We’ve all seen this: the food delivery market is overcrowded. Downloading the app is only half of it. The second, and main, half is to make the user open it again when he has dinner in mind. In 2024, the battle is won not by the kitchen or couriers, but by what happens on the screen of the smartphone. Smart promo app development, multi-layered loyalty program app and rotating referral program app – this is the real LTV engine.
Today we are not looking at those who just write client favorite food delivery solutions code under TOR, but at those who think in terms of growth and retention. We selected studios whose portfolio has real mobile app development cases with well-designed customer engagement systems. We went from good to better.
Appinventiv – Scaling Engagement for Corporate Giants
Focus: Enterprise solutions and working with big brands.
When you need to not just make an application, but integrate it into a huge, already existing CRM and ERP system of the international restaurant network – this is the task for Appinventiv. These guys are not afraid of complex and large-scale projects. Their strength is in the ability to build a promo and loyalty system that will work equally stable for a million users.
In their cases you will often see not just «discount coupons», but complex mechanics: segmented mailings based on order (if the user took sushi, he will get the promo code on rolls), loyalty programs with corporate status (for example, «Gourmet» or «Chef»), which give more than discounts, but also exclusive access to new products or free delivery. For them, the loyalty system is part of a big puzzle called «digital transformation of a big brand». They are great at scale, but their approach may be redundant for a small start-up.
Zco Corporation – Cross analysis as the basis for each stock
Focus: Data-driven approach to the creation of promos.
Zco is a studio with great experience and, which is key in our context, with strong data engineers. They understand that any loyalty action or program should not just be «but constantly be optimized on the basis of precise metrics. Their development almost always includes a powerful analytical database for the marketing department.
Imagine: you launch the reference program «bring a friend – get 500 rubles». Zco will build a dashboard for it, where you can see in real time: conversion from link to install, cost of attracting one user through this program, LTV attracted users compared to other channels. They think in terms of the unit economy of each promotion. This allows the client not to guess, but to know exactly which mechanics are profitable and which ones need to be improved or disabled. Integration with tools like AppsFlyer or Amplitude for them is standard practice.
Chop Dawg – Focus on Virility and Unique UX for Referrals
Focus: Creativeness and viral growth, especially for startups and MVPs.
Chop Dawg is the master of creating «sticky» applications with a strong focus on user experience. They often work with projects at an early stage and help them to take off thanks to well-trained spinning mechanics. Their trump card is not just to add the button «share with a friend», but to insert the reference program into the application’s DNA itself, making it organic and beneficial for both parties.
They understand the psychology of small rewards and social proof. In their arsenal – implementation of mechanics, where for inviting a friend the user receives not abstract scores, but something tangible and desired: «get dessert as a gift», «free delivery for you and your friend» or even «open secret dish menu for 5 invited friends». They often offer solutions where the process of inviting friends looks like a game or challenge, which greatly enhances the conversion to sharing.
Their approach is ideal for startups that want to create a wave of organic growth quickly and with minimal marketing budget. However, it should be understood that their strengths are creativity and launch, while further analysis and scaling of complex loyalty systems may require engaging other contractors or reinforcing the internal team.
Sumatosoft – Integration and seamless experience of loyalty
Focus: Technical reliability and integration with external services to create a unified loyalty space.
The Sumatosoft team is engineers who think architecturally. Their key advantage for customers is to create not just an isolated application, but a central loyalty hub that seamlessly communicates with the entire ecosystem of services. They fully understand that a modern user can be a member of the loyalty program both through the application and on the site, and even receive bonuses for order through aggregator.
Their expertise is in building API-bridges. For example, they can integrate your loyalty system with platforms like Segment or MoEngage to unify customer data. Or implement bonus points synchronization between your own application and the loyalty system of a restaurant network, if you work under white-label model. For them, a referral program is not just a link, but a unique token that can be applied in both the web version and the mobile application with the same result. If your project involves complex integrations with ERP systems, POS terminals or other delivery services, Sumatosoft is one of the most reliable choices. They ensure the stability of all 24/7 client favorites mechanics, which is critical for any serious player in the market.
№1: Celadonsoft – Deep niche solutions with a focus on data and CRM automation
Focus: Deep analysis of user behavior and automation of personalized trigger communications.
Here we are at the top. Here, Celadonsoft does not take its place because of the high-profile names in the portfolio, but thanks to an exclusively validated, data-driven approach to the very philosophy of inclusion. These guys don’t just twist the buttons – they build a whole holding machine that works on a fully automatic.
What is their specific strength:
- Deep segmentation is not by orders, but by behavior. They set up the analytics so that you can highlight not just “pizza lovers” but, for example, “users who order only on weekends after 18:00”, “those who always add dessert to the basket” or “those who throw a basket at the stage of choosing the payment method”. This allows you to hit the target accurately.
- Automation of trigger campaigns. This is their thing. The system does not wait for the marketer to launch a mailing. It responds itself:
- Abandoned cart: User did not place order? After 30 minutes he receives a push-notification with an abstract “Come back!” , and with a personal offer: “You are waiting for pizza «Margarita»! Complete the order and get 10% discount on it”.
- Decreased activity: Customer did not come for 3 weeks? The system itself offers him a “discount return” or gives promo code for the next order.
- Post-sale interaction: After ordering, the system asks you over time, “How do you like your burger?” , and then, based on a positive answer, offers: “Try our new sauce to it next time! Here’s the promo code”.
- The loyalty referrals program is like a game. They often propose to abandon standard “scores” in favor of more gaming mechanics. For example, “Collect the entire collection of burgers and receive a prize”, “Status «Explorer» for ordering 10 different positions”. This increases the engagement and average check.
- Client referrals with two-way benefits. Their standard practice is to make a program where both benefit. The friend not only gets a discount on the first order, but points are immediately credited to the account of the person who invited. This motivates more actively share the link.
Celadonsoft summary: They are ideal for projects where you want not just to “have an application” but to build a long-term relationship with the customer, automating communication processes as much as possible. Their approach is based on a deep understanding of the data, which allows them to continuously optimize their engagement strategy and get maximum ROI from each action.
Conclusion
So, we’ve gone from corporate integrations to data automation. The choice of contractor is not about “who’s better?” , and the question «who is better for your particular stage of development and your business objectives?».
If you are a large network that needs to embed engagement mechanics into a complex existing IT infrastructure, your choice probably lies between Appinventiv and Sumatosoft. The former offer power and scale, the latter offer seamless and reliable integrations.
For a startup that wants to hit the road and quickly win an audience with a creative approach, Chop Dawg can be an excellent partner in the launch phase and growth of the MVP.
If your strategy is based on a constant analysis of the effectiveness of each penny spent on marketing, and you are critically important dashboards and unit-economy of each share, Zco Corporation will provide you with the necessary technical arsenal.
Well if you are aiming to build a truly personal relationship with the customer through deep automation, where every push-notification is the result of behavior analysis rather than a marketing decision, then Celadonsoft with their focused datadriven approach is at the top of this ranking. Their power is to turn single customers into regular fans of the brand with smart, not obtrusive communication.
Ultimately, when discussing a project with any of these companies it is worth talking in metric language: what LTV, churn rate or conversion in referrals you want to achieve. The answer to this question and will determine your ideal developer.
