A loyalty app that turns one-off purchases into long-term relationships

The main goal was to launch a platform that:

• Gives the SAO House community its own space with access to exclusive events and content.
• Handles membership (Friend/Member) and subscriptions.
• Supports a complex booking system for services (restaurants, conference rooms, events).
• Has a dynamic feed with news and recommendations.
• Delivers high performance and GDPR-compliant data security.

One of the main challenges was integrating with many external services at once (such as Stripe, GoPOS, Firebase and Microsoft Exchange), which required carefully planning the backend architecture.

On top of that, building a system that differentiates access, permissions and user journeys (Friend vs Member) across both the web and mobile apps proved a significant design and logic challenge - especially in keeping the user experience consistent and smooth.

We developed a coherent architecture built on modern technology:

• Mobile frontend: React Native, optimized for iOS and Android.
• Web frontend: Responsive and aligned with the mobile UX.
• Backend: Ruby on Rails, handling the logic for bookings, payments and content management.
• Database: PostgreSQL.
• Third-party integrations:

  • Stripe: subscription payments.
  • Microsoft Exchange: room bookings and calendar sync.
  • Firebase: analytics and push notifications.
  • GoPOS: restaurant table bookings.

• User registration via the "Friend" and "Member" paths.
• A dynamic Main Feed with news and recommendations.
• A booking system (restaurants, rooms, events).
• A benefits module with detailed views.
• A user account area: profile editing, membership, payments, notifications.
• A web version with an admin panel and a user portal.
• Payment processing and booking confirmations.

• A smooth mobile app with a clear, short sign-up and booking process.
• Higher user engagement through exclusive content and personalized recommendations.
• A modern platform that meets all personal data and transaction security requirements.

The SAO Life app is a modern, comprehensive solution built for members of the SAO House club. Thanks to a carefully planned architecture, integrations with key external services and a rich feature set, we created a platform that not only makes bookings, membership management and communication easier, but also strengthens community engagement through dynamic content and exclusive benefits that are easy to access.