John Varvatos Drives 20x Higher Revenue Per User With Their Low-Maintenance Mobile App

International menswear brand John Varvatos spotted an opportunity to round out their online presence by launching a mobile app.

But the project, earmarked as a goal for some time, struggled to get off the ground due to a small dev team with limited expertise.

It was only when they found MobiLoud that they knew they could launch an app compatible with their brand. And it turned out to be the perfect home for their VIP customers.

Snapshot

Vertical: Luxury fashion

Platform: Salesforce Commerce Cloud

Key Metrics:

• 20x revenue per app user vs mobile web
• 4x higher purchase rate from app users
• 12x more sessions per app user, 3.6x longer average session duration
• 10% higher AOV

Business Impact:

• Launched on budget, with limited dev resources
• Near perfect app store rating
• Supported their custom Salesforce website seamlessly

"Nothing out there provided us with the ease and accessibility that MobiLoud did to our team. You can’t beat the price they provided to get an app together."
- Nick Barbarise, Director of IT

The Challenge With Launching an App

With a lean IT team and no native app expertise, John Varvatos couldn’t justify a six-figure custom build (and the overhead of maintaining separate codebases).

They looked at various app builders. They reached out to countless freelancers. None of the options presented to them fit their budget or gave them the support they needed to confidently enter this new arena.

"We have a small team, with no app development experience. We needed someone that would hold our hand through the process of creating a signature app for our company, and guide us on how to maintain the app post-launch, from in-app notifications to analytics."

Their technical team was focused on their website. They hadn't built apps before, and they didn't have the experience or the bandwidth to manage a native app project.

Why They Chose MobiLoud

MobiLoud was the only option that delivered everything the John Varvatos team needed in an app.

• Full-service approach that helped them navigate the realm of mobile apps
• Full synchronicity with their custom Salesforce website
• Manageable cost with fast (<4 weeks) launch timeline
• Little to no operational lift once live

"The team at MobiLoud held my hand to ensure our app was done properly from beginning to end. They were there to help with everything from setting up push notifications, analytics and submitting our apps to the Apple and Google app stores."

Launch & Results

MobiLoud helped them finally get this long-desired project off the ground.

They did it with minimal stress, despite zero prior experience launching apps, and did so to positive response from tehir customers.

"Our first day of launching the app, we had over 1,000 users download it. Our company has wanted an app for some time now, but have had trouble moving forward with the project, so this success was taken very well across the organization"

While the majority of their online revenue still comes on the mobile web, the app has carved out a niche as a home for their best customers.

Those who shop in the app are hyper-engaged, opening the app regularly and spending more than three times longer in each session.

They're seeing an outsized contribution from this customer segment, with:

• 2x higher conversion rate
• 4x higher purchase rate
• 10% higher AOV
• 6x higher revenue per user than desktop, nearly 20x higher than mobile web

A 4.9/5 rating on over 600 app store reviews shows that customers couldn't be happier with the app.

The Takeaway

"Even though the app works exactly like the website, something about having a button on your phone to launch it makes it feel so modern. And the app actually works faster than the website."

If your mobile website drives revenue, there's no reason you can't launch an app that does the same.

A mobile app caters to the best of the best – your most loyal customers, who want a quick and easy way to come back and buy again.

That's why brands we work with, like John Varvatos, routinely see an outsized contribution from their app users.

You don't need a custom build or any fancy features. Just a cleanly replicated version of what already works on your mobile website.

If you want to learn how to launch your own 5 star mobile app, get in touch with us.

We'll create a free app preview to give you an interactive demo of your site as an app.

In just a few weeks, your brand could be in the app stores and on your customers' phones, driving real loyalty and sustainable revenue.