Philly’s appRenaissance launches new platform for mobile app optimization

There are plenty of online tools that make it easy for workaday Web users to do complex things.

Now a Philadelphia firm is bringing similar functionality to the booming world of mobile apps.

“Billions of dollars of commerce are being driven through the mobile channel right now,” says appRenaissance CEO Bob Moul. “There’s literally been no way [for companies] to test those apps and make sure that you’re getting the most out of the design.”

That’s what Artisan, the new product from appRenaissance, is built to do. The platform is being introduced today. You can sign up for a forthcoming public beta at the appRenaissance website.

How does it work?

Marketers, e-commerce pros and publishers have long been able to try out different website designs, make tweaks and offer them up to users via A/B testing — all without knowledge of coding.

But, until now, Moul says none of that has been available for smartphone apps.

“[A company] might want to try things like changing the color of the buttons from red to green; you might want to try changing the word ‘purchase’ to ‘buy,’ ” Moul says of his firm’s new product. “It’ll show you all the text, fonts, the colors, the images, et cetera, in a way that you can easily manipulate just using your mouse and keyboard.”

Moul says Artisan provides user-friendly A/B testing analytics. The platform can also dynamically deploy changes to your app, so that users don’t have to redownload to see the latest modifications.

“That’s really powerful,” Moul says. “That kind of capability hasn’t existed to date.”

The privilege doesn’t come cheaply, however. Moul says pricing is still being worked out, but fees based on usage will likely range from around $1,000 to $10,000 per month.

Early investors believe appRenaissance could be well positioned to ride the “next great wave of technology innovation.” In April, the mobile app company announced it had completed a $1.5 million round of seed funding led by venture group FirstMark Capital. CEO Moul says appRenaissance closed on another $1.5 million seed round just weeks ago.