How to Safely Reduce E-commerce App Development Time and Costs? Discover Rappid Workflow

There comes a time in running an online store when decisive steps must be taken to boost or at least maintain sales. Technology is often a significant barrier to e-commerce growth. Smartphone shopping has already become the norm, yet many stores still rely solely on a website that is not optimized for smaller screens and, to make matters worse, takes forever to load.

This is where a modern mobile app can help. Today, we can build it faster and more affordably than ever before. How is that possible? Among other things, thanks to the smart leverage of AI in the Rappid Workflow.

What is Rappid Workflow and how does it impact the app development?

Simply using artificial intelligence does not guarantee a fast app that won’t crash under heavy traffic during Black Friday. However, the true strength of AI lies in automation, and that is exactly how Rappid Workflow leverages it.

Artificial intelligence handles repetitive tasks, which accelerates app development and drives down costs.

From a technical perspective, instead of manually building the architecture from scratch, Rappid Workflow features a script that automatically generates the app’s skeleton along with key modules, such as navigation. As a result, working on the app’s architecture takes much less time.

How to use AI to build the app interface? Design system

Rappid Workflow was initially created with m-commerce apps in mind, which is why we developed our own design system. It is a set of interface components tailored specifically to the needs of online stores. It can be easily edited and customized to fit any brand identity.

But how do we leverage AI in Rappid? We wrote Flutter code that automatically adapts to UI changes. The result? We can build a user interface significantly faster. This is yet another step that allows us to deliver the app into the users’ hands earlier.

What do we NOT use AI for?

The thing with AI-generated code is that it can sometimes be unnecessarily cluttered. On top of that, it often contains errors that experienced developers would rarely make. To avoid the problems associated with this, we wrote the business logic ourselves.

This means that the core foundations and modules on which the app relies are built by humans, not by AI.

On top of that, we prepare the business logic separately for each app to ensure it is perfectly tailored to the client’s requirements, their product range, and brand identity.

For more information on how Rappid Workflow works from a technical perspective, check out the article: “An App Ready in Just a Few Months? See How We Build It Faster With the Rappid Workflow System.”

Business benefits: Shorter time-to-market and cost reduction

In an ideal world, mobile apps would always be ready to launch soon after a project start. On top of that, nobody likes to overpay, so the less they cost, the better.

While having your cake and eating it too is usually impossible, Rappid in a way delivers both a fast time-to-market and a relatively low development cost. It allows you to reduce the time needed to build a classic m-commerce app by up to 45%, according to our internal benchmarks. What’s more, such a product can be built in as little as three months.

I don’t want to promise the impossible – we are talking about a basic version of the app, also known as an MVP (Minimum Viable Product). Such a product has everything online stores need to generate revenue and deliver value to customers. However, it is not an advanced app with a dedicated loyalty program built from scratch or image search functionality. Of course, these features can still be added in subsequent iterations, after the MVP is launched.

Rappid Workflow allows for further app expansion with new features, just like standard mobile apps built with Flutter. This is what sets our system apart from most no-code or low-code builders. While apps built with those tools can also be developed further, doing so is much more difficult and time-consuming.

If you want to learn more about how Rappid can help you build an m-commerce app in three months, we write about it in detail in the post: “An M-commerce App in 90 Days – Is It Realistic? How to Avoid the No-Code Trap and Not Lose Customers on Black Friday.”

Which technology to choose for an m-commerce app and why we rely on Flutter?

As I mentioned earlier, we based the Rappid Workflow system on Flutter. It is a cross-platform technology that speeds up app development because there is no need to write separate code for Android and iOS.

This also helps cut costs and offers a clear advantage over native apps, which were the industry standard until recently. However, the evolution of Flutter has shifted the landscape, and it’s safe to say that this cross-platform now provides a secure and stable environment, making it a reliable choice for mobile app development (it depends on your needs, of course).

Wondering if a native app might still be the better option for your business? Find out exactly why more and more online stores consider choosing Flutter.

Can you measure the effectiveness of launching a mobile app built with Rappid?

Publishing a new app is a major milestone for an online store. While it marks the successful completion of a key phase, it is by no means the end of product development process. Further adjustments will still need to be introduced. Where should you start?

Your primary focus should be on bug fixing, product growth, and process optimization. It is best to rely on data from mobile analytics tools (such as Google Firebase) and product analytics platforms, which can be easily connected to your app. Rappid Workflow also allows you to integrate the app with various other tools your company already uses, such as Shopify, Prestashop, Woocommerce, or Magento.

Curious about analytics but not an expert in the field? Check out our mobile app analytics guide, which we wrote specifically for those taking their first steps in this area.

Is Rappid Workflow the right step for your online store?

Wondering if now is finally the right time to invest in an app? It depends. The answer to this question is rarely intuitive, which is why it is best to base it on market data and customer behavior.

If most of the traffic to your e-commerce site comes from mobile devices, launching an app is a natural next step. By cutting development time and enabling the launch of a stable MVP in just three months, the barrier to entry into m-commerce has never been this low.

Want to see how Rappid Workflow can work for your business? Get in touch with us – we will analyze your current solutions and help you plan a fast start in m-commerce.