The Challenge
Updater helps people manage the chaos of moving: booking movers, setting up utilities, changing addresses. For years, users accessed the service through email, SMS, and mobile web.
The problem: mobile web couldn't deliver the experience users expected. Conversion rates lagged. Engagement dropped off between sessions. And with moving season approaching, the window to fix it was narrow.
What We Built
Updater came to us in early spring with a clear goal: launch native iOS and Android apps before the summer moving rush. Three months, start to finish.
Strategy. Speed mattered more than feature parity. We prioritized the flows that drove revenue—TV and internet signups—and designed everything else to support them.
Hybrid approach. React Native for speed, with web views where native development would slow us down. Not the prettiest architecture, but the right one for the timeline.
Progressive native. After launch, we systematically replaced web components with native code. Each release got faster and more polished.
UX audit. Beyond the app itself, we reviewed the entire onboarding flow. Small friction points add up. Removing them compounds.
The Result
Both apps launched before peak season. The impact was immediate:
- 3x increase in TV and internet signup conversion
- Triple order rates for key product categories
- 4.5+ star ratings on both app stores
The hybrid approach let us ship on time. The progressive native strategy let us improve without disrupting. Users got a better experience; the business got better numbers.
Moving season is unforgiving. Miss the window and you wait a year. We didn't miss.