Based in the USA, Harney & Sons Fine Teas was founded in 1983 by John Harney. The company is now run by the second and third generation of Harneys. Their 250+ blends are sipped in homes, hotels, restaurants, cafes, and cruise ships.
Known for quality and innovation, H&S had high standards for its mobile app. The team tried not one but two no-code app builders, and both fell short. On one hand, customer experience was compromised due to shallow integrations and limited customization capabilities, particularly with the loyalty program which was completely broken in the previous app. On the other hand, marketing experiments were slowed down because of lengthy development processes and sluggish customer service. Hence, Emeric Harney decided to switch to Apptile.
The H&S team was pleasantly surprised with Apptile's powerful platform and top-notch customer service.
They opted for the enterprise plan.
Full-service app design and launch: The new H&S app was customised on Apptile platform by a dedicated team including design, product, engineering and marketing. Apptile also managed the app launch— seamlessly migrating existing customers to the new app.
Self-serve app management: H&S team can now independently update the app's content, design, and features—no coding required.
Deep third-party integrations: Previous no-code builders integrated with 3rd party tools but left out many crucial user flows. For instance, H&S customers could view their reward points on the previous app but not redeem them. With Apptile, all that changed for good. Apptile also went out of their way to support H&S's strategic plugin changes, like migrating their search and filter to Nosto.
Robust loyalty program: The revamped rewards program allows users to easily track, earn and redeem store credit. Customers can view reward tiers, learn how to earn store credit, and redeem store credit - all within the app. This dynamic loyalty setup ensures the program is actually usable and not just there for namesake.
Personalized product recommendations: Using Nosto integration, the app now provides highly personalized product recommendations based on user's browsing behavior and purchase history. These tailored suggestions appear on product detail pages and cart page, helping to upsell and cross-sell from H&S's extensive catalog.
Enhanced subscription management: While the previous app allowed subscribing to teas, it lacked key management capabilities. The new app empowers subscribers to easily pause, reactivate, cancel, update address or skip a shipment right from their account, drastically improving user stickiness and loyalty.
Advanced search and filtering: Leveraging Nosto integration, the app now offers more advanced filter options compared to the basic ones in the previous app. Users can filter by preferences like organic, drastically elevating the buying experience.
It's been great working with the team at Apptile to launch a sophisticated app that reflects not [just] our fantastic product offerings, but also the rich content that we want to share with our customers to help nurture their passion for our products. The team is responsive and a pleasure [to] collaborate with.
H&S is setting new benchmarks for excellence in the tea industry, pairing their fine teas with unparalleled digital experiences. With high repeat user rates, leveraging the app for engagement and education is key. This can deepen connections with existing fans and also invite a new wave of tea aficionados. We at Apptile are honored to support their vision, grateful for their trust, patience, and valuable feedback.
Emeric and Jelani from the H&S team are intent on expanding their community of tea enthusiasts through the app. To further enrich the experience, they are exploring new features like personalized product recommendations and video commerce.