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How Loyalty Apps Can Improve Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) measures the total revenue a customer brings over their entire relationship with your business. Improving customer lifetime value is crucial for profitable growth, since retaining existing customers is far less costly than acquiring new ones. In fact, Harvard Business Research shows that increasing retention by just 5% can boost profits by 25–95. Loyalty Apps on mobile devices are a powerful way to improve customer lifetime value through better customer retention, personalized engagement and repeat purchase incentives.  For busy entrepreneurs and marketing leaders, investing in a custom loyalty app means cultivating happier customers who spend more, stay longer, and ultimately lift lifetime value. Why Customer Lifetime Value Matters CLV is a key metric for any business. It goes beyond single transactions to capture the total worth of a customer. Loyal customers make more purchases and are more profitable over time. Studies show that customers who feel an emotional bond with a brand have over 306% higher lifetime value than others. This happens because loyal customers tend to spend more per visit and buy more often. In retail settings, brands with strong loyalty programs see 65% of their future revenue come from repeat buyers. By focusing on CLV, companies can optimize their marketing budgets. Customer acquisition is typically 5–7 times more expensive than retention. With a clear CLV goal, you can allocate resources to keep the valuable customers you already have. Loyalty apps play a central role here: they incentivize customers to return, engage with your brand, and spend more, all of which directly improve customer lifetime value in retail, e-commerce, F&B and other sectors. Here is how you can calculate the Customer Lifetime Value Formula: Customer Value = average purchase value x average number of purchases  CLV = customer value X average customer lifespan How Loyalty Apps Boost Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) Loyalty apps exert a profound and direct influence on Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) through several interconnected mechanisms, transforming customer relationships into tangible revenue growth. Increasing Purchase Frequency and Average Purchase Value Loyalty programs are made to keep customers coming back. They encourage people to buy more often or spend more to earn rewards or move up to a higher membership level. A significant 66% of customers report actively modifying their spending habits specifically to maximize reward collection. Data consistently demonstrates that loyalty program members generate 12% to 18% more incremental revenue annually compared to non-members.  The impact of personalization within these programs is even more pronounced: members who redeem personalized rewards exhibit an average annual spend 4.3 times higher than those redeeming non-personalized rewards. Fundamentally, effective retention strategies, often powered by customer-centric loyalty apps, directly contribute to increasing the total number of purchases per customer and boosting the average value of each order. Boosting Customer Retention and Minimizing Churn Loyalty apps keep customers engaged around the clock with personalized rewards and convenient, gamified features, which makes them much more likely to stay loyal. In fact, nearly 84% of American consumers state that they are more likely to stick with a brand that offers a loyalty program.  Digitally-enabled loyalty further amplifies retention: companies using “digital-first” loyalty strategies see about a 10% lower churn rate, and research shows loyalty app users churn ~13% less than customers not using mobile programs. By driving down churn and encouraging repeat purchases, a well-designed mobile loyalty program thus maximizes Customer Lifetime Value and yields steadier, more predictable growth. Creating Brand Loyalty and Emotional Connection Customers who feel emotionally connected to a brand are much more valuable. In fact, they can bring in up to 306% more over their lifetime than those who don’t feel that bond. Loyalty programs help brands stand out in crowded markets. They show customers that they’re appreciated and help build a strong brand image. When customers feel valued and listened to, they’re more likely to stay loyal. When a brand’s values match their own, they tend to spend even more. Example: NikePlus Program by Nike. It builds a community and lifestyle around its brand with over 100 million members. The program achieves extraordinary results: members spend on average 2.5–3x more than non-members and remain deeply engaged over time. What sets Nikeplus apart? Community: Apps like Nike Run Club build a sense of belonging through challenges and local events.Exclusivity: Members get early access to product drops, limited releases, and personal offers.Personalization: Nike uses data to tailor content, coaching, and product suggestions.Omnichannel consistency: Seamless experience across app and store reinforces brand trust. By delivering value beyond discounts, Nike builds long-term emotional loyalty—driving repeat purchases, higher spend, and advocacy, all contributing directly to improving customer lifetime value. Data and personalization A personalized loyalty app can strongly influence buying behavior: 80% of consumers are more inclined to engage with businesses that tailor their offerings. Nearly half (49%) admit to making spontaneous purchases based on personalized suggestions, and 40% say they tend to spend more when the experience feels highly customized. Loyalty apps collect customer data (order history, preferences, location) in real time. This data allows personalized marketing, sending the right offer to the right customer at the right time. When customers feel personally recognized and rewarded, they engage more.  Turning raw data into meaningful, personal experiences isn’t easy. It requires the right tech setup.This brings business owners to an important choice: use an SaaS platform or build a custom solution. SaaS platforms are quick to get started with. But they often have limits. You may not fully own your data, and it can be hard to customize. Their data structures are usually fixed. That makes it tough to tailor personalization to your industry or to grow with your brand.On the other hand, a custom-built app is a better option. This ensures total control over your valuable customer data, allowing for deeper insights and truly bespoke personalization strategies. Practices to Create Loyalty App that Improve Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) To effectively improve customer lifetime value, loyalty apps must go beyond transactional rewards. The most impactful apps integrate personalized experiences, behavioral targeting, and smart retention mechanics. By taking advantage of customer data, businesses can create tailored marketing journeys that deepen relationships and increase repeat engagement. Personalization and Segmentation Improving CLV begins with understanding customer behavior. Loyalty apps equipped with segmentation capabilities can categorize users based on shopping patterns, frequency, and demographics. This allows businesses to craft highly relevant messaging and offers, such as: New users receiving guided onboarding or welcome offersReturning customers getting early access to new productsChurn-prone users being re-engaged through appropriate discounts In-app personalized recommendations like bundling items based on purchase history have been shown to raise average order value by 10–30%. Testing different campaigns on smaller categorized customers also helps refine strategy without widespread risk. Retention Strategies That Drive Long-Term Value Apps that include subscription options can shift a business model from one-off sales to recurring revenue, in order to improve customer lifetime value. Loyalty programs, when structured properly, also deliver measurable gains. Consider popular formats like: Points-based systems that reward frequent transactionsTiered programs that unlock greater benefits at higher spending levelsExperiential rewards such as early access or exclusive services >>> To find out more about specific features of a top-notch Loyalty App: Best Practices for Loyalty App from Technical Viewpoint Automated email workflows synced with app data are critical to retention. Use them to: Send personalized post-purchase offersCelebrate key customer milestones like birthdaysRe-engage inactive users with customized promotions Lastly, integrating the feedback section within your loyalty app allows you to capture customer sentiment and continuously improve both service and product offerings further increasing customer lifetime value over time. Prioritizing Loyalty App Features Across Industry and Business Stages: Prioritization by Industry: Prioritization by Business Stage: Early-Stage Businesses: Focus on Speed & Core Value At this stage, businesses should prioritize getting a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) out quickly to validate their loyalty concept. Recommended features include: User onboarding & CRM syncBasic points and rewards systemSimple, user-friendly UIBasic analytics dashboards Light frameworks like ICE Score, Value vs. Effort, or MoSCoW help quickly identify high-impact, low-effort features. However, avoid falling into the technical debt trap.  For new businesses with limited budgets, building a loyalty app from scratch isn’t always practical. Instead, it’s more effective to integrate loyalty features into existing platforms like Shopify, LINE, or Zalo where users already engage daily. This approach helps reduce development time and cost, while increasing customer adoption by meeting them where they are. It also allows early-stage businesses to test loyalty strategies quickly and build CLV from the start. Scaling Businesses: Optimize, Personalize, and Retain Once the app gains traction, the goal shifts to deeper customer engagement, increased purchase frequency, and reduced churn. New feature priorities include: Tiered rewards/VIP programsAdvanced personalization & referralsAnalytics for campaign performance For all the features above, you should focus on how to enhance Data Privacy and Security. The best choice is with a custom solution. You dictate where and how your data is stored and managed, allowing for stricter security measures and compliance with specific regulations. You have ownership of your data and infrastructure. Mature Businesses: Innovate for Long-Term Value At this level, businesses aim to maximize CLV and maintain a competitive edge through innovation and strategic improvements. Key features to focus on: Experiential rewards & community featuresAI/ML-powered personalizationLoyalty-based subscriptions3rd-party tool integrationProactive support & customer feedback loops To achieve the seamless integration, business owners can consider custom software solutions, since it is designed to integrate seamlessly with your existing IT ecosystem, fostering efficient data flow and eliminating compatibility issues. Success Stories of Loyalty Apps  Case studies from various industries vividly illustrate how loyalty apps significantly improve Customer Lifetime Value by addressing specific business challenges and fostering deeper customer relationships. >>> Read more related articles:  LINE Mini App: Digital Transform Customer Service with Digital Point CardsLINE and Mobile Commerce Platform in Japan Retail/Beauty: Sephora Beauty Insider Sephora's "Beauty Insider" program stands as a highly acclaimed, hybrid points-based and tiered loyalty program. It allows customers to earn points for purchases and redeem them for a diverse array of rewards, ranging from "trial-sized" products to unique experiences like full-face makeovers, meticulously catering to the creative and experimental nature of the beauty industry. This program affects an impressive 17 million members in North America alone, who are responsible for up to 80% of the company's total sales. It has directly led to a 22% increase in cross-sell and a significant 13-51% growth in upsell revenue. Sephora effectively addresses intense market competition by offering a wide range of unique rewards and experiences that extend far beyond simple discounts. It fosters personalization by allowing customers to choose rewards most relevant to their individual preferences and implicitly gathers valuable insights through its "Beauty Insider Community" an online space where beauty enthusiasts share inspiration and advice, thereby building strong brand loyalty and a profound sense of belonging. The program's continuous adaptation ensures it remains fresh and engaging for its vast member base.    Food & Beverage: Starbucks Rewards "My Starbucks Rewards" is a highly successful mobile-based loyalty program that has revolutionized the Food & Beverage (F&B) industry. Customers earn "Stars" (points) for every purchase, which can be redeemed for free drinks, food items, and other rewards. The loyalty program now represents 53% of overall spending in Starbucks. The app significantly enhances convenience by allowing customers to order ahead, streamlining their experience and increasing engagement. In addition, this convenience directly frequent purchases and repeat visits, thereby contributing to higher CLV by overcoming challenges such as low retention rates and intense competition within the F&B sector.  The app directly addresses the critical need for repeat visits and order convenience through its seamless mobile ordering and payment integration, providing a distinct competitive edge in a market increasingly shaped by digital disruption. These success stories underscore the imperative of industry-specific loyalty program design. The most effective loyalty programs are not generic; instead, they are tailored to the specific nuances of their industry and customer behavior.  SupremeTech’s Loyalty Program for a Major Coffee Chain in Japan SupremeTech has hands-on experience in delivering large-scale loyalty solutions for the F&B sector. In this case, we built and continue to maintain a loyalty platform for a major Japanese coffee chain. The system was designed to support intensive marketing efforts and integrate deeply with the client’s business operations. This system supports over 1,700 coffee shops and serves millions of online users. It is designed to handle both daily customer interactions and high-traffic promotional events. Solution Technical readiness for large-scale marketing campaignsMaintenance services System & Infrastructure Data Lake on AWS infrastructureData pipeline construction and optimization Features Loyalty and reward programDeep integration between transactional database with BI and marketing tool 📩 Read more articles about us here: https://www.supremetech.vn/blog/  ☎️Contact us to see how we can support your loyalty app strategy.

