Ecosystem

2020 — 2021

Super App for an Ecosystem of Healthy Lifestyle Services

Topstretching is a super app built for a fitness company. Thanks to the app, the company achieves a better customer retention by helping its customers live a better life.

super app

fitness

Goal

The ecosystem of happiness

Topstretching is a global chain of stretching and fitness studios with locations in Ukraine, the UAE, and Indonesia. Apart from training, they also organize master classes, sports tours, and parties for female clients, and sell sportswear and equipment.

In 2019, Topstretching set a new ambitious goal—to help their clients feel happier through fitness. They came to our agency, and together we created a super app for a healthy lifestyle.

1.5x

Revenue boost from new services

+63%

Customer base growth

+70%

Higher customer lifetime value

Our solution

Growing the business with a super app

Adding value to workouts for better customer retention

Topstretching’s target audience is body-conscious women. In the studios, they not only exercise but also socialize, exchange recipes, share their gains, and discover new things. In other words, a typical Topstretching client comes to a studio to feel happier. The founders realized that their new product needed to address this general need.

“Topstretching wanted to make the value of their product exceed its price.”

Kirill

Project manager, HeyInnovations

Attracting new female clients in cities with no studios

Topstretching owners were looking to expand into new cities and countries. Until 2019, they’d opened studios and sold franchises. But when online training took off, they saw an opportunity to expand their business at a lower cost.

Initially, Topstretching launched live online workouts via Instagram and sold programs through a ready-made learning management system (LMS).

Later, Topstretching went further and decided to create a digital ecosystem that would help women stay fit, eat healthy, connect with like-minded people, and track their workout progress.

Building fitness ecosystem

With the ecosystem, Topstretching wanted to:

Become a women’s assistant outside the studio.
Return investment in a predictable timeframe and grow faster.
Combine the company’s services in a single interface.
Highlight the competitive advantage.

Topstretching's owners initially considered using a no-code builder to create their digital product, a common choice for small businesses like theirs.

However, this option was ruled out due to its inability to support essential features. On top of that, it would be difficult to maintain and expand the application due to platform limitations.

Key tasks

We worked with Topstretching to build an ecosystem roadmap and develop a super app.

Studying the client’s business and its audience’s interests.

Developing native applications for iOS and Android.

Selecting and prioritizing functionality.

Coming up with design concepts.

Designing interfaces.

Here's how we did it

Studied customer data to determine the core value of the service

We started with understanding common tasks among female clients, such as using calorie counters, keeping food diaries, and engaging with personal growth content.

The data helped us map user needs and select solutions that Topstretching could offer, aligning with the Jobs-To-Be-Done concept—a framework for understanding why people buy products or services. Thus, we found out why customers would use the ecosystem and how it would help them feel happier.

Mapped user stories to determine the app functionality

With the core product value in mind, we mapped out the different user stories to see what users should be able to do within the app. We drafted three main scenarios for app use: to exercise, to eat healthy, and to improve mental health. For each scenario, we outlined the steps to complete the task.

We wrote down the steps on cards and organized the cards into a sequence — a user stories map. Thus, we understood which features to add to the app and which ones to leave out.

Designed the interface that takes into account both the company’s and users’ interests

In the prototype, we relied on the user stories map, but kept in mind that the app had to generate revenue for the company. For this purpose, we organized the app’s functions into five tabs: Home, Nutrition, Workouts, Mind, and More. For each tab, we thought through sales mechanics.

The Home tab

The main screen integrates user information with the company's offers. Users can track their fitness progress, view upcoming workouts, and stay updated on program news.

At the top of the screen, stories highlight new fitness programs and promotions. One of these stories shows a gallery of popular products, helping users join a program quicker based on peer choices.

Tabs for three use cases

We have highlighted the three main usage scenarios in the tab bar — Workouts, Nutrition, and Mind. Each of these three tabs is a mini-app inside the super app, and the home tab is a control center uniting the three mini apps.

The Workouts tab helps users pick a workout and track their progress.

The Nutrition tab helps users stick to a diet.

The Mind tab helps users take care of their mental health.

The More tab

Topstretching aimed to fulfill additional customer needs—looking stylish and socializing offline. To achieve this, the company decided to offer sportswear and event tickets within the app.

At first, we placed the store in the tab bar, but it proved distracting from the primary focus on training. Recognizing this, we relocated the store and events to the More tab, ensuring easy access without detracting from the app's core features.

