The Need
Epic’s client, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZ), had an existing iOS and Android mobile app called Sustainable Palm Oil Shopping app when they first approached us. The app’s main function was to allow U.S. shoppers to scan grocery, and health & beauty, products to ascertain if their consumables met the strict requirements set forth by the roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), thereby helping to preserve delicate ecosystems and endangered species around the globe. CMZ wanted a new app that could be used in multiple countries, utilizing a more internationally robust barcode lookup database, and incorporate a more modern design and user experience.
The Solution
From the ground up, using the React Native development framework, Epic completely redesigned the front-end of the app, redesigned the CMS, and integrated the world’s largest product barcode database. The result is an app that is now supported by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), and used by consumers in several other countries outside of the U.S, including New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the U.K.
Key Features
- Quick product search and a barcode scanner
- PostgreSQL Database with a unique, role-based Ruby on Rails CMS for each participating country app administrator to manage their product ratings.
- Integration of an international database for users to instantly access millions of barcode records with product information, descriptions, manufacturers, and brands.
- Algorithmic-based rating system which compares captured product information to each country’s database of company history and ratings criteria.