Best Practices for Loyalty App Software from Technical Viewpoint

Did you know that acquiring a new customer can cost 5 to 25 times more than retaining an existing one? That’s why businesses are turning to loyalty app software to enhance retention and build stronger relationships. Gone are the days of physical punch cards, today’s consumers expect a smart, digital rewards app that adds real value and convenience. A successful customer loyalty program isn’t just about points, it’s about meaningful, personalized engagement. The right loyalty app software should blend technology and psychology to create a seamless experience that feels like a benefit, not a sales tactic. Let SupremeTech help you define what a high-performing loyalty app really needs. Below are seven must-have features that define the best loyalty app software on the market today. 1. Hyper-Personalization and Tiered Rewards Tiered rewards (e.g., Bronze, Silver, Gold) are no longer an innovation, they’re a common feature in any well-rounded loyalty program. What truly matters is how effectively your system uses customer and sales data to define ranking logic that fits your business model. Each retail industry has its own standards for what qualifies as “loyal” behavior, so the logic behind tiers needs to be flexible and tailored.  Each retail sector requires a tailored approach to tiering. For example: A fashion retailer may prioritize total spend or product category preference.An F&B chain might look at visit frequency or average order value.Supermarkets could focus on a mix of spend volume and basket diversity. Business owners should also consider whether their loyalty app can scale as the user base grows. Off-the-shelf SaaS loyalty platforms may struggle with customization and scalability, making it harder to adapt to industry-specific needs and future growth. In short, tiered rewards must be data-driven, adaptable by industry, and supported by a loyalty system built for scale. Business owners should carefully evaluate the limitations of SaaS platforms when aiming to build a loyalty experience that grows with their brand. 2. Engaging Gamification  Human beings are naturally drawn to games and challenges. Integrating gamification into your customer loyalty platform can dramatically increase user engagement and make interacting with your brand fun. There are features like spin-to-win wheels, scratch cards for instant rewards, progress bars for the next reward tier, and badges for completing challenges that create "micro-moments" of entertainment.  However, it’s important to consider whether gamification is the right fit for your application. For example, if your customers are mostly older adults, complex or flashy game mechanics might be confusing or even off-putting. In this case, using familiar and simple formats could be more effective. On the other hand, if your target audience is younger generations like Gen Z, the flashy and highly-animated games may be a better choice. This group is typically more tech-savvy and enjoyed trying new games. The key is to design gamification features that match both your brand identity and your customers’ preferences. A well-designed game can enhance loyalty, while a poorly matched one can feel gimmicky or frustrating. Always test and gather feedback before launching at scale. 3. Seamless Onboarding and Platform Strategy One of the biggest barriers to loyalty program adoption is app fatigue. Many users, especially in mobile-first markets, are reluctant to download yet another brand app just to accumulate points. That’s why business owners should start to form a strategic decision about choosing the right platform to host your loyalty program.  For example, many brands are embedding their loyalty programs into popular messaging platforms that users already use daily. Prominently, LINE is a dominant channel in Japan and Thailand, where brands from F&B to fashion use it to distribute coupons, track points, and send personalized messages. To take convenience a step further, direct integration with mobile wallets like Apple Wallet and Google Wallet is a must. This allows customers to store their loyalty card digitally and access it with a simple tap, removing the need to carry a physical card or even open a specific app at the point of sale. 4. Smart, Contextual Notifications Push notifications are a powerful tool, but they must be used wisely. Instead of broadcasting generic ads, a smart loyalty app software sends valuable, context-aware notifications. This can include a birthday bonus, an alert that a favorite item is back in stock, or a special offer triggered by geofencing when a customer is near a physical store. When notifications provide timely and relevant value rather than noise, they strengthen the customer relationship and drive immediate action. 5. Integrated Feedback and Review Channels Your most loyal customers are often your best source of constructive feedback. A great loyalty app software builds a direct communication channel into the experience. By including features for in-app surveys, product ratings after a purchase, or a simple suggestion box, you empower your customers to share their thoughts. This not only provides you with invaluable, real-time data to improve your products and services but also shows customers that you value their opinion, further cementing their loyalty. 6. Built-in, Effortless Referral Programs Word-of-mouth remains one of the most powerful forms of marketing. An effective loyalty app software digitizes and incentivizes this process. By integrating an easy-to-use referral program, you empower your happy customers to become brand ambassadors. The loyalty app should generate a unique, shareable code or link, making it effortless for users to invite their friends. Tracking this process digitally allows you to reward both the referrer and the new customer seamlessly, creating a viral loop for growth. 7. A Powerful Analytics Dashboard (For the Business) Behind every great loyalty app is a powerful analytics engine. Your software should offer an intuitive dashboard that tracks metrics like: User engagementRedemption ratesCampaign ROICustomer Lifetime Value (CLV) This data allows you to refine your program and tailor promotions based on what actually works. >>> Read more related articles:  LINE Mini App: Digital Transform Customer Service with Digital Point CardsLINE and Mobile Commerce Platform in Japan Choosing the Right Loyalty App Software: Key Considerations Selecting the ideal loyalty app software is an important decision for any business aiming to increase customer retention, drive repeat purchases, and build lasting relationships with their loyal customers. With a multitude of solutions available ranging from basic stamp cards to advanced digital loyalty programs, navigating your options can feel overwhelming. However, by focusing on core features that support customer engagement, reward flexibility, and loyalty management, businesses can choose a platform that delivers both a great customer experience and a strong return on investment. Should You Choose SaaS or Custom-Built App? No two businesses are the same, and your loyalty app software should reflect your unique brand voice. Choose a solution that allows for deep customization, from visual branding (logos, fonts, colors) to defining your own rewarding customers logic. Can the platform support personalized rewards based on purchase behavior? Can you offer double points on special days or reward referrals? Look for systems that let you create tiered memberships, track stamp card progress, and deliver customer loyalty campaigns tailored to segmented audiences. Scalability One of the most important considerations is the software’s scalability. As your business grows, whether through expanding your retail stores, product lines, your loyalty app software must scale seamlessly and cost-effectively.  The right platform allows you to easily update tiered reward systems, roll out personalized promotions, or expand to multiple branches without costly re-platforming. SaaS platforms often offer built-in scalability at a fixed subscription rate, which can be cost-effective initially but may limit customization and inflate costs as user volume grows. Scalable SaaS programs offer small businesses an effective solution to both meet current budgetary demands and plan for the future. Custom-built, on the other hand, require a bigger initial investment. These systems can be designed to scale more efficiently without needing major changes later on. One thing to keep in mind is that building and maintaining custom software takes time and requires a reliable development partner. If your original developer leaves, a new one will need time to learn the system, so choosing a trustworthy vendor is essential for long-term success. Integration Capabilities A successful loyalty card app should do more than earn and redeem points. It must integrate intimately with your sales system, including your POS (Point of Sale), CRM, e‑commerce, marketing tools, and payment gateways. This integration is critical for efficient loyalty management, real-time rewards tracking, and a cohesive customer experience across channels. There is significant difference integration capabilities between SaaS and custom-built systems: SaaS platforms (Software-as-a-Service) often come with a fixed, predefined list of supported integrations. This makes setup quick and costs predictable initially, but limits your ability to adapt when business needs evolve or new tools emerge. You may also face extra fees if you need additional connectors or want to upgrade your plan.Custom-built can be integrated seamlessly with any existing systems, such as: CRMs, bespoke POS, or specialized marketing platforms . Because you fully control the code base, you can add or modify integrations as your needs change, offering unmatched flexibility and future-proof scalability. While custom solutions require higher upfront investment and longer development time . Data Security & Ownership When it comes to loyalty app software, protecting customer data is essential but understanding who actually owns and controls that data is just as critical. This decision can impact your long-term flexibility and control over customer and sales information. Apart from following data security policies, it’s also important to understand who owns the data when choosing the platform for your loyalty app: With SaaS-based loyalty platforms, you can input and manage customer and sales data, the software development vendor typically controls where the data is stored, how it is accessed, and whether it can be transferred elsewhere. Your business uses the system but may not have full ownership or control over its most valuable data.Custom-built software gives your business complete ownership of the data infrastructure. This means you have full control over how the data is accessed, stored, and moved, offering greater flexibility and long-term independence. Pricing and Support When evaluating loyalty app software, consider the full picture. This includes licensing, implementation, and maintenance fees, as well as the quality of vendor support. A strong vendor doesn’t just sell you software, they become a strategic partner. Look for companies that offer onboarding support, staff training, performance optimization, and responsive tech help. Whether you’re troubleshooting a QR code scanner or planning a new personalized promotion, responsive support ensures your program continues to deliver measurable value. Best practices when implementing Your Loyalty App Launching a loyalty app is just the first step; its true success hinges on effective implementation and ongoing management. A well-designed app can fall flat without a strategic approach to its rollout and continuous optimization. Defining Clear, Measurable Goals Before your loyalty app software goes live, it’s essential to define clear, measurable goals for your customer loyalty program. Are you looking to increase repeat purchases by 20% within six months? Want to raise the average order value by 15% among your loyal customers? Or perhaps reduce churn by 10% through better customer engagement and more relevant personalized promotions? These well-defined objectives are more than just benchmarks, they serve as the foundation for your entire loyalty management strategy. Specific goals help shape reward structures, campaign design, and feature priorities, from stamp card functionality to gamified tiers. They also allow you to track ROI and optimize performance, ensuring your digital loyalty solution is delivering real business results. Without these KPIs in place, it becomes difficult to determine whether your loyalty app is truly fostering deeper relationships and customer satisfaction. Crafting Engaging and Varied Rewards While discounts are a common starting point, truly successful loyalty programs offer a diverse range of rewards that resonate with your customer base. Think beyond monetary incentives. Consider offering exclusive early access to new products, personalized experiences, birthday treats, tiered benefits that unlock premium perks, or even opportunities for customers to donate points to a charity. The key is to understand your customers' preferences and provide rewards that feel genuinely valuable and aspirational, encouraging deeper engagement than simple transactions alone. Promoting Your App Effectively Even the most feature-rich app won't succeed if customers don't know it exists or how to use it. Start by placing eye-catching signage in your retail stores, especially near checkout counters. Add QR codes to receipts, product packaging, or displays to enable easy downloads. Use your website, social media, and email marketing to share the benefits of your digital loyalty program, and highlight rewarding customers through success stories or testimonials. How SupremeTech Helps You Build Your Loyalty App Software If you're searching for a partner to make your loyalty app, SupremeTech offers expertise in loyalty app software development. One of our recent projects involved creating a digital point card system within the LINE Mini App. Helping our client move from outdated physical cards to a fully digital customer engagement platform. Despite the complexity of the LINE platform. We successfully developed and launched a mini-app integrating barcode features, one-time transactions, and seamless user data management. With features like: Digital card issuanceBarcode generationSmart integrations with customer data systems We transformed a traditional business into a tech-forward brand with a scalable customer loyalty solution. At SupremeTech, we’re committed to building custom loyalty applications that deliver value for both users and businesses. Whether you’re starting from scratch or upgrading an outdated system, we can help.  📩 Read more articles published by SupremeTech: 📌SupremeTech's Website Blog 📌Subscribe on LinkedIn