Features for boosting sales

Customers usually don’t subscribe to the service until they see the value in it. So, to make new users appreciate the app’s features, we introduced trial access.

To increase sales of additional products, we implemented a cross-selling mechanism that would recommend products to users at the right time. For example, when a user is watching a workout, we recommend a gym mat or a dumbbell set.

One style for online and offline

Topstretching wanted to create a consistent brand experience for its customers. Thus, the app, website, and offline studios needed to have a similar look and feel.

To achieve this, we used elements from the website and the interior of the studios in the app design. This created a sense of familiarity for existing customers and helped to make the app feel more trustworthy for new customers.

Website fonts and illustrations

Topstretching’s clients had used the website to sign up for classes and check program schedules. To make the app feel familiar and inviting to these users, we used sans-serif fonts and illustrations from the website.

Elements from the offline studios

Some Topstretching studio visitors weren’t used to online training. To attract these customers, we made the app feel as familiar as the physical studios by adding the interior elements of the studios to the app interface. For example, the stories and empty states feature quotes from the studios.

Making the app more user-centric

Topstretching wanted to encourage subscribing to the service and buying fitness programs in its new app. To do this, we implemented a personalized onboarding that would collect data from users and use it to recommend relevant content.

During onboarding, users provide information about their gender, height, weight, fitness level, and goals. This info is later used to suggest workouts and nutrition courses tailored to the user’s needs.

Fitness hub for staying in shape

The Workouts section of the app is an in-app fitness hub with fitness programs and activities. Here, users easily find what they need, whether they are looking for a specific workout, program, or trainer.

Extra info to help choose the right trainer

We offer descriptions of trainer experience and program previews on their page. Users with prior offline training experience with a specific trainer can easily switch to online with the same trainer.

Program details for quick purchase

We help users make an informed purchasing decision with the program info. It includes the number of workouts, muscle groups, required equipment, and supervising trainers.

Timecodes for convenient workouts

While testing fitness apps, we identified a common issue: the inconvenience of manually dragging the video progress bar to find specific exercises during workouts. To address this, we introduced timestamps with exercise names for seamless navigation.

Social mechanics for user engagement

During the pandemic, Topstretching hosted online sports challenges and observed a drop in user engagement mid-challenge. We added ratings and social features, to keep users motivated.

Food portal for healthy eating

The Nutrition tab helps users follow their diets with a calorie counter, a food diary, and adjustable diets.

“The tools in the Nutrition tab help not only users. The company benefits too: customers open the Topstretching app more often and don’t have to look for other apps.”

Kirill

Project manager, HeyInnovations

Customizable diets for more motivation

Topstretching noticed that users struggled with manual diet planning. They found it complex and time-consuming, and as a result, quickly abandoned their diets.

To solve this, we made nutrition programs more convenient. Users now select a meal plan and daily calorie intake, and the app automatically suggests meals. Plans can be customized by adding meals and adjusting servings.

Progress trackers

We also added progress trackers to the app so that users could track their calorie intake and water consumption. This helps them stick to their diets while Topstretching benefits from a higher app usage frequency.

Personal growth library for getting inspired

The Mind tab is designed to help users maintain their mental health and well-being. It features live broadcasts and recordings of lectures about psychology and personal growth. For Topstretching, it means a higher user engagement.

Categories for easy navigation

We've categorized lectures into creativity, relationships, and inspiration categories for easy navigation. Users can filter them by topic, length, and speaker.

Resources for deeper exploration

Lecture pages help users explore topics more deeply. Users can learn about the speaker, download materials, ask questions, and discuss topics with peers.

Quizzes for a higher engagement

Quizzes based on webinars, lectures, and live broadcasts let users earn points that can be redeemed for sports equipment or programs.

Results

In this project, as in many others, we nailed the client’s business problem and realized their idea in the form of a digital ecosystem and super app. Topstretching had complex requirements, but we met all of them on time, creating a truly unique product that serves both the business and its customers.

1.5x

Revenue boost from new services

+70%

Higher customer lifetime value

+63%

Customer base growth

Let’s develop solutions to skyrocket your ecosystem together!

George Petersen

Head of Business Development

Let's talk

Do you have a project in mind or want to learn more super apps and digital ecosystems? Reach out, we’ll be glad to talk.

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Super App for an Ecosystem of Healthy Lifestyle Services

The ecosystem of happiness

Growing the business with a super app

Adding value to workouts for better customer retention