How to Build an App like Smiles in Dubai, UAE?

Updated 03 Jan 2024
Published 02 Jan 2024
Nancy Bhargava 1445 Views
How To Build an App Like Smiles in Dubai

There is something wonderful about Dubai, including its luxury shopping, ultramodern architecture, skyscrapers like the Burj Khalifa, and lively nightlife.

There are many things to do here, from shopping to enjoying a movie in a luxurious theatre. What if you have an app that you can use for discounts and cash vouchers that can make your shopping easy?

It is not an ideal concept; it is real and available as –Etisalat Smiles App. You will be surprised that a user can order groceries online from 500+ retailers with this app.

This app is available on Google Play and Apple App Store and offers deals like 50% off, redeeming Smile points, and more.

You can consider it one of the UAE’s finest examples of on-demand app development. Developing an app like Smiles is the best if you want to build it for your business, so we have created a guide to help you get started.

It will take you through all the points leading you to develop the app correctly.

So, let’s start with the blog.

What is an App like Smiles?

If you want to see the perfect combination of food, grocery, and lifestyle apps in one application, that is Smiles app Dubai. It is owned by one of the biggest telecom operators in UAE- Etisalat.

From its core nature, it is a loyalty program app that allows users to earn shopping vouchers and loyalty points and redeem these to get the best shopping points.

Including multiple discount deals and grocery ordering, a UAE resident can order food from more than 2500 restaurants.

It is a super app in UAE, collaborating with 6,500 brands and 13,000 partner outlets that offer ample shopping options to its users.
In a nutshell, you’ll get.

  •  50% off on your first order.
  • Grocery ordering from 500 supermarkets and neighborhood grocery retailers.
  • Earn 1 Smile point for every spend of 1 AED (United Arab Emirates dirham) using a debit or credit card.
  • Users can redeem Smiles points on their next grocery order.
  • Along with grocery shopping, users get discounts for SPA, Movie Tickets, Shopping Cashback, and more.
  • A wide range of fresh products from grocery retailers and restaurants is available.
  • Quick order delivery.

After reading this section, you might also want to know how it works. You will get its answer in the next section of this blog.

Let’s continue with this blog.

How it Works- Smiles App in Dubai?

Its work is to make food and grocery ordering effortless, including multiple deals and discounts for shopping.

With it, a user needs to visit the store; they can order the products in a single tap and deliver them to their doorstep. Here is how it facilitates its users for grocery ordering-

  • Open the Smiles app and select the option –Order Grocery.
  • Search your nearest grocery store, browse for the products, and start shopping.
  • Add products or food items to the cart, check out, and pay through credit or with debit card to earn Smiles points.

A user can use this super app in multiple ways, such as:

  • Food Ordering : enjoy deals like – Buy 1 Get 1 Free deals from 2500+ restaurants.
  • Deals: users have great discount deals with brands like Carrefour, Magic Planet, Mall of Emirates, Etihad Arena, and more.
  • Travel Deals: reward points for tours and flights while purchasing tickets from brands like tripXOXO, Alike, etc.
  • Entertainment: the app offers 50% discounts on cinema and amusement park tickets such as VOX Cinemas, Waterworld, Ferrari World, SeaWorld, etc.
  • Fashion & Lifestyle: users can shop from over 2000 outlets and earn points to redeem.
  • Electronics: Customers get discounted electronics shopping deals from outlets like Eros Digital Home and others.

It is all about how the Smiles app works. It represents the best example of a loyalty and reward app you can also develop for your business with the help of a top mobile app development company in UAE.

Market Research and Analysis

Before you read the steps to develop an app, it would be best to know about some market insights to help you make strategic decisions while making an app like Smiles in Dubai.

  • The loyalty reward programs market in UAE is expected to grow to over $2248 million by 2026.
  • The UAE’s quick commerce and delivery market is projected to reach $1549.60 million by 2026.
  • Currently, the retail delivery market generates $544.40 million in revenue, and that is expected to increase to $2.03 billion by 2028.
  • By 2028, users in UAE’s grocery delivery market users are expected to number 3.4 million.
  • In the UAE’s market, products like fresh food, beverages, personal care products, and household items are trending.
  • The grocery delivery average revenue per user by segment is projected to grow $723.10 by 2028.
  • Some of the top competitors to the app, like Smiles Dubai, are Groupon, Entertainer, Repeat, Cobone, VOUCHERSKOUT, and Skrambler.

Read more: How to Develop a Fuel Delivery App like Cafu in Dubai?

Benefits of Creating an App Like Smiles for Grocery Business

An online presence is something that a business can’t miss these days, as most customers prefer online shopping over traditional shopping.

Launching a mobile app for businesses suits every business, whether it is grocery or any other company. The key advantages include better visibility and a straightforward approach to the target audience.

During the pandemic, online grocery ordering has risen. However, now it is one of the most preferred methods where apps like Smiles work tremendously in the UAE.

From the business point of view, it is a fantastic decision to invest in mobile app development in Dubai for business. If you want to know more about the benefits of creating an app like Smiles, here are these:

  • Convenience

Online grocery ordering apps like Smiles in UAE offer great convenience to users. It saves time as there is no need to wait in the queue. A user can order the desired products effortlessly from a wide variety of product range.