Level Up Your Code: Transitioning to Validated Environment Variables

Validated Environment variables play a critical role in software projects of all sizes. As projects grow, so does the number of environment variables—API keys, custom configurations, feature flags, and more. Managing these variables effectively becomes increasingly complex. If mismanaged, they can lead to severe bugs, server crashes, and even security vulnerabilities.  While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, having some structure in how we manage environment variables can really help reduce mistakes and confusion down the road. In this article, I’ll share how I’ve been handling them in my own projects and what’s worked well for me so far. My Personal Story When I first started programming, environment variables were a constant source of headaches. I often ran into problems like: Misspelled variable names.Failure to retrieve variable values, even though I was sure they were set.Forgetting to define variables entirely, leading to runtime errors. These issues were tricky to detect. Typically, I wouldn’t notice anything was wrong until the application misbehaved or crashed. Debugging these errors was tedious—tracing back through the code to find that the root cause was a missing or misconfigured environment variable. For a long time, I struggled with managing environment variables. Eventually, I discovered a more effective approach: validating all required variables before running the application. This process has saved me countless hours of debugging and has become a core part of my workflow. Today, I want to share this approach with you. A Common Trap in Real Projects Beyond personal hiccups, I’ve also seen issues arise in real-world projects due to manual environment handling. One particular pitfall involves relying on if/else conditions to set or interpret environment variables like NODE_ENV. For example: if (process.env.NODE_ENV === "production") { // do something } else { // assume development } This type of conditional logic can seem harmless during development, but it often leads to incomplete coverage during testing. Developers typically test in development mode and may forget or assume things will "just work" in production. As a result, issues are only discovered after the application is deployed — when it's too late. In one of our team’s past projects, this exact scenario caused a production bug that slipped through all local tests. The root cause? A missing environment variable that was only required in production, and the conditional logic silently skipped it in development. This highlights the importance of failing fast and loudly—ideally before the application even starts. And that’s exactly what environment variable validation helps with. The Solution: Validating Environment Variables The secret to managing environment variables efficiently lies in validation. Instead of assuming all necessary variables are correctly set, validate them at the application’s startup. This prevents the application from running in an incomplete or misconfigured state, minimizing runtime errors and improving overall reliability. Benefits of Validating Environment Variables Error Prevention: Catch missing or misconfigured variables early.Improved Debugging: Clear error messages make it easier to trace issues.Security: Ensures sensitive variables like API keys are set correctly.Consistency: Establishes a standard for how environment variables are managed across your team. Implementation Here’s a simple and structured way to validate environment variables in a TypeScript project. Step 1: Define an Interface Define the expected environment variables using a TypeScript interface to enforce type safety. export interface Config { NODE_ENV: "development" | "production" | "test"; SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET: string; SLACK_BOT_TOKEN: string; SLACK_APP_TOKEN: string; PORT: number; } Step 2: Create a Config Loader Write a function to load and validate environment variables. This loader ensures that each variable is present and meets the expected type or format. Step 3: Export the Configuration Use the config loader to create a centralized configuration object that can be imported throughout your project. import { loadConfig } from "./loader"; export const config = loadConfig(); Conclusion Transitioning to validated environment variables is a straightforward yet powerful step toward building more reliable and secure applications. By validating variables during startup, you can catch misconfigurations early, save hours of debugging, and ensure your application is always running with the correct settings.

