Football clubs can now create their own free apps for iOS and Android in no time at all thanks to the new white-label “Vereinsheim” app from kicker. In an interview, Andreas Gerauer, CTO at Tickaroo, explains what a white-label app is and what managers, IT project managers and developers need to be aware of when planning and programming a mobile application for several clients.

JAXenter:
Hello Andreas and thanks for taking the time for the interview! What is a white-label app, for whom and for what is it suitable? 

Andreas Gerauer:
A white-label app is a B2B product. An app is developed once and then individually branded and configured for several clients without much effort or code changes. The business partner can then personalize the app and even make it available to their own customers or employees.

White-label apps are always suitable if the exact same app would otherwise have to be developed several times. It doesn’t matter whether the ultimate target group is end customers or employees. A white-label application of this type appears either as a separate entry in the app stores or as a collective application that is individually configured when it is first started. 

JAXenter:
What are the main questions IT project managers and developers should ask themselves before programming a white-label app? 

Andreas Gerauer:
Clearly: "How many clients should the app have? That's the very first step to start planning for the project. It makes a huge difference whether the white-label app is intended for ten or 10,000 clients. Then there is the follow-up question of which of the app components should be customizable.

JAXenter:
Speaking of "ten or 10,000 clients" - when does it make sense to develop a white-label app?   

Andreas Gerauer:
A white-label app is suitable in both cases. Much more important is that the same functionality is desired and only a few individual adjustments are necessary. A white-label app can be the right decision if there are only three clients. However, it should be remembered that as more clients use the app, there will also be significantly more efforts required for maintenance, service, and automation - especially if there is a high degree of individual adaptability.  

JAXenter:
What about customization? How customizable should white-label apps be? 

Andreas Gerauer:
In theory, white-label apps offer unlimited possibilities for customization. But then you have to be aware that this increases the complexity of test cases and updates significantly. From the point of view of maintainability and resource requirements, less customization would be desirable. However, if there are supposed to be a number of customizable options, these should (ideally) be considered from the beginning. Individualizing new components of the app afterwards is often much more time-consuming, since the effects on all existing clients must be considered.

JAXenter:
Keyword: automation - What possibilities do white-label apps offer?  

Andreas Gerauer:
White-label applications can be automated in many different ways. It begins when an app is ordered and ends with the maintenance and support of the software. If there are only a few clients, be it four or five, new applications can be quickly created manually; the same applies to software updates. However, the effort increases linearly with the number of clients, which is why you very quickly reach the limits above which automation of ordering, creation and/or app store uploads makes economic sense.

JAXenter:
Do white-label apps always have to be developed for Android and iOS? 

Andreas Gerauer:
That depends on the target group. If the target group is small and the application is intended for internal use, e.g. if the end devices only support Android - or are even included in the delivery - programming for this platform is completely sufficient. However, if the application is intended for different clients across company borders, as is the case with the “Vereinsheim” app, i.e. clubs and consumers, the two largest platforms should each get their own white-label solution.  

JAXenter:
With the clubhouse app, there is a separate app for each club in Google's Play Store, for iOS there is only one application. Why is that? 

Andreas Gerauer:
The reason is that the Google Play Store has much looser regulations for publishing apps. In Apple's App Store, on the other hand, the guidelines prohibit separate applications to be offered on their platform for multiple clubs. Apple explicitly demands that only one app with a selection option be published. 

JAXenter:
What is your tip for project managers and developers when they decide on a white-label app together with the client?  

Andreas Gerauer:
As I mentioned earlier, first of all it has to be clear how many different clients will use the app later and how extensive the customizing options should be. In addition, developers should carry out as much customizing as possible at a central code point to ensure maintainability. If back-end systems are involved, it is important to pay attention from the outset to which data is shared by all clients and which is only assigned to an individual client. Here it is important to counteract possible security problems and data leaks at an early stage.