How Lazer Technologies and Reactiv are redefining mobile commerce apps

As a development and design studio well-versed in commerce, Lazer Technologies has designed solutions that have scaled recognizable brands—including Alo Yoga, OVO, MeUndies, and more—from $0 to $200M in revenue in some cases. This commerce expertise made for a natural partnership with Reactiv. 

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We sat down with Jahmal Gittens, Director of Growth at the Toronto-based tech agency to chat about his experience partnering with Reactiv. Lazer has built some of the best websites in commerce for over 350 clients across crypto, fintech, health tech, and ecommerce.

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As a leading digital agency in the Shopify ecosystem, Lazer has strong ties with top commerce partners. But the key characteristic Lazer looks for in a partner is a strong purpose. 

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“Working with people who genuinely care about solving problems is the most important thing. Reactiv just really injects that fun and curiosity back into building tech that people care about, said Jahmal.

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The opportunity: solving commerce challenges together

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Both Lazer and Reactiv exist to solve complex commerce challenges and this shared purpose drove Lazer to Reactiv. 

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“What stood out was that Reactive was founded from a place where they saw problems and wanted to build great mobile applications,” Jahmal explains. 

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Designing human mobile experiences—influencing vs. driving revenue 

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As mobile apps evolve, giving customers a reason to download another app is crucial. Shoppers don’t want to be bombarded with notifications to ‘buy now’. The best apps create a unique experience. 

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Customers expect to be overwhelmed with pushy sales prompts from mobile apps and emails. Going outside of the box by surprising customers with valuable interactive experiences that could pay off in the long run. 

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Reactiv is building apps designed for interactivity, allowing brands to engage customers meaningfully. Jahmal puts it: “A lot of brands forget that we're humans. We want to be interacted with as if we're humans in these small ways that aren't just, ‘Buy this or do this.’”

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The opportunity: solving commerce challenges together

‍

Both Lazer and Reactiv exist to solve complex commerce challenges and this shared purpose drove Lazer to Reactiv. 

‍

“What stood out was that Reactive was founded from a place where they saw problems and wanted to build great mobile applications,” Jahmal explains. 

‍

Designing human mobile experiences—influencing vs. driving revenue 

‍

As mobile apps evolve, giving customers a reason to download another app is crucial. Shoppers don’t want to be bombarded with notifications to ‘buy now’. The best apps create a unique experience. 

‍

Customers expect to be overwhelmed with pushy sales prompts from mobile apps and emails. Going outside of the box by surprising customers with valuable interactive experiences that could pay off in the long run. 

‍

Reactiv is building apps designed for interactivity, allowing brands to engage customers meaningfully. Jahmal puts it: “A lot of brands forget that we're humans. We want to be interacted with as if we're humans in these small ways that aren't just, ‘Buy this or do this.’” 

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“We can build applications that matter and that have impact besides just trying to drive revenue. Of course, that's the end goal, but I think influencing revenue is way more important than driving revenue.”

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Driving revenue is transactional—customers either buy or don’t. There’s no relationship built through transactional messages like this. For Lazer Technologies, great customer commerce experiences are value-driven and influence revenue. 

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“Influencing revenue is providing value and in providing that value, you create something that the customer can give back,” Jahmal says. “As an agency, we try to operate by providing value outside of just trying to win deals constantly and building things just because the dollars are there. I'd rather somebody come back to me because they trust that we're great thought leaders or that will do a great job.”

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Recognizing that Reactiv shares this mentality, Lazer Technologies was keen to partner for long-term projects. “I think it's better to be part of the process and help build something that matters and lasts for longer than just an internet minute.” 

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The strategy: building a mutually beneficial partnership

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As with any good relationship, there has to be value on both sides. 

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With a commerce partnership, that means making things more efficient for both parties and the client. “We want to launch quickly, efficiently, and within budget. I think Reactiv has been doing a great job,” Jahmal tells us. 

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“Their APIs are great. We want to build the best tech possible and Reactiv isn't anything that's going to slow us down.”  