Build Smarter: Best Practices for Creating Optimized Dockerfile

If you’ve been using Docker in your projects, you probably know how powerful it is for shipping consistent environments across teams and systems. It's time to learn how to optimize dockerfile. But here’s the thing: a poorly written Dockerfile can quickly become a hidden performance bottleneck. Making your images unnecessarily large, your build time painfully slow, or even causing unexpected behavior in production. I’ve seen this firsthand—from early projects where we just “made it work” with whatever Dockerfile we had, to larger systems where the cost of a bad image multiplied across services. My name is Bao. After working on several real-world projects and going through lots of trial and error. I’ve gathered a handful of practical best practices to optimize Dockerfile that I’d love to share with you. Whether you’re refining a production-grade image or just curious about what you might be missing. Let me walk you through how I approach Docker optimization. Hopefully it’ll save you time, headaches, and a few docker build rage moments 😅. Identifying Inefficiencies in Dockerfile: A Case Study Below is the Dockerfile we’ll analyze: Key Observations: 1. Base Image: The Dockerfile uses ubuntu:latest, which is a general-purpose image. While versatile, it is significantly larger compared to minimal images like ubuntu:slim or Node.js-specific images like node:20-slim, node:20-alpine. 2. Redundant Package Installation: Tools like vim, wget, and git are installed but may not be necessary for building or running the application. 3. Global npm Packages: Pages like nodemon, ESLint, and prettier are installed globally. These are typically used for development and are not required in a production image. 4. Caching Issues: COPY . . is placed before npm install, invalidating the cache whenever any application file changes, even if the dependencies remain the same. 5. Shell Customization: Setting up a custom shell prompt (PS1) is irrelevant for production environments, adding unnecessary steps. 6. Development Tool in Production: The CMD uses nodemon, which is a development tool, to run the application Optimized your Docker Image Here’s how we can optimize the Dockerfile step by step. Showing the before and after for each section with the result to clearly distinguish the improvements. 1. Change the Base Image Before: FROM ubuntu:latest RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y curl && curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | bash - && \ apt-get install -y nodejs Use ubuntu:latest, a general-purpose image that is large and includes many unnecessary tools. After: FROM node:20-alpine Switches to node:20-alpine, a lightweight image specifically tailored for Node.js applications. Result: With the first change being applied, the image size is drastically reduced by about ~200MB.  2. Simplify Installed Packages Before: RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \ curl \ wget \ git \ vim \ python3 \ make \ g++ && \ curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | bash - && \ apt-get install -y nodejs Installs multiple tools (curl, wget, vim, git) and Node.js manually, increasing the image size and complexity. After: RUN apk add --no-cache python3 make g++ Uses apk (Alpine’s package manager) to install only essential build tools (python3, make, g++). Result: The image should be cleaner and smaller after removing the unnecessary tools, packages. (~250MB vs ~400MB with the older version) 3. Leverage Dependency Caching Before: COPY . . RUN npm install Copies all files before installing dependencies, causing cache invalidation whenever any file changes, even if dependencies remain unchanged. After: COPY package*.json ./ RUN npm install --only=production COPY . . Copies only package.json and package-lock.json first, ensuring that dependency installation is only re-run when these files change.Installs only production dependencies (--only=production) to exclude devDependencies. Result: Faster rebuilds and a smaller image by excluding unnecessary files and dependencies. 4. Remove Global npm Installations Before: RUN npm install -g nodemon eslint pm2 typescript prettier Installs global npm packages (nodemon, eslint, pm2, ect.) that are not needed in production, increasing image size. After: Remove Entirely: Global tools are omitted because they are unnecessary in production. Result: Reduced image size and eliminated unnecessary layers. 5. Use a Production-Ready CMD Before: CMD ["nodemon", "/app/bin/www"] Uses nodemon, which is meant for development, not production. Result: A streamlined and efficient startup command. 6. Remove Unnecessary Shell Customization Before: ENV PS1A="💻\[\e[33m\]\u\[\e[m\]@ubuntu-node\[\e[36m\][\[\e[m\]\[\e[36m\]\w\[\e[m\]\[\e[36m\]]\[\e[m\]: " RUN echo 'PS1=$PS1A' >> ~/.bashrc Sets and applies a custom shell prompt that has no practical use in production After: Remove Entirely: Shell customization is unnecessary and is removed. Result: Cleaner image with no redundant configurations or layers. Final Optimized Dockerfile FROM node:20-alpine WORKDIR /app RUN apk add --no-cache python3 make g++ COPY package*.json ./ RUN npm install --only=production COPY . . EXPOSE 3000 CMD ["node", "/app/bin/www"] 7. Leverage Multi-Stage Builds to Separate Build and Runtime In many Node.js projects, you might need tools like TypeScript or linters during the build phase—but they’re unnecessary in the final production image. That’s where multi-stage builds come in handy. Before: Everything—from installation to build to running—happens in a single image, meaning all build-time tools get carried into production. After: You separate the "build" and "run" stages, keeping only what’s strictly needed at runtime. Result: Smaller, cleaner production imageBuild-time dependencies are excludedFaster and safer deployments Final Optimized Dockerfile # Stage 1 - Builder FROM node:20-alpine AS builder WORKDIR /app RUN apk add --no-cache python3 make g++ COPY package*.json ./ RUN npm install --only=production COPY . . # Stage 2 - Production FROM node:20-alpine WORKDIR /app COPY --from=builder /app/node_modules ./node_modules COPY --from=builder /app ./ EXPOSE 3000 CMD ["node", "/app/bin/www"] Bonus. Don’t Forget .dockerignore Just like .gitignore, the .dockerignore file excludes unnecessary files and folders from the Docker build context (like node_modules, .git, logs, environment files, etc.). Recommended .dockerignore: node_modules .git *.log .env Dockerfile.dev tests/ Why it matters: Faster builds (Docker doesn’t copy irrelevant files)Smaller and cleaner imagesLower risk of leaking sensitive or unnecessary files Results of Optimization 1. Smaller Image Size: The switch to node:20-alpine and removal of unnecessary packages reduced the image size from 1.36GB, down to 862MB. 2. Faster Build Times: Leveraging caching for dependency installation speeds up rebuilds significantly.Build No Cache:Ubuntu (Old Dockerfile): ~126.2sNode 20 Alpine (New Dockerfile): 78.4sRebuild With Cache (After file changes):Ubuntu: 37.1s (Re-run: npm install)Node 20 Alpine: 8.7s (All Cached) 3. Production-Ready Setup: The image now includes only essential build tools and runtime dependencies, making it secure and efficient for production. By following these changes, your Dockerfile is now lighter, faster, and better suited for production environments. Let me know if you’d like further refinements! Conclusion Optimizing your Dockerfile is a crucial step in building smarter, faster, and more efficient containers. By adopting best practices: such as choosing the right base image, simplifying installed packages, leveraging caching, and using production-ready configurations, you can significantly enhance your build process and runtime performance. In this article, we explored how small, deliberate changes—like switching to node:20-alpine, removing unnecessary tools, and refining dependency management—can lead to.