  • Better Service Experience

With a mobile app like Smiles or app like MAF Carrefour you can offer a better service experience to your customer.

The point is that apps collect data, and you can leverage it to create a better sales strategy. Another point is that you can apply the changes based on the real-time feedback received via the app.

  • Personalized Experience

Most on-demand businesses, such as ecommerce, OTTs, grocery and food ordering, etc., focus on creating personalized customer experiences.

The best real-life examples are Amazon (purchase history), Netflix (viewing history), Spotify (listening history), and Sephora (beauty profile).

These apps recommend products to customers based on their history, making shopping fun. You can also follow it for your app.

  • Competitive Edge

In UAE, there are 1089+ supermarkets and 2170+ grocery stores in UAE. More stores have yet to be launched, so there is good competition. If you have an online store, you will have a competitive edge.

You can connect with the target audience directly with a single app and offer them your whole product range. Based on the purchase history, you can also provide discounts, super deals, coupons, and loyalty points as an app like Smiles does.

  • High Customer Retention

Retaining the customer is the biggest challenge you can overcome with the help of an app like Smiles in Dubai. With your app, you can get real-time customer feedback and suggestions to improve service quality.

Suppose a customer posted a negative review, then you can connect with them to know the exact reason and offer the best solutions to their issues due to the fact that they have posted it.

  • Less Operational Cost

The cost to develop a mobile app in Dubai varies between $20k-$40k, and it is a one-time investment to your business. The best part is that you can operate your grocery delivery business from a ghost warehouse.

The only point you need to take care of is that delivery must be on time, and customers must find it to shop through your app easily.

Until now, you have gone over some helpful information about apps like Smiles that can assist you in setting up a business successfully. Now, it is time to learn the steps to develop an app like Etisalat Smiles.

Steps to Create an App Similar to Smiles in UAE

Creating an on-demand mobile app is an exhaustive process, and it also requires expertise that you can access from any top mobile app development company in UAE.

The experts will help you better than anyone to passionately develop the app. However, as a business owner, you must know the steps which are like:

#1. Requirements

The first step to developing any app is requirement collection. The internal process to collect the requirements is to identify stakeholders, conduct customer surveys, document requirements, and validate them. Once collected, save it for the next step.

#2. Analysis & Planning

In order to plan an appropriate app development, you need to analyze the requirements first. It is like

  • Creating the product roadmap (like you need an MVP or a full version app),
  • Filter functional and non-functional requirements (like what features and functionalities to include, the payment method, and measures for app maintenance) and others.

Here, you also need to decide what kind of tech stack you need. Suppose you want to develop an Android app, a top Android app development company in UAE will help you decide about the best tech stack.

#3. Wireframing

The third step is wireframing, which is preparing the app’s blueprint. It is a process where experts create an app or website’s visual layout and structure that represents glimpses of an actual app. It works as a foundation for actual app designing and development.

#4. Designing and Development

Once the wireframe is okay and tested, it is time to start the actual process of app development.

Here, seasoned mobile app developers in UAE will code the frontend (UI/UX, page design, menu, etc.) and backend (database programming, connection with server, and others).

At the end of this step, you will have an app like Smiles. But do not launch it; you need to test it first for quality analysis.

#5. Quality Analysis

It is a most crucial step, even more than development. At this point, you need to test the app with all possible use cases, like registering a customer to pay the amount for purchase and submitting reviews at the end (a customer’s whole journey with the app). The experts will test the app and eliminate all the bugs, if there are any.

#6. Deployment

At last, when the app is tested and approved by quality analysts, it is time to launch it on stores such as Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Here, experts will assist you with the best until your app is publicly available.

Read more: How to Develop a Car Wash App Like Keno?

The Cost to Develop an On-demand App Like Smiles

While thinking about developing an app similar to Smiles UAE, it would be best to know about mobile app development cost.

Initially, it is hard to say the exact cost as there are multiple factors associated with it, such as:

  • App’s Features & functionalities
  • App’s Design
  • Backend Development
  • Database Integration
  • Tech Stack
  • Developer’s team size
  • Location of developers
  • Quality Analysis
  • App’s Size and complexity

Based on a common idea, the approximate cost to develop an app like Smiles in UAE can be around $25,000 to $35,000 for a single platform.

If you want to make it advanced, the cost will increase, and it can go up to $50,000. The rest of the things depend on your specific requirements. So, the best idea is to consult with an on-demand app development company in Dubai.

The Final Thoughts

Dubai is a land of opportunities and a perfect playground for growing businesses. So, you have decided to create an app like Smiles in UAE.

If you are a grocery startup, then you can take your business to the next level with android app development in Dubai, UAE.

At Arka Softwares, a web and app development company in UAE, you can hire the right resources and access the technology expertise to develop your app idea into a real-time performing app.

We can consult you on how to build your app like Etisalat Smiles. You can connect with us anytime; our experts will assist you best.

Nancy Bhargava

Nancy Bhargava is a Digital Editor and Content Marketer at Arka Softwares. She’s passionate about tech trends, news, and innovations with a focus on modern solutions all over the globe. She strives to create well-versed digital content that educates, informs, and guides businesses for better decision-making.

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