Sleefs is a South Florida-based sportswear brand, selling equipment and apparel for football, basketball, baseball, soccer and more.
Florida-based sportswear brand Sleefs had a mobile app, which was built and managed through a popular Shopify app builder.
Their customers were using the app, but internally, due to the custom design factor on their website, the app was a drain on their small team's resources.
With 85% of their revenue on mobile, it was clear they still needed an app, but their current setup wasn't sustainable. That's when they found MobiLoud.
Snapshot
Vertical: Sportswear & accessories
Platform: Shopify
Key Metrics:
- 40% higher conversion rate in the app
- 30% higher AOV in the app
- App users average 2.75x more visits, 2x higher session duration
- 3x revenue per app user vs mobile web
Business Impact:
- 50% reduction in app-related workload & cost
- Full feature parity with their website (with no additional development)
"Every time we had a promotion or we had, you know, to change the design, or the new collection or whatever, we had to maintain two different sites. We're a small company, so the more time that we can save, the better".
- Jamie Schuster, CEO, SLEEFS
The Roadblock
SLEEFS’ first mobile app ran on a popular template-based Shopify mobile app builder. It converted, but every merch drop or design tweak meant:
- Updating the website and a separate app backend.
- Settling for a generic look that wasn't consistent with SLEEFS' custom UI.
- Significant custom development to integrate custom features from their website.
“We don’t want to have to manage two different UX, UIs. It's just a pain to have to basically have to manage two different sites.”
Compounding the operational cost was that their app provider had just announced a rise in prices, including a success fee that would begin taking a cut from the sales made in their app.
That fast-tracked their decision to look for an alternative.
"There is a design factor - with our original app we were a little bit limited. We worked with what we had, but being able to replicate our design is part of the reason why we're with MobiLoud.”
Why They Chose MobiLoud
They briefly looked at the possibility of building a custom app, to get past the liimitations they faced with app builders.
However, with the scale of their business and resources already stretched, they didn't have the budget (or the bandwidth) to justify going the custom route.
“We did consider building a custom app. But we don't have a developer we're comfortable with, and having to go through iterations and then parts not working… and as a small business, it's just not worth it.”
But when they found MobiLoud, they realized it was possible to have the best of both worlds.
- They were able to maintain a single codebase. Edit the website once, and their app updates automatically. No double work.
- MobiLoud converted their fully custom theme, and even their product-configurator app, with no compromises or additional development.
- No hiring costly developers, no revenue share or success fees.
It turned out to be the ideal approach for their lean business to maintain a mobile app
The Results
The switch took weeks - not months.
We seamlessly converted their mobile website (which handled over three quarters of their total online business), into iOS and Android apps that replicated that same winning user experience, right in the customer's pocket.
Their existing customers noticed no interruption. They've seen consistent results since migrating their app, with less than half the work to maintain.
The app serves as a home for their most engaged, loyal customers, driving:
- 30% higher AOV
- 40% higher conversion rates
- 2.75x more visits per user
- 2x longer session times
- 3x higher revenue per user
- 10% of their online sales (roughly even with desktop)
The Takeaway
A lot of the time, "simpler" no-code options actually end up being more work than anticipated - especially when your site has custom elements that need to carry over to your app.
Native development is overkill. But app builders are too limited.
MobiLoud is the best of both. You can maintain custom, unique experiences that your customers love - free from limitations, with minimal overhead.
In the past 10 years we've helped over 2,000 businesses, including countless successful Shopify brands, do just this.
If you're ready to see how MobiLoud can help your business save operating costs (without sacrificing user experience), get in touch.
Get a free preview of your app now, and we'll show you why MobiLoud is the best way for Shopify brands to build and launch mobile apps.
Sleefs is a South Florida-based sportswear brand, selling equipment and apparel for football, basketball, baseball, soccer and more.