How to Undo Commits Safely in Git: Git Reset and Git Revert Explained

Introduction In software development, mistakes in commits happen more frequently than we would prefer. Imagine you are working on a feature branch and accidentally commit sensitive information, like an API key, or commit in the wrong branch. You quickly realize the need to undo these changes, but as you search for solutions, you come across two common commands: git reset and git revert. Each offers a way to return, but which is right for your situation? In this article, SupremeTech will explore both commands, how they work, when to use them, and how to decide which approach best addresses your specific needs. Three trees in Git Before getting started, it’s important to understand Git's internal state management systems, called “Git’s three-tree”: Working Directory: This is the workspace on your local machine, it reflects the current state of your files and any changes made that have not yet been staged or committed. You can see changes in the Working Directory with git status.Staging Index: This space holds a snapshot of changes ready to be committed. After you’ve made changes in the Working Directory, you can add them to the Staging Index with git add.Commit History: This is the timeline of saved changes in your project. When you use the git commit command, it takes the changes from the Staging Index and adds them to this history as a new commit. Figure 1. The Git’s three-tree The animation above demonstrates Git's three-tree structure by showing the creation of file1.js and committing it as C1. We add two more examples: file2.js as a C2 commit and file3.js as a C3 commit. These three commits will be used throughout the article as we explore git reset and git revert commands. Figure 2. Visualizing Git's three-tree with three commits Undoing commits with git reset The git reset command allows you to undo changes in your working directory by moving the branch tip back to a specific commit and discarding all commits made after that point. Figure 3. Visualizing the git reset command After running the command git reset HEAD~1, you’ll notice two changes: The branch tip has moved to the commit C2.The latest commit (C3) has been discarded from the commit history. The HEAD~1 is a way to reference the commit before the current HEAD. You can use similar syntax to go back further, like HEAD~2 to go back two commits from HEAD. Alternatively, you can specify a particular commit using its hash ID. The next question is where did the changes from C3 commit go? (the file3.js in this example). Did it delete permanently, or is it saved somewhere? This is where the git reset flags come into play. Bypassing one of the following flags, you can control the changes: --soft: It undoes the commits in the history and places the changes back in the Staging Index, ready to be committed again if needed. Figure 4. Visualizing git reset command with --soft flag -—mixed (this is the default option): It is similar to—-soft but also clears the Staging Index. This means any changes from the discarded commits are left unstaged in the Working Directory, requiring you to re-add them before re-committing. Figure 5. Visualizing git reset command with --mixed flag --hard: This option clears all changes from both the Staging Index and Working Directory and resets the codebase to match the specified commit without making any modifications. Figure 6. Visualizing git reset command with --hard flag By using git reset, you've successfully undone a specific commit. However, try to push these changes to the remote repository with a regular git push. You’ll get an error because the local commit history no longer matches the remote. To push these changes, you need to use a force push (git push --force). While this command will update the remote branch, it comes with risks - it can overwrite the remote history, creating potential issues for other developers. To avoid these problems, let’s explore a safer alternative: Undoing public commits with git revert The git revert command is an undo command, but it doesn’t work like the git reset. Instead of removing a commit from the project history, it creates a new one containing the inverse of the original changes. Figure 7. Visualizing the git revert command The result of running the command git revert HEAD is a new commit that undoes the changes made in the C3 commit. Since the C3 commit added file3.js, the revert will effectively delete this file. In short, running git revert HEAD will bring your code back to its state at the C2 commit. You can prevent git revert from automatically creating a new commit by using the -n or --no-commit flag. With this option, the inverse changes are placed in the Staging Index and Working Directory, allowing you to review or modify them before committing. Figure 8. Visualizing git revert command with --no-commit flag The git revert command allows you to go back to previous commits without removing any mistake commits. It doesn’t re-write the project history. Because of this, this command should be used to undo changes on a public branch. What is the difference between Git Reset vs. Git Revert? The difference between git reset and git revert is that git reset should be used to undo changes in your local history, while git revert should be recommended for undoing changes on a shared or public branch. Both git reset and git revert are commands for undoing changes, but they work differently in key ways: git resetgit revertHow it worksReverts to a previous state by removing the specified commit.Reverts to a previous state by creating a new commit with inverse changes.OptionsOffers --mixed, --soft, and --hard flags to control how changes are handled.Offers --no-commit to add inverse changes without automatically committing them.UsageRecommended for undoing changes in your local history.Recommended for undoing changes on a shared or public branch. Conclusion By now, you should clearly understand how to undo changes in a Git repository using git reset and git revert. In short, use git reset for local-only history changes, and use git revert to undo changes on a shared branch safely. Choosing the right command for your situation lets you keep your project history clean and ensures smoother collaboration with your teammates.

