XCVI Relaunched Their App and Eliminated 10 Hours of Weekly Overhead

XCVI Fashion, a family-owned women's apparel brand in business since 1996, initially hesitated to launch a mobile app.

Having waited for their DTC businesses to grow big enough to justify a mobile app, they took the plunge about three years ago.

Unfortunately, their first go at an app ended up as a major operational burden. They eventually made the decision to look for a solution with less overhead, which was what led them to MobiLoud.

Snapshot

Vertical: Fashion

Platform: Shopify

Key Metrics:

• 30% higher AOV in app vs mobile website
• 2x higher conversion rate in app
• 4.8x higher revenue per app user vs mobile web

Business Impact:

• Saved ~10 hours per week in maintenance vs previous app
• Full, automatic sync with their website - less bandwidth required from their team
• Maintaining a 4.9/5 app store rating

"MobiLoud keeps this whole thing simple and streamlined. No more juggling two different platforms, no more wasted time on maintenance. We can just focus on marketing and growing the business."
- Eric Lowe, Director of Ecommerce

Relaunching & Finding a Better Approach

With their first app provider, XCVI were sold on a tight integration with Shopify, and a simple approach to building an app.

The reality didn't quite line up.

While their website and app were somewhat in sync, they ended up with two separate platforms to manage.

"We went with another company because they promoted how heavily they were involved in Shopify and how simple it would be. In some regards, it's simple, but there were still issues because we essentially had to maintain two different storefronts."

Every homepage change, product update, or promotion required double the work.

When Shopify released new features or improvements, the app wouldn't automatically benefit, creating a growing feature gap that required constant workarounds.

This dual maintenance created significant operational friction. It directly impacted how they utilized their app, limiting promotions and features because they couldn't justify the additional maintenance time.

Integrated with Shopify vs Leveraging Shopify

When XCVI's growth manager introduced MobiLoud, what stood out was the fundamentally different approach.

Instead of building the app as a separate platform, "integrated" with Shopify, their app directly leveraged their Shopify site.

"MobiLoud made a lot of sense because it literally uses Shopify. When Shopify upgrades or updates, the app is updated. When we change a page or product or sort order or a product goes out of stock and we want to hide it, it just works."

This solution used their existing mobile site, but offered the ability to add exclusive elements for app users when desired.

MobiLoud's approach finally allowed them to simplify their operations. As a result, they were able to save an estimated 8-10 hours weekly on app maintenance by making the switch.

Best of all, it didn't come by sacrificing features. Just the opposite. MobiLoud's integrated analytics approach, for example, made comprehensive reporting on their app easy - something that would have cost upwards of $500/month with their previous provider.

Provider vs Partner

With XCVI's first attempt at launching an app, they chose an app provider.

In MobiLoud, they got an app partner.

"With MobiLoud, I absolutely feel like the team genuinely wants us to succeed and are excited to see how they can help us and get the most out of our app."

Instead of scripted calls and generic solutions, MobiLoud provided personalized attention, with a dedicated expert who actively solved problems and anticipated potential issues before they emerged.

Results

Switching to a new mobile app provider is always a significant undertaking.

Though their previous app had become untenable, Eric still had concerns about potential disruption for their customers.

"I was obviously concerned during the transition, worried our customers would have a terrible experience. But the MobiLoud team crushed it - they were so responsive, fixing any little glitches lightning fast. Gave me total peace of mind."

Not only did they pull off the relaunch smoothly, their app continues to drive meaningful results from a small, but engaged customer segment.

• 2x conversion rate in the app vs mobile web
• 30% higher AOV
• 4.8x higher revenue per user in app

All this with:

• Less operational complexity
• Less mental load
• More speed and flexibility
• Higher level of service and support

They now have the freedom to think about growing their app - not just putting all their resources into keeping the lights on.

With that new freedom, they're working on growing their app user base, and shifting some of their SMS communications to push notifications, as a cost-effective alternative.

The Takeaway

While Shopify-integrated app builders tease the ability to build a fully-synced mobile app in minutes, the reality is, it's a separate platform.

If your website already works great on mobile, already converts, there's no reason to rebuild.

MobiLoud will turn your Shopify website into a mobile app that's fully synced with your website, for minimal lift and maximum flexibility - with the support of a dedicated team as well.

"I found that the team really cared and dug into the details. It felt like you guys personally care about making sure that we are successful.”

Want to replicate XCVI's success, and see your store as an app?

We’ll build you a working preview - no commitment required.

Get your free app preview now and see it in action.