Tasting a Slice of the Big Time – Buy Me a Pie! Interview

Appolicious: How did it really feel when Purchase Me a Pie! grew to become massive? The little grocery buying app that might, immediately a success. That will need to have been a surreal expertise.

Ekaterina K.: Purchase Me a Pie! was our first cell product created for the entire world. For the reason that starting we have been certain that we’re on the fitting method, as a result of we clear up a related downside for many of households – to simplify buying. It didn’t grow to be well-liked in a clap, it required numerous efforts and experiments. Until now we predict that there’s a enormous viewers that’s going to know concerning the app and to fall in love with it.

APP: What do you are feeling are the core ideas to the Purchase Me a Pie! group’s success? How has SCRUM benefited your group?

EK: Concentrate on the product grew to become one in all our core ideas. We have now refused growth of different merchandise and all our forces have been centered on Purchase Me a Pie!. We have now determined that we might make the perfect buying record on the earth. Easy and cozy. And all group strives for this objective. No function might be taken in growth if it complicates the usage of the app. And SCRUM helps us with it: common conferences, planning and dialogue of outcomes affect the easiest way on each growth course of and on all product normally – any member of the group can have an effect on Purchase Me a Pie!. We don’t adhere very strictly to all canons of SCRUM, however we have now taken the important thing ideas as a foundation and we use them for our necessities.

APP: Had been there any surprises whereas creating Purchase Me a Pie!?

EK: There are all the time surprises, and we’re prepared for them. We perceive very nicely that we must always preserve the best high quality for the person and comply with all developments set by the platform amongst different. For instance, when Apple launched the Watch we have been blissful as a result of it provides extra consolation to our customers – uncommon app is a lot acceptable for the Watch. You’re in a store with a basket/cart and also you don’t must get your cellphone from the pocket – you simply have a look at your wrist and you purchase every thing that you just want. Implausible! However we had not simply to create new app for the Watch, but additionally to rewrite numerous issues within the present one as a way to make adjustments on the Watch be instantaneously displayed on the cellphone as nicely and usually on all units of all shoppers utilizing this record. Watch OS 2 made us change once more inner operation of the app. Or, for instance, we are going to always remember that giant quantity of labor we did transferring to a brand new for us monetization mannequin – Freemium. Certain, it wasn’t a shock however a necessity: it was extra user-friendly. At the moment we gave to customers of the free model nearly every thing that was earlier paid. Synchronization, enhance of the variety of lists, risk to share separate lists or the content material of all the account with anybody. And we see constructive suggestions – folks have used our app for years!

APP: The Purchase Me a Pie! group brings to thoughts the agile builders of Silicon Valley, however relies out of Ulyanovsk, Russia. What’s it like as a contemporary tech firm in Jap Europe?

EK: Fashionable applied sciences permit to be amongst leaders of the cell market irrespective of the place your geographical location is. Our professionals aren’t worse than Silicon Valley’s ones, we’re certain. It’s shocking what number of well-known merchandise have been born right here, in Russia and in Ulyanovsk particularly. We really feel as vital gamers within the discipline and we efficiently work with worldwide companions, together with from States, providing particular situations to American customers.

APP: Utility apps are a aggressive market, so how does the group keep forward of the competitors?

EK: A sensible and efficient software is actually a foundation. We take heed to our customers, attempt to perceive their wants and to fulfill them within the easiest method.

APP: On high of the Purchase Me a Pie! app, your group runs a life-style weblog with recipes, train, and tech items. What impressed this department off from the principle app, and would your group ever contemplate increasing into new apps alongside comparable topics?

EK: We’re impressed by our customers. We see how they create their meal plan whereas making their buying lists. A lot of them like cooking and so they add merchandise straight from recipes and we do it additionally! Within the nearest future it’ll grow to be much more sensible – the brand new app model and iOS 11 will permit to create lists straight from the recipe. Good! Initially we posted fascinating recipes within the weblog and step by step it grew into one thing massive and unbiased. We even created a bot in a messenger (http://m.me/dinnerideasbot) that helps us to seek out the perfect recipes on the Web and makes use of them to create buying lists. At current we’re centered on enhancing Purchase me a Pie! and don’t plan to develop any comparable apps.

APP: What are among the group’s favourite recollections from engaged on Purchase Me a Pie! ?

EK: Essentially the most nice factor is heat responses from our customers. We even put up a few of them on the app screenshots in iTunes. One of the uncommon working moments is when all of the group has left for some time the extreme winter and went to work to a tropical island. We have been dwelling, working and having a relaxation all collectively. Very cool, uncommon, thrilling and productive expertise on the similar time.

APP: What would you say is crucial lesson the group has realized, creating and sustaining Purchase Me a Pie! ?

EK: Most likely the lesson is: it’s attainable to make a product, helpful to hundreds of thousands of individuals, out of a small utility and at first it appears fairly simple. However behind an externally easy product there’s a enormous work, tens of experiments, failures, search of recent selections. And we’re glad that we succeed. We succeed to make folks a bit of happier.

APP: What ought to Purchase Me a Pie! customers maintain a watch out for within the close to future? Any thrilling new updates on the horizon?

EK: Oh, sure. Our customers will get the most important replace these days very quickly! We have now tried very a lot to make our app much more simple. And new technique of iOS 11 actually assist us with it! So, for instance will probably be attainable so as to add merchandise through Siri, with out opening the app. It’s tremendous sensible. Will probably be extra merely and faster to make an inventory – good hints will remind what merchandise the person buys collectively. It is going to permit not simply to speed up the composition of the record, but additionally will remind what you could possibly overlook. There will likely be a possibility to pin essential lists on high that’s essential when you might have many. Such nice trifles permitting to exclude some informal actions within the record will likely be added. Complication on the watch will permit to have the record prepared at hand. Work with recipes will grow to be much more comfy on iPad – simply drag components into the app and voila – the record is prepared! We’re certain, customers will extremely admire our work. We have now one thing to be happy with!