"Being on holiday is not having anything to do and having all day to do it." - Robert Orben How many of you feel disoriented during holidays? There can be something unsettling when switching from a very frenetic schedule to not having anything to do at all. Sometimes it might even take a turn for the worse, with some of us experiencing leisure sickness (that thing that happens when you catch a cold on your first day off). This is especially true if your Summer plans consist of a staycation.

Several members of the #GBcrew are big football fans. There's even a weekly match, organized by our Lead Android Developer, Sergio. Recently, Euro 2016 made for some excitement around the office, not only was it held in France, but also, with an office in Lisbon, the outcome of the competition was closely followed. What about you? Do you easily get caught up in the football spirit? If the answer is yes, let us explain to you how you can easily combine your passion for football and mobile apps, by creating a Beautiful App for your Supporters Club, without necessarily spending a huge amount of money.

With our platform, integrating a Loyalty Card into your app is just one click away. However, even though the set up is intuitive, you might be wondering how to introduce a loyalty program to your clients in the most relevant way. Obviously, usage of a loyalty card varies from one business to the next. We hope that the examples we’ve listed below will help you find the inspiration you need to craft a loyalty program which will make your business enter a new dimension.

Coupons are powerful promotional tools to include in your acquisition and client retention strategy. The potential of m-couponing  is tremendous, to boost sales, increase traffic or improve client retention rates. The good news is that this essential strategy can now be implemented with the GoodBarber technology. In addition to our Loyalty Card and Club Card Add-Ons, with couponing, make your Beautiful App your best marketing asset.

Hello GoodBarbers, We couldn't stress enough the importance of personalizing one's app. That is why, on top of design and attention to detail, we want to provide you with as many tools as possible to customize your app. That's also why we've decided to open a new door by granting you access to advanced customizing options for the texts of your application. Many of you issued that particular request, so that your app perfectly adapts to your concept. Your wish is our command! ;)

Now that you are familiar with the activation process for our Loyalty Card Add-On, it's time to start customizing the design of your Loyalty Card. Through our platform, we make a point of giving you all the freedom you need to make a unique app. And our Loyalty program is no exception. Let's have a closer look at the design settings you can adjust in your back office!

In the wake of our Loyalty Card release, we are glad to announce that our Club Card Add-On is now also available. 

Hello GoodBarbers, If you paid attention during the Facebook Developer Conference a few weeks ago, you might already be familiar with some of the innovations it introduced. But for those eager to learn more about F8 2016 and its implications, read on! Facebook has been expanding beyond the realm of the network’s early usage for quite some time now. And Mark Zuckerberg and his team made sure they reminded their audience of that very ambition. After over 10 years of existence, the company is diversifying now more than ever, with futuristic services and a growing range of business oriented features.

More and more stores are moving their business to mobile. Whether it be for communication purposes around their brand, or managing a community or creating tailored communication campaigns for their customer base, mobile applications have become a rather indispensable tool for any commercial strategy. As a companion in the creation and management of your mobile application we make it our mission to provide you with everything necessary to make a successful app. That's why we've decided to introduce a new feature which will allow your Beautiful App to play a pivotal part in your business strategy: loyalty management.  As of today, you can now integrate a Loyalty Card into your app and start rewarding your clients.

Hello GoodBarbers and Happy National Small Business Week!  As a company, we value entrepreneurship. GoodBarber started with that frame of mind and that’s what keeps us going. We are also glad to accompany a lot of small biz owners year round looking to add a mobile dimension to their business. Now, maybe you’ve landed on our blog without being entirely sold on the fact that an app is a necessity, maybe you’re new to GoodBarber or, in the process of creating a mobile app for the first time. So, without further ado, here’s a quick overview of the added value of mobile.

If you have an eye for design you’ve probably noticed that a lot of brands have toned down their color palette this year. Of course, this is not a coincidence. It actually conforms to the science of colors and in particular, the 2016 Color of the Year introduced by Pantone, a combination: Rose Quartz & Serenity.