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More than just a two-way street

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As Lazer continues to work with Reactiv, the benefits become more obvious. Reactiv is evolving based on feedback from its clients and partners, including Lazer. 

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“We're able to have collaborative efforts together. What we're doing is influencing the product [Reactiv] that they're building. And then vice versa, what they're building influences what we do,” Jahmal explains. 

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Lazer has discovered different functionalities while building with Reactiv, allowing them to offer new solutions to clients. Having these built-out components in their back pocket then allows Lazer to offer similar features for future clients. 

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“We want to get things done efficiently, feeling like we’re genuinely creating a team dynamic rather than just a two-way street.”

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So, why not just build it themselves? 

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With over 90 elite developers, Lazer Technologies could build a mobile app from scratch without a platform like Reactiv. 

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So, what’s the appeal of partnering? 

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“Our capabilities and Reactiv’s capabilities in terms of being able to customize and get something out of the box, but also still being able to tinker and do what we do best in building something that's brand new and fresh, is a perfect synergy,” Jahmal explains. 

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Reactiv offers flexibility that’s not possible with drag-and-drop editors without the resources required for fully custom development. For Lazer, the value comes from the time and effort saved on research and development. “Reactiv gives us a platform to build the best thing and run with it.”

Aside from saving overhead, using Reactiv lets Lazer deliver an even better product. Jahmal shares two common scenarios when clients seek mobile apps:

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1. Broken custom solutions. While custom development offers everything upfront, they’re hard to maintain without hiring developers. “After a few years, small problems become these large issues that get harder to manage,” Jahmal shares.

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Lazer often sees clients who started with a custom solution that has since broken down over time. A broken app leads to a poor user experience, a frustrated merchant, and a team of developers who are left trying to pick up the pieces with limited insight. 

2. Restrictive drag-and-drop apps. Alternatively, clients will also buy an out-of-the-box solution that works but can’t be modified. Or if they can, it’s very expensive. Not to mention, once Lazer builds a custom component on top of the drag-and-drop blueprint, it’ll eventually break leading back to square one.

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As commerce experts, Lazer can’t provide generic solutions either. “I don't want to just build another app to sell stuff to my customers. I want to build something that stands out and that my customers will remember.” 

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Lazer values the flexibility and efficiency Reactiv provides. “The sweet spot is having that duality of, ‘We can give you the sandbox to build what you need, and customize further if desired.’”

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“Reactive is this perfect middle ground to get something you want but also change it to build it in the exact way that you need to run your business,” he continued.

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Putting the partnership to the test with med school bro

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Collaboratively, Lazer and Reactiv have built a unique mobile app experience for educational resource brand Med School Bro. The influencer brand sells a variety of study flashcards and guides to pre-med and medical students. 

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As a brand dedicated to making studying more engaging, the interactive app embeds gamification techniques like daily quizzes and weekly trivia. 

“What's important is being able to experience what Med School Bro has to offer,” Jahmal says. “But how do we do that in a way where it's on your phone and in your pocket every single day?” 

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For Med School Bro, the app aligns with the brand’s mission—making studying fun. Jahmal explains the customer journey Med School Bro intends to create with the app, “Hey, I learned something today after using it for 30 seconds.”

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If customers appreciate this value, they’re more likely to convert in the future. As Jahmal puts it, they’ll think, “I’ve learned something, and now I'm ready to buy a course from them.”

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Collaborating for the long-haul

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While Med School Bro was the catalyst for a great relationship, it won’t be the last project this duo tackles. Lazer Technologies and Reactiv recognize the value of this partnership. 

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As Lazer moves upmarket, building interesting mobile customer experiences with Reactiv attracts more clients. “We’re able to build these case studies to create a proof of concept to say, ‘This works and we can replicate it for you. And customize it however you need for your brand,’” Jahmal explains. 

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“I look at Reactive as something that we can use long-term. For us, I think it's going to be table stakes.” 

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Looking for a mobile app platform to expedite your customer solutions? Chat with us today about working with Reactiv as an agency.  

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