Today, virtually everyone from handmade crafters to global retailers can easily find drop-and-drag features to sell and distribute products online. Since the pandemic, consumers’ self-service needs have exploded with features like BOPIS (buy online, pickup in-store),virtual queues, and mobile scan-and-go, to name a few.

Back in 2009, however, the mobile retail space looked very different. Our client’s challenges ranged from digitizing a POS system with no product pictures to developing a multi-channel experience that consistently reflected what they offered in their 130 store locations.

As our first multinational e-commerce retail app of this scale, we had questions: What would it cost consumers to download an app with thousands of product pictures pre-loaded, considering limitations such as constrained bandwidth and expensive data plans? How would we recreate the in-store retail experience, which included a physical interaction with products, into a digital one?

To overcome the challenge of getting users to wait for thousands of pictures to download each time they used the app, we pre-loaded the bulk of the product inventory images onto the app. Each time they used the app, a smaller number of pictures were added as the client’s product catalog grew. After successfully creating an app that had the client’s extensive product range interfacing with a complex backend environment, we were able to focus on digitizing the brand experience.

Buying consumer electronics was traditionally a very experiential experience. Besides wanting to test out a TV, computer, or phone in-store, consumers would typically seek the advice of in-store employees. We did user research to understand the consumers’ expectations better and realized we would have to put a lot of consideration into the digital self-service tools. The app we created was one of the first to effectively showcase the broadest range of consumer electronics along with easy-to-use information. We designed it for speed so they could make purchases quickly.

The user-centered design principles that we used for this project are the same ones we use today. Creativity and innovation are at the forefront, whether we’re defining features for clients’ apps, planning the workflow, or completely reimagining a mobile experience. Many times, the products we build are first-of-its-kind in the market and the way we build them later become the status quo for future apps within the same industry and beyond.

Not long after the launch of the app, the company was rebranded by its parent company. The entire app needed to be revamped while maintaining the app’s functionalities and integration into the marketplace. Adding complexity to the transition was that some stores were still branded with the predecessor’s branding while others had already completed the changeover to the new brand.

Our passion and desire to keep the client at the forefront of technology aligned with theirs. Our designers and developers went back to the drawing board and held problem-solving workshops until we came up with a completely new way to overcome this challenge.

We developed different versions of the white-labeled app where we could replace everything from the accent colors to the text for the two brands. The endpoints and web services were also unique to different stores. At the time, this wasn’t a standard development approach, which meant that Atimi was one of the first to consider white-label app architecture and develop a truly white-labeled app.

The white-labeling of the apps was completed a year later, and it set them up for growth and expansion into new markets.

Today, the brand continues to lead the way as one of the most popular multi-channel electronics retailers. Many of their competitors haven’t survived big changes in the industry such as the mobile revolution and the pandemic. With over 280 million visits in-store and online each year, we are proud to have been involved in creating the platform that helps consumers equip their homes with the latest technology and entertainment solutions.

If you’re a retailer that wants to improve connections with customers, give us a call. We can bring your ideas to life and get your brand’s communication where you want it to be.