Connecting small traders with local customers with an intuitive native app

This project enabled CJ’s Events to build a community of local traders and customers through an easy to use app showing upcoming events

Project launch: November 2025

Download app

Services

Mobile app development

Integration with website system

UX & digital product design

Technologies

About the Client

CJ’s Events manage markets in the Warwickshire area and beyond. This includes regular local markets, as well as special events. Their website already provides traders with an innovative system for applying to markets and keeping all their key information up to date, but CJ’s were keen to provide a better way to connect with their customers and bring more people to their events.

Mobile application development
Push notifications
Offers
Location features

The Challenge

CJ’s knew an app could be great for connecting customers and traders, but weren’t sure what the limits and possibilities were in creating an app. Working together, we established a list of specifications that would give users a fantastic experience, and incentives to come to markets.

Web app development

Early in the factfinding process, we decided that the best option for CJ’s would be a mobile app that customers could download to their phones. Not only would this enable easy development of push notifications and location specific information, it would also reduce the opportunities for people to set up multiple accounts to claim multiple offers.

As with all our mobile apps, react native was the choice of technology, so that we could create seamless experiences for both iOS and Android users.

Integrations with website

The CJ’s website already includes a bespoke system that allows traders to sign up, pay and manage their bookings at markets, as well as displaying upcoming events and who was appearing at them. But while the website is geared towards the traders, the app is designed for customers.

We wanted to use this information, but present it in a more useful way for people attending markets. This includes an upcoming events section, the ability to find markets in your area, opting in for notifications about specific markets, the ability to see a calendar for a favourite trader, and rewards and offers.

Rewards and offers

There were several key aspects to the project that CJ’s wanted to implement, the first being a reward for customers who download it, in the form of a discount when they made a purchase at the market.

We evolved this idea from a single discount offer, to enabling each trader to opt in, and create an offer of their own, such as discounts or free items. These offers are then pulled from the website, and added into the app, so traders can manage their profile all in one place.

The App Architecture

We developed the mobile app on top of the existing website backend, which meant we could deliver new capability without reinventing their core systems. We added new functionality to the backend, such as the ability to send push notifications and trader offers.

The new front end was developed in React Native so the experience feels fast, modern, and consistent across iOS and Android.

The app communicates with the backend through a REST API and uses Firebase Cloud Messaging for push notifications. Twilio handles SMS verification and MySQL remains the source of truth for all data.

Home screen
User offers
Event offers
Notifications
Offer inner screen
Logged out hamburger
Trader Profile
Notification preferences
Traders
News
Events map view
New article
Events list view

Wins all round!

The new app is giving CJ’s customers the ability to find markets and favourite traders, get discounts and deals, and even get notifications about upcoming events. Happier customers mean more visits to markets, and more transactions for traders.

And on top of this, it also showcases how CJ’s make running markets better for everyone in the local community, businesses and customers alike - showing why they’re the clear choice for managing your local market.