Integrating IAP with Other Features in React Native

Following the series about React Native IAP (In-App Purchases), in this article we will discover how to integrate IAP with other features. Integrating In-App Purchases (IAP) with other features in a React Native application can enhance user engagement and maximize revenue. This article will explore how to combine IAP with other monetization methods, sync IAP data with backend services, and use IAP data to personalize user experiences. We'll provide examples and code snippets to illustrate these integrations. Let's explore other articles in this series. Implementing IAP (In-App Purchases) in a React Native App Best Practices for React Native IAP (In-App Purchases) Combining IAP with Other Monetization Methods To diversify revenue streams, you can combine IAP with other monetization methods like ads and affiliate marketing. Example: Combining IAP with Ads You can offer an ad-free experience through IAP while still generating revenue from users who prefer the free version with ads. Integrate Ad SDK: Use a library like react-native-google-mobile-ads to display ads. import { BannerAd, BannerAdSize, TestIds } from '@react-native-google-mobile-ads'; const AdComponent = () => ( <BannerAd unitId={TestIds.BANNER} size={BannerAdSize.FULL_BANNER} requestOptions={{ requestNonPersonalizedAdsOnly: true, }} /> ); 2. Offer Ad-Free Purchase: Create an in-app purchase for removing ads. const productIds = ['com.example.remove_ads']; const buyRemoveAds = async () => { try { await RNIap.requestPurchase(productIds[0]); } catch (err) { console.warn(err.code, err.message); } }; // Example button to trigger purchase <Button title="Remove Ads" onPress={buyRemoveAds} />; 3. Conditional Rendering: Check if the user has purchased the ad-free version and conditionally render ads. const [adsRemoved, setAdsRemoved] = useState(false); useEffect(() => { const checkPurchase = async () => { const purchases = await RNIap.getAvailablePurchases(); setAdsRemoved(purchases.some(purchase => purchase.productId === productIds[0])); }; checkPurchase(); }, []); return ( <View> {!adsRemoved && <AdComponent />} {/* Other app components */} </View> ); Syncing IAP Data with Backend Services Syncing IAP data with a backend service helps maintain user purchase records, validate transactions, and provide a seamless experience across devices. Backend Setup: Create a simple backend to handle receipt validation and store purchase data. Here’s an example using Node.js and Express: const express = require('express'); const bodyParser = require('body-parser'); const app = express(); app.use(bodyParser.json()); app.post('/validate-receipt', async (req, res) => { const { receipt } = req.body; // Validate receipt with Apple/Google servers const isValid = await validateReceiptWithStore(receipt); if (isValid) { // Store purchase data in database await storePurchaseData(receipt); res.json({ success: true }); } else { res.json({ success: false }); } }); const validateReceiptWithStore = async (receipt) => { // Placeholder for actual validation logic return true; }; const storePurchaseData = async (receipt) => { // Placeholder for storing data logic }; app.listen(3000, () => console.log('Server running on port 3000')); 2. Client-Side Validation: Send the receipt to your backend for validation after a purchase. const validateReceipt = async (receipt) => { try { const response = await fetch('https://your-server.com/validate-receipt', { method: 'POST', headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json', }, body: JSON.stringify({ receipt }), }); const result = await response.json(); return result.success; } catch (error) { console.warn('Validation error', error); return false; } }; useEffect(() => { const purchaseUpdateSubscription = RNIap.purchaseUpdatedListener(async (purchase) => { const receipt = purchase.transactionReceipt; if (receipt) { const isValid = await validateReceipt(receipt); if (isValid) { // Complete the purchase await RNIap.finishTransaction(purchase, false); } } }); return () => { purchaseUpdateSubscription.remove(); }; }, []); Using IAP Data for Personalized User Experiences IAP data can be leveraged to personalize the user experience, making the app more engaging and tailored to individual preferences. Unlocking Features: Use IAP to unlock premium features. const [premiumUser, setPremiumUser] = useState(false); useEffect(() => { const checkPurchase = async () => { const purchases = await RNIap.getAvailablePurchases(); setPremiumUser(purchases.some(purchase => purchase.productId === 'com.example.premium')); }; checkPurchase(); }, []); return ( <View> {premiumUser ? ( <PremiumContent /> ) : ( <RegularContent /> )} </View> ); 2. Personalized Offers: Provide special offers based on past purchase behavior. const [specialOffer, setSpecialOffer] = useState(null); useEffect(() => { const fetchSpecialOffer = async () => { const purchases = await RNIap.getAvailablePurchases(); if (purchases.length > 0) { // Fetch special offer from backend based on purchase history const response = await fetch('https://your-server.com/special-offer', { method: 'POST', headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json', }, body: JSON.stringify({ userId: user.id }), }); const offer = await response.json(); setSpecialOffer(offer); } }; fetchSpecialOffer(); }, []); return ( <View> {specialOffer && <Text>{specialOffer.description}</Text>} </View> ); Conclusion Integrating IAP with other features in a React Native app can greatly enhance user engagement and revenue. By combining IAP with ads, syncing purchase data with backend services, and using IAP data for personalization, you create a more dynamic and user-friendly experience. Following these practices ensures that your app not only generates revenue but also provides value to your users, leading to higher satisfaction and retention.

