TLDR

Did you know that 59% of users uninstall the app due to usability issues and bad experience? For coffee shops, this highlights the crucial role of UI and UX in retaining customers via mobile apps.  Per Diem is a white-label mobile ordering app builder that empowers coffee shops to craft a customized, smooth, and highly functional user experience. In this article, we'll share the technical aspects of the app’s user flow, from the initial onboarding process to order completion, detailing how each step has been designed to enhance usability, efficiency, and the overall customer journey.

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Tailored Onboarding Process

The journey begins with a custom onboarding experience integral to brand recognition. Per Diem enables coffee shops to customize their onboarding flow fully. This includes three personalized splash screens, brand-specific imagery, and messaging that resonates with the customer.

Technically, the app supports multiple authentication methods. Users can continue as guests or sign up using SMS or email onboarding. This flexibility in user authentication caters to a broad spectrum of customers, whether they prefer a quick interaction or want the full-featured experience of account creation. The app’s back-end infrastructure ensures that this process is both secure and seamless, utilizing encrypted communication protocols to protect user data.

Dynamic Homepage

Upon successful login or guest entry, users are greeted with a dynamic homepage that serves as the app's command center. This is more than just a landing screen—it's a highly interactive space where users view essential information at a glance. The homepage prominently displays loyalty points and store credits, directly integrated into the app’s database. These features are calculated in real time, ensuring users always have an up-to-date view of their rewards.

The homepage also pulls in content from the brand’s Instagram feed using API integrations, offering a live, engaging social media experience within the app. This keeps the app content-rich and visually engaging without requiring the user to leave the interface.

Brands can also showcase a customizable banner on the homepage, used to highlight special offers or new menu items. This banner supports embedding YouTube videos, allowing cafes or bakeries to present promotional content or pop-up video banners, adding another layer of personalization and engagement.

At the bottom of the homepage, a footer navigation bar includes a prominent order button. This button is designed for easy accessibility, leading users seamlessly into the ordering process, and making navigation intuitive and user-friendly.

Streamlined Menu Navigation

Clicking the order button takes users to the menu page, which is designed with simplicity and speed in mind. The menu layout is clean, intuitive, and responsive, allowing users to browse through items with minimal friction. The backend handles real-time data synchronization with the store’s inventory system, ensuring that only available items are shown to customers.

The menu is divided into categories, and each item is presented with high-resolution images, detailed descriptions, and pricing information. This ensures that the user has all the necessary information to make an informed choice. The user can select their desired item, which then prompts customization options.

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Customization Options

Once an item is selected, the app transitions to the customization screen. Here, users can personalize their order down to the smallest detail, such as selecting the type of milk, flavor shots, and other customizations.

From a technical perspective, the app’s architecture supports a variety of customization parameters that can be dynamically updated by the coffee shop. This ensures that users always have access to the latest customization options.

Smooth Cart Management and Checkout Process

After customization, the item is added to the cart. Users can review their selections, adjust quantities, or remove items. The cart page is optimized for clarity and ease of use, ensuring that users can quickly verify their order before proceeding.

The checkout process is streamlined to minimize the number of steps required to complete the purchase. Users can select their preferred payment method, including Apple Pay, which is integrated using secure tokenization techniques to ensure the safety of financial transactions.

Additionally, users can choose to add a custom tip amount. This feature is designed to be straightforward, allowing users to show their appreciation with just a few taps.

Post-Order Engagement

After placing their order, users are not just left hanging. The app immediately transitions to a post-order screen, where customers are prompted to leave a review. The review system is integrated with the app’s backend, allowing for easy management and feedback analysis by the coffee shop.  If a user leaves a negative review, Per Diem automatically notifies the store, allowing them to respond quickly and effectively through the merchant dashboard. This feature not only ensures timely customer service but also helps maintain the store's reputation by addressing issues promptly.

Moreover, the app offers an optional gamification feature: Spin the Wheel. This feature, which appears after the order is placed, is a creative way to keep customers engaged. The implementation of this feature utilizes a randomization algorithm to ensure fair play and reward distribution.

Real-Time Order Tracking with Push Notifications

Throughout the order fulfillment process, users are kept in the loop with real-time push notifications. These notifications update customers on their order status, from preparation to ready-for-pickup. The push notification system is built on a robust messaging framework that ensures timely and reliable delivery, enhancing the user experience by providing transparency and reducing anxiety.

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Final Thoughts

Per Diem is not just another white-label app for placing orders—it’s a comprehensive Square-integrated platform designed to enhance every aspect of the coffee shop customer journey. From the initial onboarding to post-purchase engagement, every step is thoughtfully designed with the user in mind, leveraging the latest in mobile app technology to deliver a seamless and engaging experience. By focusing on a well-structured and efficient user flow, coffee shops can ensure that they not only meet but exceed customer expectations, driving both satisfaction and loyalty in an increasingly digital world.

Compete with the global coffee chains with your own app. Per Diem lets you launch your app, complete with loyalty rewards and easy ordering, all without any coding. Sign up today to experience these features for your store.

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