With where social apps are headed, we were not at all surprised to witness some enthusiasm surrounding the release of our Chat Add-On. While it is going to evolve over time, we felt it was important to address early on the security issues that are bound to arise from adding a social dimension to your mobile app. What's more, with school apps and an increasingly young audience turning to smartphones and social apps in particular, a reminder of best practices seemed all the more essential. Now, over to Cassie Phillips, from SecureThoughts:

Millennials are a crucial target these days. Born between 1980-2000, they are a difficult target to reach, but once you have them hooked you’ve secured yourself an engaged crowd. Basically, often early adopters, they can make or break you. In the mobile industry in particular, they are a target group: technology is an inherent part of their daily lives, day in and day out. But regardless, their attention is difficult to catch. Reason n°1: they are overwhelmed by solicitation. Reason n°2: they are demanding users, easily rushing from one thing to the next when they aren’t satisfied.

Sunset is one of the 50+ themes available in your GoodBarber backend. Use it as a starting point to create your Beautiful App.   

Hello GoodBarbers, Today we are introducing a very powerful update for one of the most important communication tools for your Beautiful App: push notifications. Our Scheduled Push Notifications Add-On has already got you covered when it comes to keeping your audience posted on your updates. But, as you already know, when it comes to push notifications, quality over quantity is key. At GoodBarber, we value the quality of the user experience, which is what our developers had in mind when crafting our brand new feature: Push Settings. Let’s see how this feature will make your life easier ;)

Creating an app for the first time is an adventure, one that can take your business into a new dimension! But like with all adventures, it's best setting out on this journey with a few essential steps in mind. We've got you covered with our latest Infographic which focuses on what you should have in mind before getting started ;)

Hello GoodBarbers, We are kickstarting 2016 with one of our technical team’s latest accomplishments. This January, let’s make your Beautiful App more… SOCIAL! We are indeed introducing a much-anticipated feature, bringing a lot of added value for your app: the Chat Add-On. After the many highlights of 2015 and notifications updates, with the Scheduled Push, Geofencing and iBeacons, this is definitely another big step forward!

We have already discussed how to get your app reviewed and how to get PR for your app, if none of these crucial steps should be overlooked, what if the key to success was an effective pre-launch strategy? 

"It’s all about the notifications, not the apps", this quote by Fiona Spruill, head of global growth at Meetup, really struck a chord. Not that we don’t believe in Beautiful Apps anymore ;) But, we do agree that push notifications are among the most effective tools you can use to engage your audience. However, as we have often stated, we also believe they can be your own worst enemy. Remember our blog post about 4 reasons apps get deleted? An invasive use of push notifications is often to blame. 

2015 has come and gone and the new year feels like a blank slate, ready to be filled with new projects… Year after year, it’s the time most of us decide to take resolutions… Now, guess what our resolution this year is? To make sure you don’t give up on them come the end of January! With that in mind, we are going to take these New Year’s resolutions together and stick to them. Tried and true, they all come from experience and are bound to make your life at work easier ;)

A Beautiful App is first a concept. Whether it is tied to an existing business or not, a mobile application must have its own purpose. In order to help you create a Beautiful App which is best in line with your project, we make a point of providing you with an ever increasing choice of sections and connectors. But sometimes, what you need is actually already in front of you. Indeed, in some cases, it doesn’t take much to create an outstanding Beautiful App…

Attention GoodBarbers,   This year again, Apple made its Winter Holiday Schedule public. In case you didn't get the memo here is the company's announcement below:

Content Marketing has been big for quite some time now, and more and more companies are turning to it as they start to understand the stakes. Content creation is a time-consuming process which doesn't necessarily come easy to all businesses.  One thing's for sure, content is here to stay and 2016 will certainly see new developments unfold for those already relying on it as a strategy or considering it. Let's have a look at one of the major trends for next year: how quality matters when it comes to the content published by businesses.

Users are increasingly turning to Instagram over other social platforms. Why? For starters, the content on Instagram is more universal than elsewhere. Also, it tends be more anonymous than Facebook. Although the irony isn’t lost on us that Facebook bought over Instagram for $1 billion…  With that being said Instagram remains a very appealing outlet, especially for businesses looking to grow their brand and especially their brand’s image. Instagram is perfect to help make your brand identifiable, as long as you follow a few guidelines of course. Because if social networks praise spontaneity, with Instagram in particular, when it comes down to marketing, a lot of thought actually goes into what is posted by brands. Images with the most reach are often carefully arranged to fit trending criteria (even when they have an effortless feel), with a clever caption to boot! So, if you want to become a master of Instagram, here’s a few Instagram DOS and DON’TS to get your business on the right track. Read on!