iOS & Android Service Marketplace Enhancements

Technology Stack

iOS
Android
Realm DB
Elasticsearch
Firebase
Stripe

The Client

This service marketplace connects customers with service providers from Real Estate, Insurance, Banking, Automobile, Healthcare, etc. Those who visit the platform as guest users can view the list of service providers. Those who sign up and register can also access the providers' phone numbers. The platform has iOS and Android versions, which users can download for on-the-go accessibility and ease of use.

The Challenge

The iOS and Android apps were up for use for some time when the client approached us for new enhancements. The client realized that the apps lacked the desired workability. Unless the apps underwent new enhancements, they wouldn’t be viable.

For example, the apps required:

OTP-verified logins
More powerful searches
Easy-to-use chat boxes
Secure payment gateways
Public access to content and user queries
Self-service ‘Delete account’ buttons
Push notifications
UI enhancements around registration and the Home Page

The client wanted a tech partner who could understand the pain points and implement mobility solutions accordingly.

The client already had a pre-existing relationship with Capital Numbers, as we had worked on the portal part of this solution before. Aware of our strengths, the client wanted us to now handle the mobile app enhancements.

The Solution

Capital Numbers picked two skilled resources for the job. One for handling the iOS part and the other for the Android. We initiated the project with these expert developers, who implemented the following during the enhancements:

iOS - Our iOS developer chose Swift because this programming language offers superb app intuitiveness. Swift code is easy to reuse, as well. The Swift library, Moya, also enables unlimited in-app texting - a feature we needed to allow effortless messaging between customers and service providers.

Android - Our Android developer used Kotlin because Kotlin allows faster deployments and detects errors at compile time, not during run time, ensuring error-free releases. We also used Android’s Material UI to create a beautiful frontend. We implemented Retrofit2 to make API call requests and enable in-app features like messaging, contact discovery, etc.

Apart from the above, our developers made common tech choices for iOS and Android versions. For example:

We used the MVVM architecture for both apps. MVVM helps decouple the backend from the frontend for easier module management and testing.

We chose Realm DB because it stores data reliably. Realm is also offline-first, which helped us make changes on the local DB and not directly over the network. We used Elasticsearch to speed up searches for all users.

We leveraged Firebase to handle some other tasks. For instance, push notifications, beta testing, crash tracking, issue fixing, and analytics reporting.

We replaced the existing Braintree with Stripe to help service providers securely pay their subscription fees to get enlisted.

Once done with the enhancements, we deployed the upgraded iOS and Android apps on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Results

In two months, we saw 500+ downloads on the Google Play Store and an impressive user rating on the Apple App Store. Here are some other project highlights worth mentioning:

Mobile Intuitiveness

We made the apps more usable with better UIs around registration and Home Pages with our mobility tech solutions.

OTP-verified Logins

User registrations are more secure with OTP-verified logins created by our team.

Extensive List of Service Providers

Our developers added new service providers to the platform, for instance:

Insurance Brokers
Real Estate Agents
Healthcare Professionals
Banking Experts
Life Insurance Agents
Fire Insurance Agents
Retirement Planners
Accountants
Lawyers
Marine Cargo Insurance Agents
Travel Insurance Agents

Premium Searches

The new search feature we created allows app visitors to find service providers fast, without even typing the full query at times.

Real-time Chats

The live chat window we installed helps service seekers initiate real-time communication with service professionals.

Public Access to App Content

Earlier, app visitors couldn’t access the ‘About Us’ page, ‘Contact Us’ page, and Service Providers Lists. But, we used open APIs to make it all public.

Public Access to User Queries

Earlier, visitors couldn’t even view service requests posted by others. We used public APIs to make those universally accessible, too.

Self-service Account Deletion

We added a self-service function to let customers delete their accounts without depending on the platform admin to get it done.

Secure Payments

Our Stripe integration has leveled up the in-app payment security more than the previous Braintree solution.

Push Notifications

We could ‘push’ notifications to customers on time and track user engagement because of Firebase integration.

A Workable Solution

In short, the iOS and Android apps are much more operable now. The number of users downloading the apps every day proves our successful engagement.

First Phase - Successfully Done

We’re happy with the solution’s adoption rate, which is likely to grow even more after the second phase of UI enhancements.

Second Phase - Underway

The second phase, which Capital Numbers is handling and is currently underway, will witness new integrations around the Search, Listing, Blog, and FAQs, helping the client to fully meet his mobility vision for the future.