How we supercharged IPM Group’s four mobile apps
The IPM Group is one of the most renowned multimedia information and production companies in the French-speaking Belgian market. To bring the utmost value to their target audience, they have completely integrated the daily newspaper business in various forms – print, magazine, web, mobile applications, radio, and television.
The challenge: Increasing multi-app usability and performance
IPM has four applications – LaLibre, L’avenir, DH, and LN24, each corresponding to a different news portal.
The client wanted to enhance the performance, stability, and feature set of those mobile applications. All that for a simple reason – to enhance their applications' overall quality and usability and modernize their features.
They sought to evolve from simple wrappers around their mobile website to fully functional applications. This transition involved moving away from their previous WebView setup and building native-like mobile applications with Flutter.
The goal? Increasing traffic to their mobile apps. Delivering exceptional user experience and loyalty. Scaling app profitability in the future.
The team: Experienced mobile engineers to drive success
While the client had an in-house project management team, they wanted to augment their software development capabilities by hiring an experienced tech partner. They were looking for mobile engineers with strong experience in Flutter, and that’s exactly why they chose us.
Our three mobile engineers blended with the client’s team, providing them with the capability and skills they needed to get their ideas off the ground.
Initially, we were hired as sole developers responsible for building the applications. We worked independently on DH, handling all aspects of development. As the project progressed, the client's in-house team was involved as well to assist with La Libre and L’Avenir app development.
The solution: The same code base for all apps
Initially, we created a proof-of-concept app, DH, which served as the blueprint for the next stage. For the creation of the three additional apps – La Libre, L’Avenir, and LN24 – we chose the multi-brand approach. In other words, we decided to rebuild IPM’s mobile applications and consolidate their code into a single code base.
That codebase has been used for the creation of three distinct-looking applications, each tailored to cater to different audiences – news and sports, culture and economy, and local news.
We contributed to the client’s success on multiple levels, and here are some of them.
Meeting strict data security policies
Much of IPM’s business model relies on advertising, subscriptions, and user data collection. Given that, compliance with the GDPR and other data collection policies was the client’s top priority. Our task was to meet the client’s desires while helping them stay within regulations and T&Cs.
Compatibility issues resolved
Many of IPM’s partner platform features rely specifically on web technologies with no mobile software development kit (SDK) available.
To address compatibility issues, we worked closely with partner platform vendors. This involved providing bug reports, suggesting potential workarounds, and offering advisory support to ensure smooth integration of their technologies into the client’s mobile apps.
Teamwork and knowledge sharing
As IPM’s technical partner, we led development efforts to ensure the successful implementation of Flutter for all three applications. In the process, we worked in sync with the client's team to transfer knowledge and equip them with the skills they needed for their growth in the future.
This involved creating bug reports and suggesting best practices for the smooth integration of various technologies into their mobile apps. We recommended potential workarounds to optimize the platforms while maintaining compliance with regulations and terms of service.
The result: Significant growth in app acquisitions
Faster app development. Seamless scalability. More efficient maintenance. That’s how we helped IPM optimize their mobile applications and prepare them for future growth.
Faster development and reduced time to market
Efficiency — with minimal overhead. Our solution helped the client efficiently manage multiple platforms and cater to diverse audience segments. Most importantly, it accelerated development efforts, simplified the implementation of new features, and ensured faster updates and maintenance.
Improved user experience
The transition from web view-based apps to native-like Flutter applications contributed to a much higher user experience. This means higher retention rates, user engagement, and ultimately, customer satisfaction.
Enhanced stability and performance
New mobile apps using Flutter are significantly more responsive, stable, and faster than previous apps.
The full tech stack:
Front-end
- Flutter for UI and business logic
- Piano ID for authentication
- Piano Composer for user experience management (marketing journeys)
- Piano Insight for user segmentation
- Piano Cxense for content recommendation
- Didomi for consent management
- Firebase for analytics, Crashlytics, security attestation, and performance monitoring
OneSignal for notifications - Google Ads for advertising
Back-end
- ArcXP for content management
- Digiteka for videos
- Idalgo for rich live content