Troubleshooting Common Issues in React Native IAP

Hi tech fellows, this is the third article in the React Native IAP series. Using in-app purchases (IAP) in a React Native app can be complex. Despite careful planning, various issues can arise during development and after deployment. This guide will help you troubleshoot issues in React Native IAP, ensuring a smoother experience for your users and fewer headaches for you. Implementing IAP (In-App Purchases) in a React Native App Best Practices for React Native IAP (In-App Purchases) 1. Network Issue Network issues are common, especially in mobile environments. These problems can interrupt purchase flows and frustrate users. Solution: Implement Retry Mechanisms Ensure your app can handle network disruptions gracefully by implementing retry mechanisms. For instance, if a purchase fails due to network issues, inform the user and provide an option to retry. 2. Interrupted Purchases Purchases can be interrupted for various reasons, such as app crashes or users closing the app mid-transaction. Solution: Handle Pending Transactions Check for and handle pending transactions when the app restarts. This ensures that any interrupted purchases are completed or properly reverted. 3. Receipt Validation Receipt validation is crucial to ensure that purchases are legitimate. However, developers often face issues with validation, leading to rejected transactions or fraud. Solution: Implement Server-Side Validation While client-side validation can be a quick check, server-side validation provides an additional layer of security. Here's a basic example of how you might handle this: Client-Side: Server-Side: 4. Product Configuration Issues Sometimes, products do not appear in your app because of misconfigurations in the app stores. Solution: Double-Check Configurations Ensure that your product IDs match exactly between your app and the store. Also, confirm that the products are approved and available for purchase. 5. Platform-Specific Bugs Bugs can be platform-specific, affecting either iOS or Android but not both. Solution: Test on Both Platforms Always test your IAP functionality on both iOS and Android. Utilize device simulators and real devices to cover a range of scenarios. Keep an eye on the library's GitHub issues page, as many common bugs are reported and discussed there. 6. User Cancellations Users might cancel purchases midway, leading to incomplete transactions. Solution: Handle Cancellations Gracefully Detect and manage canceled transactions by informing users and reverting any app state changes made in anticipation of the purchase. 7. Debugging Tools Debugging IAP issues can be challenging without the right tools. Solution: Use Debugging Tools Utilize debugging tools like Reactotron or Flipper for React Native. These tools help you log and inspect API calls, including those made by the react-native-iap library. 8. Updates and Deprecations Libraries and APIs are frequently updated, which can lead to deprecated methods and breaking changes. Solution: Keep Your Library Updated Regularly update the react-native-iap library and other dependencies. Check the library's documentation and changelog for updates and breaking changes. This ensures that your implementation remains compatible with the latest versions of React Native and the app stores' requirements. Conclusion Troubleshooting issues in React Native IAP involves addressing network issues, handling interrupted purchases, ensuring proper receipt validation, and managing platform-specific bugs. By implementing robust solutions and using appropriate tools, you can resolve common issues effectively, ensuring a smoother and more reliable purchase experience for your users. Regular updates and thorough testing across both iOS and Android platforms are key to maintaining a successful IAP system in your app.

Implementing IAP (In-App Purchases) in a React Native App

Hi coders, this is the first article in a series about React Native IAP (in-app purchases). Implementing in-app purchases (IAP) in a React Native app can significantly enhance your app's monetization strategy. This guide will walk you through the process of setting up IAP in a React Native application, providing an overview of popular libraries, and detailing how to handle different types of purchases. Setting Up In-App Purchases in React Native To begin with, you need to choose a reliable library that facilitates IAP in React Native. One of the most popular options is react-native-iap. This library supports both iOS and Android, making it a versatile choice for cross-platform apps. Step 1: Installing react-native-iap First, you need to install the react-native-iap library. You can do this using npm or yarn: After installing the library, link it to your project: For React Native 0.60 and above, auto-linking takes care of this step. Step 2: Configuring Platforms iOS Configuration: Open your project in Xcode.Go to your project settings, and under the "Capabilities" tab, enable "In-App Purchase".Make sure your app's bundle identifier is registered with Apple, and your IAP products are configured in App Store Connect. Android Configuration: Make sure your app's package name is registered with Google Play.Configure your IAP products in the Google Play Console.Add the following permission to your AndroidManifest.xml: Step 3: Implementing IAP in Your App With the library installed and platforms configured, you can now implement IAP in your React Native app. Import the library: 2. Initialize the library and fetch products: This code initializes the IAP connection and fetches product details from the store. Handling Purchases: To handle purchases, you need to set up purchase listeners and manage the purchase flow. Making a Purchase: You can trigger a purchase using the product ID. Handling Different Types of Purchases Consumable Products: Consumable products are items that can be purchased multiple times, such as coins or gems. After the purchase is verified and processed, you need to call RNIap.finishTransaction to finalize it. Non-Consumable Products: Non-consumable products are items that can only be purchased once per user account, such as a "Pro" upgrade. The purchase flow is similar, but you should ensure that users cannot repurchase the same item. Subscriptions: Subscriptions are recurring purchases. To handle subscriptions, you'll need to check the subscription status periodically and provide appropriate access based on the subscription state. Conclusion Implementing in-app purchases in a React Native app involves several steps, from installing and configuring the react-native-iap library to handling various types of purchases. By following the steps outlined above, you can add a robust IAP system to your app, enabling new monetization opportunities. Remember to thoroughly test your IAP implementation and handle all edge cases to provide a seamless experience for your users. Throughout your implementation process, adapt where necessary to get the best result. Or contact us for in-app purchase solutions in a mobile app.

