youchamp
youchamp is a powerful split bill app designed, developed and managed by the DigiGround team. With this app, you can share costs and money split with zero hassle.
Case Study Youchamp
Harnessing the power of expense management technology to foster caring and sharing
Services
Mobile Application Development / Website Design & Development / SEO Management / Social Media Management / Graphic Design / Sales / PPC Marketing / Email Marketing
Overview
youchamp is an Android and IOS app that aims to make group purchases and bill splitting easier. With youchamp you can create groups and organise split payments with friends and family. You’ll never miss out on being paid for anything again. Users can use it when they have a dinner with a group and easily create an equal split group for friends to pay the organiser by cash, direct debit or credit card.
Our Solution
While there were mobile apps available to split group bills, none of them provided the one-stop platform that users really wanted. The youchamp app was the result of a collaborative effort between all of our DigiGround teams, who came together to build an app that would solve all of the problems of the target audience. Following a comprehensive market analysis, in-depth persona research and focus groups, DigiGround decided on the best features for the application to meet all user needs. We would build a website to give users more information, provide marketing to promote the app and bring the app to life with effective and innovative branding and design work.While conducting empirical research and focus group testing, we encountered new ideas that made us revise the basis of our project including the name of the product. In Australian slang, we are used to hearing “you champion”, which is how we came up with the name youchamp. It stemmed from the idea that if you care, you will share, and if you share and pay your mates, you’re a champion. The tagline was “youcare youshare youchamp!”The Challenge
The client wanted to create a fully-functioning mobile application that works on all mobile devices. They wanted it to have a chat feature, direct payment ability, multiple payment gateways, contact list access, an intelligent assistant and many more features. This app would be built from scratch and would require complete branding and marketing services in addition to development.Mobile Application Development
Objective
DigiGround’s mobile application development team combined their research insights and responsive web design expertise to build a consistent, effective and unique mobile user experience. Our design-driven approach helped the team to move quickly from planning mobile features to crafting an amazing interactive design.
Strategy
We began the project by conducting market research. This was completed with the intention of learning how youchamp should be developed, what function it should have and what gaps in technology it needed to fulfil in order to meet all the consumer’s needs.
DigiGround then brainstormed how youchamp should look and feel. We identified the features that will be in the app and how users will find and use them. Our graphic design team then created wireframes for the application. These showed what the final youchamp product would look like. The wireframes outlined what youchamp does and how the product will operate. We then used this wireframe to create a prototype that we could test on before the actual development begins.
Our technical and highly skilled team then began building the code for youchamp. The platform had a simple, yet intuitive design supplied by the graphic design team. It was designed to enhance the user’s ability to connect with friends and make quick payments. The smooth layout and intuitive design allowed users to easily manage their expenses, set up their profile and request payments. The app featured optional tutorials and helpful instructions to enhance the user experience.
The Result
The app was a success and functioned exactly as planned. DigiGround has since grown the user base, boosted its use in real-life situations and partnered with local businesses. Since it’s inception, DigiGround has been working on creating new features for youchamp and we are continually working on improving the user experience for customers to make it the best app available in Australia.Interest to Build Your Own App?
App Screens
Website Design And Development
Objective
DigiGround was approached to design and develop a website that complements the youchamp app, providing additional information for users and giving them a port of call for all the support they need. To make the website effective, DigiGround would also need to provide search engine optimisation (SEO) services with the purpose of increasing youchamp’s visibility in search engine results pages.
Strategy
DigiGround’s graphic design team worked collaboratively with the client to create an attractive and useful website design. We followed the youchamp brand guidelines as the website needed to look and feel like a youchamp website. We added images that reflected youchamp’s target audience and wrote website content that captured youchamp’s voice and personality. The result was a fun, inclusive website that was also helpful and worth revisiting.Once the website design was approved by the client, our DigiGround website development team began turning it into a functioning website. Using WordPress, DigiGround followed the design and used custom CSS where necessary to ensure that the website looked the way it needed.The Result
DigiGround’s web developers built a functional WordPress website to help the client convert visitors into leads. Not only was the website easy to navigate, but it also saves the client time as WordPress is an easy CMS to use for managing and editing a website. The youchamp website is engaging, with people viewing an average of two pages per visit and spending over two minutes on the website each time.Interested in building an app like this?
