Revolutionizing User Engagement through Mobile App Development

User Engagement, App Features, and Future Plans

While Varun's approach to development was certainly innovative, it was Han Wei's creative vision that led to a significant stride in user engagement. Han Wei conceptualized NP Coins, a unique digital reward/point system, and worked closely with Varun to bring it to fruition. The system incentivized app usage, with members earning coins for purchases made through the app. These coins could then be used for Lucky Draws and product redemption. This innovative strategy led to a significant surge in user engagement. The introduction of NP Coins resulted in a 156% increase in participation between two Lucky Draws held in August 2022 and December 2022, demonstrating the effectiveness of Han Wei's idea and the successful collaboration with Varun to execute it.

"We currently have around 500 plus users. That was our initial goal, to get 500 members. The number seems very small for an app, but first of all, it's Singapore. So, we are looking at a narrower demographic within our members compared to other regions. Also, enticing members to download the app took a little time for older generations. We are still trying to push, and the number is slowly increasing. We hope to have at least a thousand users the next time when we speak.

I'll take the example of our Lucky Draw during those times. We don't have those statistics for our daily active users right now, but we have received orders or interactions from more than 350 members on average. You must have interactive approaches to using the app and active users who purchase every two or three weeks. There are 10,15 of those who, every few weeks, buy something new. Those are very active users."

The app's features played a pivotal role in enhancing user experience. The app significantly lowered entry barriers and improved operational efficiency by enabling members to use their existing login credentials, incorporating PayNow as a payment option, and streamlining form-filling and validation processes. The app's core features included bulk payments, member ID login, multiple address storage, and an in-built coin shop.

“We are still adding the features upon the business member's request. One feature we worked on was the introduction code, which many members requested. And there are some other things that we are still bottlenecked by NP API and the resources we have, and we are trying our best with what we have. For example, a feature we wanted to add, and we had already designed it, but we still needed the functions, is an organization chart. All members requested the feature, but sadly, the function is only available for the Japan site, and we cannot add it. We can't work on that independently because we are dependent on the NP API to give us the data.

A significant feature we have been working on is NP 101, a series of tutorials and training videos for new employees showing how the company works and the business model. We just designed the UI from scratch and now kickstarted the development of it.

One last feature we are working on is showing all kinds of achievement points. I know there's a separate app for that. It would be great to show them within our app.”

To streamline the processes and expand its user base, Varun focuses on two key projects and prioritizing product quality.

“My current project is to make the entire app controllable via a Windows application since I'm also handling all the configuration and settings for the app. We are developing the Windows app so that customer support staff can directly make changes when needed without having to ask me to do it. We want to ensure we spend much more time developing and not dealing with configurations. I'm also working on the NP 2.0 project involving order creation in the NP API. These are the two main projects we are working towards, and we are trying to release them around July.

We realized early on that adding features members don't want is useless. Enhancing the quality of the product will inevitably lead to more people using it. We aim to reduce transaction costs even further and grow our user base. We currently have 500 users, but with 2.3 million SGD in annual revenue, there is definitely activity. We are letting the growth be organic right now, and as the app evolves, more members will download it. Our estimate is to have a thousand users within another year.”

Varun and his team have ambitious plans for the app's future development. They are available to expand this app to other Naturally Plus regions. By doing so, regions without an online app could use NP infrastructure to help increase or start their online revenue.

“We are open to expanding and have contacted the Korea Branch, but sadly, it didn't work out. We are looking at other branches, such as Malaysia, for potential collaboration. Our team is prepared to accommodate various regions' business requirements and policies, create versions in different languages, and take on all development overheads and costs.

We are committed to tailoring the app to specific regional needs by developing apps for other regions. By taking on all development expenses, we aim to establish a mutually beneficial relationship with our partners, offering different compensation models like annual subscriptions or per-order payments, depending on the region.”

All members of NPSG are aware of Varun's ambitious plan and display strong support. The environment at NPSG fosters collaboration and mutual encouragement for the app's growth.