How to come up with the best ideas for apps and app features

While some software development teams are lucky to work for a client with clear needs, many teams developing apps have a significant hurdle to overcome regarding ideation. Even when they have specific requests from a client, there's still plenty of creativity required to bring the app to life. So, how exactly do you generate the best ideas for app concepts and app features that resonate with the audience and consistently turn a profit? Let's discuss: Refer to personal problems One of the best ways to generate app ideas is to look inward and identify the problems you’re yet to solve. For example, maybe you have a mixed dish you'd like to prepare in your boiler/pressure cooker, but you're unsure which setting to use. After trying a few, you may settle on a particular setting with some slight editing, like switching back to warm/simmer for a short time or alternating between settings. As you have more dishes like this, memorizing all this information could become tricky. And maybe some friends have different approaches that work too. Source: Upsplash Accordingly, you could create a recipe book app where people can sign up and share their varying methods of preparing similar dishes. They can even collect clips from other sites in one central location and categorize them in any way they like. Ultimately, it should be a problem that many other people face too. An app idea that makes your life easier but doesn't do the same for many others may not be viable. Examine existing apps This method of idea generation can take one of two major routes. The first is where you look for inadequacies in an existing app and work on creating a new one that addresses those gaps. For instance, a sketchpad app may have only one type of pencil, yet some users would like to make lines of varying thicknesses. In that case, you can create a new sketching app that enables users to work with numerous shades, thicknesses, and other drawing capabilities. The second route is building an app that provides a complementary service instead of doing what the original app does. For example, you may stumble upon an e-commerce app that offers only two payment methods at checkout. And after checking through the reviews, you realize that many users would like more flexibility in this area. Consequently, you can work on a wallet app that allows users to deposit funds from various sources. After that, you can approach different e-commerce apps and have them integrate your wallet app with their systems so shoppers can pay using your app. Essentially, you haven't created a new e-commerce app but rather a payments app that plugs into e-commerce apps. Scrutinizing apps on the market helps produce some of the best ideas for app features for teams with an app idea. Collaborative brainstorming One main reason why many people struggle with app idea generation is they only have a piece of an idea rather than the entire concept. For instance, when you say you want to create a fitness app, it may seem like you've narrowed your thoughts to a specific category. However, within the fitness field, there are several possible app ideas. You can make an app that tracks fitness metrics or suggests workouts. Additionally, you can offer an app that focuses on cardio or stretching or provides alternatives like Yoga. And lastly, you can create a fitness app that offers consultation with human experts or advice from a preset library. So whenever you’re ideating, it’s vital to interact with other people, especially those you’re likely to work with during app development. These people can help flesh out your ideas into something more relevant. In addition, collaborative brainstorming can reduce the time and money spent on follow-up research. Source: Unsplash They can help point out who's already making something similar to what you just suggested, which names have already been trademarked, any particular regional regulations that prohibit certain ideas, etc. Consult industry experts Though many people try to think of app ideas that would have mass appeal, sometimes the most viable ideas are those speaking to a specific industry. For example, the desire to create a frictionless health insurance process remains a priority for hospitals/medical practices and insurance firms. In other industries that deal with delicate machinery subjected to extreme conditions, monitoring apps are of utmost importance since they help preempt catastrophes like fires, poisonous gas leaks, water damage, and more. Source: Unsplash In that spirit, it's crucial to read about the technological strides made in different industries, then sit down with experts to find out what's lacking. From doctors to civil engineers, pharmacists to lab technicians, several professionals can reveal a problem that could be solved with an app. Observe the development process Some of the best ideas for apps have been produced by development teams that were trying to solve internal problems related to communication, record-keeping, cybersecurity and more. For example, the widely popular app Slack started as a simple internal communication tool for a team designing an online game. This app has enjoyed massive acclaim and financial success while the game the team was working on was eventually shut down. If the team wasn't very self-aware and good at pivoting, they'd have missed out on a great opportunity, but luckily, they knew how to notice the instances where they were solving their problems sufficiently. Therefore, some of the best app ideas result from app development challenges. Wrapping Up There are many other ways to come up with amazing app ideas, such as tracking financing and support from venture capital firms, accelerators and incubators, attending events like hackathons and other meetups, browsing app stores, and checking review sites and social media platforms, among others. You can also delegate this fundamental step to a software development team. At SupremeTech, we know how to work with clients to create something out of nothing, so if you’d like to produce a resonant app but don’t know where to start, contact us for a free consultation.

How to select the right team for your app development project

Embarking on a development project is no small feat. However, once you're done narrowing down on a project and choosing your target market, the real work of developing your app starts. If you are not tech-savvy and rely on a third party to build your app, the pressure can be overwhelming since their work can break your project. Imagine having to pick a whole team instead of one developer. You need to figure out where to start, who to be on your team, or what aspects to prioritize. This article will examine some helpful tips for selecting the right team for your app development project. 1. Scan the market If you want to put together the right software development team for your app, you need to be willing to invest a lot of time in a thorough search. Luckily, we live in a highly digital era, so information is at your fingertips. You don't even need to search very far. However, the availability of a multitude of choices can be both a bad and good thing. If you are an indecisive person, you can get lost in various options. Therefore, you need to have a list of priorities to narrow your search. For example, you can start by choosing a few preferred locations where applicants should come from. With the advent of working from home, you can pick developers from all over the world. Location Location matters for a variety of reasons. For instance, different regions have different prices, professional styles, and approaches to work. For example, IT firms in Ukraine employ highly competent programmers, use cutting-edge technology, have all the required legal paperwork, have flexible office hours, and charge between $29 and $50 per hour. Companies in convenient locations would be better for in-person meetings and progress checking. Although technology has advanced to the point that a virtual meeting can be just as good as a face-to-face one, some people prefer that personal touch and need to know they can check in on their teams anytime. 2. Focus on portfolios Once you have narrowed your choices to less than ten service providers, you can start looking at portfolios. Portfolios are an excellent way to investigate a development team's deliverables extensively. For example, you can see if they keep up with industry trends and technological advancements, the tech stack they use, and whether previous clients were satisfied with their products. In addition, you can see whether they have done projects like yours and how successfully they met all the requirements and standards of previous projects. With featured portfolio projects, you can even look at reviews from end users. After all, the app you're developing is for them. You need to know if the project was successful on paper and in terms of usability and practicality. Furthermore, competent development teams should have case studies ready, so you can have a more rounded understanding of previous projects, how it was created and where the firm stands in terms of awareness of current market trends. 3. Get a second opinion As we mentioned, picking an app development team is a massive task with many long-term implications. It's not something you can back out of along the way if you realize they are not a good fit unless you have bundles of money lying around, and even then, the change could set you back a lot in terms of time wasted. For this reason, always get a second opinion from an external and preferably unbiased person. Your opinion can be biased in many cases because you consider many factors like the budget, leaning towards friends or acquaintances, or location. An external individual would help you to make the best business decisions. If you are tech-savvy, then a second opinion is crucial because you need the eyes of a person who is well-versed in the technical side of app development. 4. Set a budget You can't deny it; money is a significant factor in picking the right app development team. So naturally, no one wants to spend more than they must. However, this does not mean that you should be a penny pincher. Most times, the higher the price, the higher the quality of the service. Although, if you are a small startup, this should not discourage you. A wealth of developers can develop an impressive app without breaking the bank. Your job is to start the search as early as possible so that you can find the hidden gems. Once you select affordable teams, you can continue shortlisting them based on different factors. 5. Request for a minimum viable project These days, it is common for firms to offer an MVP development model if they want to collaborate with you on your project. With this model, you can quickly and affordably test the market for your innovation before you commit to anything long-term. An MVP caters to a more modest initial project and can help you identify your product's most fundamental yet crucial features. The incredible thing about minimum viable projects is that they allow for scalability and additional development, providing you with the option to move forward with the project at a more transparent and reasonable pace. 6. Look into post-release services provided by different development teams The work of a development team continues once they hand over the project to the client. Once a project is launched, the app development team needs to remain in close contact with a client to ensure that everything is running smoothly, especially if the client needs to be better-versed in the tech-related aspect of the project. However, different development firms offer different levels of support. Ensure you are aware of the post-launch technical assistance each company offers.   Some provide support on-demand, while others provide 24/7 service, which is generally more expensive, and some may even provide no support. Normally, on-demand support should be sufficient to guarantee you receive the assistance you require following the app launch. 7. Go with your gut feeling At the end of the day, all factors are constant; there will be some development teams that you will lean toward more than others. However, if you interact with a qualified team and immediately build a good rapport or rhythm with them, you should put them on your top 5 list. Why? Because developing an app is not a short endeavor. Therefore, having a good team with which you can connect and communicate openly, honestly, and transparently is best. If you take the above tips into consideration, there is no reason you shouldn't find the right app development team for your project. If you are still deciding, please contact us for a free consultation.