SEO Management
Objective
youchamp needed to increase their website’s visibility in order to grow its online presence and boost its userbase. DigiGround put together an SEO management plan to get more people visiting the website and, as a result, downloading the app. This would involve on-site and off-site SEO, as well as social media management and blogging.
Strategy
DigiGround began by analysing the client’s competitors and market. This would enable us to find the most effective keywords to target on the website. We compiled a list of longtail keywords and determined the best webpages in which they would be added. Our SEO manager then worked on optimising each page on a weekly basis. This involved adding the keyword to image ALT tags, body text and meta data. We also ensured that keywords were included in social media profiles and their Google My Business listing. This would help boost their ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs) by providing backlinks and an increased online presence.The Result
We applied our extensive SEO expertise to get youchamp the results for which they were looking. Since coming onboard with DigiGround, youchamp has experienced strong and growing organic traffic. After six months, youchamp’s organic traffic went from 100 visitors per month to over 1,200 per month. Their pageviews have grown by 68.84% and the average session duration has improved by 97.70%. DigiGround continues to work through youchamp’s pages and posts to improve the site’s SEO and boost their overall digital results.
Do you want to develop an app like this?
Social Media Management
Objective
To further their marketing and SEO efforts, youchamp required an online presence. They wanted to create social media accounts which can be used to engage with customers, capture their target audience and build awareness of the youchamp app.
Strategy
DigiGround created four channels for social media marketing: Facebook, LinkedIn, Google + and Twitter. Each promotional day was to be created as an event on Facebook and promoted. This would create an opportunity to add a post to the youchamp newsfeed and for people to RSVP. Concurrently, social media posts would be published to encourage engagement and downloads. This would also contribute to SEO, bring traffic back to the website and boost youchamp’s brand online.The Result
Social media has been performing as the client has hoped, with 28.1% of their website visitors arriving to the site from social media links. Their social media pages now have an active and growing following, and their Facebook reach has grown by a huge 400%. DigiGround continues to provide youchamp with ongoing social media management services to help them maintain an active online presence.Have an app development idea in mind?
Graphic Design
Objective
Before we could build the youchamp app, develop its website and launch its marketing, DigiGround needed to develop a brand for youchamp. They needed help creating the youchamp logo and brand guidelines. Despite having a clear vision for the application, the client was struggling to differentiate it from other apps on the market. After holding a discovery session with DigiGround, they realised that they need a strategic brand development and marketing materials that would deliver their compelling customer value proposition.
Strategy
DigiGround found that youchamp’s real differentiation in branding was its friendly, fun and cheeky nature. To bring this to life, our graphic design team crafted a quirky brand personality that was brought to life through a mascot. This mascot, named Champy, would later be integrated into the youchamp app as an intelligent assistant (AI bot). This mascot would be used across youchamp’s marketing and act as a familiar face for users. Our graphic designers also created designs for youchamp’s user interface and website. The tone and voice of these designs were also captured in youchamp’s marketing materials. These materials included banners, posters, flyers, stress toys, balloons, social media posts and email marketing content.
The Result
Thanks to DigiGround’s graphic design services, the brand is now clearly positioned as something fun, quirky and familiar. The designs clearly express youchamp’s character and the branding is instantly recognisable. We provide youchamp with graphic design services on an ad-hoc basis for their social media posts, email content and other marketing materials.
Interest to Build Your Own App?
youchamp App Development Cast Study.
Watch Now.
youchamp is a groundbreaking split bill mobile application. It has become immensely popular in the market in a very short time due it’s helpfull features, beautiful UI and super easy UX. Do you want to develop a mobile app similar to this project? Watch this video.
Sales
Overview
youchamp was operating well online, but they needed to reach potential customers offline. To do so, they would need a way to communicate their differentiation to a large group of potential users. DigiGround needed to articulate and bring to life their passion for their purpose and how youchamp would make a meaningful difference to the lives of others.
Strategy
To begin, we aimed to gain a userbase via WeWork location promotions, as DigiGround has a strong connection with the WeWork community. The client was looking to market the app globally, starting with Australia first. To begin DigiGround’s promotion of the app, we decided to target each of the WeWork shared office locations, starting with their Sydney Pyrmont location, the largest location, which had approximately 1,900 people (just over 400 businesses) in it. Following this, DigiGround would be promote to the WeWork members at the George St and Martin Place city locations, followed by Melbourne.
