during the time that matters most for retailers?
Mobile website OR app
For the past several years, the choice has been difficult for retailers. Pick between a mobile website that you have to pay a lot to promote OR an app that you have to pay a lot to develop.
From a consumer’s point of view, however, apps and websites serve different audiences. Websites are good for your general shopping audience — customers who are just browsing your site, often new to your brand and product offering and not yet committed enough to have your app downloaded on their phone.
Apps, on the other hand, serve your most loyal audiences with not just a shortcut to your online store from your Home Screen — but more importantly, a channel to engage more deeply with your brand through special deals, seasonal events and social media. Twitter, it turns out, has become the de facto channel for reaching customer service usually at the most extreme moments.
The edge that apps have over mobile websites has become more pronounced in recent quarters.
Despite the relatively better performance of apps, the average cost for developing an effective app on Android alone is usually between $30,000 and $170,000 (a huge range I might say — and definitely out of the budget of most small and even large retailers especially since it excludes the ongoing cost of maintaining and updating the app).
Mobile website AND app
Did You Know that You Can Invent an Apps For Your Most Loyal Customers (with a Website You Already Have)?
On Thunkable, it’s possible for even a small fashion start-up to have both a beautiful mobile website for their general audience AND an app for their most loyal customers. Many online retailers already have beautiful mobile responsive websites thanks to e-commerce platform providers like Shopify — which can be largely repurposed into their apps.
To build an even more engaging app experience, Thunkable recommends that a retailer adds: 1) a 3-second branding screen that reminds your customers about your mission, 2) deep links to your social media channels (users with social media apps can open them without having to login), and 3) a special “app-only” url that applies your latest discount codes so your loyal customers are guaranteed the best deals.
Below are the four steps to illustrate how you would add your website into your mobile app from scratch on Thunkable. You can also download the full source code here for the New Market Goods Android app which includes the add’l branding and social features mentioned above. Just customize it with your own website url, logo and branding screen.
Step 1. Drag and drop the Web Viewer component
Step 2. Add your mobile url to the Web Viewer.
(Pro-tip: You can create a special url for your app that automatically applies your latest discount codes so that customers who have your app never have to think about if they are getting your best deal)
Step 3. (Optional) Live test your app on your phone.
One of the coolest things about Thunkable is the ability for you to make adjustments to your app and see them reflected in real-time. Just remember to download the Thunkable app from the Google Play store.
Step 4. Download and share your app with your best customers.
We recommend that you share it via your normal channels and upload it onto the Google Play store since Google will likely index it and have it appear next to your mobile search results. For Google Play uploads, you’ll need to sign up for a Google Play developer account (yes, you are now a developer!) for $25 and upload a couple of image assets.
If you have any trouble, just click on the bottom right chat icon that shows up after you log in to start a conversation with us. You can also search our community forum for any common troubleshooting errors.
We look forward to seeing your apps in the hands of your best customers. Happy Thunking!
