Challenges
In January 2022, we started our cooperation with GiftCloud founders. Their idea was to create a platform where corporate users could order gifts for clients, employees, and partners. Users can customize products with corporate logos and colors. The differentiator of GiftCloud was that the recipient could exchange the gift to reduce waste (if you already have two water bottles, you probably won't need another one but might need a bag, snacks, or something else from the store).
We had to describe the requirements, develop a design, a website, and an application to provide such user flows:
- Administrators - registering an account, creating, editing, and deleting a category, a product, their attributes, and setting pricing. User management. Order management.
- Client - registering an account, product search, wishlist, adding to cart, cart editor, payment, sending to address, order status monitoring.
Process
Sommo team includes all experts needed to develop MVP from scratch - business analysts, project managers, user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) designers, and software developers. We are a one-stop agency for MVP app development - from research to launch.
Research
We started with the discovery phase by providing a time and cost estimate for the MVP application and roadmap planning. Unlike traditional project research, we focused on visionary early adopters to build a minimal set of features that would allow us to get feedback from them. Pay attention that the MVP approach does not minimize understanding market problems or prioritizing requirements. We developed MVP requirements as detailed as traditional software specifications but contained only the functionality needed to test the concept.
MVP UI/UX design
We believe that the design process is an essential step in MVP app development. Despite the tight time constraints, we didn't skip a single step - prototyping, branding, custom design of user-facing parts, user interface (UI), and user experience (UX) design. We aimed to develop an interface that users would love.
No-code MVP development
The no-code part of MVP development started in March 2022. We have chosen the best technology stack - Webflow for the website and Bubble for the application.
No-code allowed us to focus on the unique value proposition rather than reinvent the wheel and get the MVP faster.
We used templates. We didn't start development from scratch. Our team has developed a range of ready-to-use applications to minimize the effort and cost of no-code MVP development. Bubble provides a large marketplace for application templates. You can almost always find something that suits you.
We reused components. A typical development use case is when you need to display some data on different user flows. To reduce the size of the app and make it easier to edit, we implemented reusable elements that contained others (such as a group).
We integrated services through plugins. We skipped some build processes due to the use of external elements, actions, events, and data sources. For your MVP development, you can implement plugins of background services (Google Analytics, etc.), API data sources, and Social Authorization (e.g., "Login with Facebook").
Results
In the version of the application, launched in April 2022, the GiftCloud App user can perform a number of actions.
The first step is a simple registration to join the platform.
When logging in, the user can see the "All Products" page, with all gifts. The user can search and filter them by categories, special tags ("new", "sustainable", "bestsellers", etc.), price, sort by price and newest. Product categories have filters and attributes - color, price, characteristics, material, and size.
The product card contains descriptions, images, and characteristics (color, price, technical characteristics, material, and size). Users can also upload an image to print on the gift (for example, a company logo) on this page. When choosing a quantity of an item, the total cost is calculated by taking into account the volume discount. To increase upselling, we show recommendations for users.
We implemented a clear checkout flow with an editable shopping cart - users can change the number of products, delete some items, or view them again. We integrated the Stripe platform for order payments. The user can select one or more locations, add a delivery address or select an existing one, write additional notes, add a tax number (optional). To confirm the order, the user receives an email with the order's details.
After placing an order, the user is redirected to the order page and sees the "order history", details of each delivery, and can repeat any of them.
The "Account" page contains the user's first and last name, email address, phone number, photo (editable), "Log out" and "Reset password" functions.
In the "Shipping Information" section, the user can add the recipient's name, company and department, phone number, and address. This data is used for ordering.
"Wishlist" contains products selected by clicking on the "heart" icon on the product card.
The admin application consists of three parts.
1. Products
The user can create new products, edit or delete them. The product card contains several parameters - name, description, printing method, delivery time, minimal quantity, admin notes, special tags, status, material, selectable / non-selectable attributes, price (and price break settings). There is a search for products and filters by category, status and availability. The user can add a list of products using a .csv file.
2. Orders
The module contains a list of all orders received from the application and all details (number, date, amount, status, info on customer, items and delivery, a link to a Stripe invoice).There is a search in the list and filters by status, payment method, and date.
3. Users
This page contains data about all users of the platform. The administrator can edit user information. There is a list search and filters by their role or status.
Summary
MVP development helps you create a functional and valuable product for your user. The speed, cost, and quality of the “MVP + no-code” approach can be a game-changer for any company if done with clear intentions and understanding.
GiftCloud entered the market in 3 months and minimized development costs. Now MVP allows them to release versions quickly, learn from real feedback, and build fans in the marketplace.
If you want to try no-code MVP development approach and build your digital product quickly, contact us to ask questions, get advice or start developing an MVP.