The members of these locations were typically employees or owners of start-up businesses to SMBs. They were a mixture of ages from Millennials to Generation X. We identified them as early adopters who were most likely to try something new, and if they like it, most likely to refer it to their peers.
We would be encouraging the WeWork members to download and sign up for the app in exchange for a treat. The idea was to offer an ice-cream in exchange for a youchamp signup. We would be looking for support by way of branded freezer hire or ice-cream cart and ice-creams. We decided that this would be an excellent cross-promotion opportunity for an ice-cream vender, such as Streets or Pure Gelato, to gain exposure to potentially 5,000 plus members across WeWork locations.
The Result
The first youchamp promotion was a success. We effectively grew the youchamp userbase and increased their active daily users. They experienced greater website traffic and increased their social following as a result. DigiGround will continue promoting youchamp with other such events as well as flyer handouts.Interest to Build Your Own App?
Ppc
Marketing
Objective
The client wanted to ensure that youchamp’s marketing was covering all bases. Pay-per-click marketing would help youchamp increase their presence in SERPs and reach a wider audience on social media. DigiGround suggested achieving this by running campaigns on Google Ads and Facebook Ads for a three-month period.
Strategy
DigiGround created custom audiences to target in our marketing, using brand awareness and engagement ads. We would target those who are looking to care and share with their friends and family. And target organisers who arrange gifts, events and more. The ad messaging should be quirky, interesting and informative. We would use a mix of imagery on a carousel and video to explain what youchamp is and gain interest.
Remarketing on Google will target anyone who visits the youchamp website. Likewise, anyone who visits the youchamp page from a Facebook ad, and has not signed up, will be remarketed to through Facebook. Advertising platforms give us the ability to group together visitors who did not click the App Store or Play Store button on the website. We would use event codes for this and create a new list for remarketing.
Utilising video for advertising would help build brand awareness for the youchamp app. Video messaging will include how-it-works videos and the benefits of using the app. As well as this, there would be situational, quirky and humorous short ads created. Messaging would be quirky and informative, encouraging users to get social via youchamp.
The Result
Our market research revealed a cluttered market but also many key opportunities for youchamp to sharpen their offering. Using Google Ads and Facebook Business Manager, we told youchamp’s compelling purpose and shared their message of caring and sharing. This was supported by content and imagery that convinced users why they should download and use youchamp. The external elements of the advertising included personality, new messaging, brand story and the new tagline of “you care, you share, youchamp”. The advertising strategy provided a meaningful way to inspire audiences, engage their users and drive business growth.Interest to Build Your Own App?
Email
Marketing
Objective
DigiGround’s marketing team came together to create an email marketing strategy for youchamp. The plan was to send weekly emails to youchamp’s active users. The purpose was to build a relationship with users and provide them with valuable information that helps them achieve their goals by using youchamp.Strategy
The email marketing campaign aimed to nurture the users who have signed up to the youchamp app. Weekly messages would go out to consumers highlighting the features of the app, new enhancements and reasons to invite others. Some of the features we would highlight are:- The ability to start or join groups makes it easy to split expenses between multiple people. Create custom groups to send instant messages.
- Track when someone pays
- Keep track of your expenses by attaching notes and images of receipts. You’ll receive a notification every time someone in your group pays.
- Pay by cash or card
- You are no longer limited to paying your friends back by cash or bank transfer. You now have the option to pay your friends by credit card.
The email marketing avenue will provide a place for us to encourage users to join the app, refer their friends for (credit bonuses) or share their experiences on social.
The Result
The first youchamp promotion was a success. We effectively grew the youchamp userbase and increased their active daily users. They experienced greater website traffic and increased their social following as a result. DigiGround will continue promoting youchamp with other such events as well as flyer handouts.Interest to Build Your Own App?
Want to be a part of an award winning team?
DigiGround is an equal opportunity provider. If you are a developer, marketer, designer or just looking for an opportunity to build a career in the tech industry, fill out this form and share your details with us.
Bespoke Software
Development
As your app and software development partner, DigiGround will be with you every step of the way, from scoping and planning to delivery and beyond. Our multi-award-winning Sydney software development team creates bespoke mobile apps, operational systems and software products for enterprise, SMEs, government, non-profit and funded startups.
Get in touch and transform your business processes today.
