How I make the call
The instinct to rebuild is almost always strong and usually wrong. Before anyone commits to it, I answer three questions:
- Which jobs are failing? I sort app reviews, support contacts and funnel data into the jobs guests couldn't get done: sign in, redeem an offer, customize an item, check out.
- Can the current platform fix them? If the fixes can ship on what you have, a rebuild is the slow, expensive way to get the same result.
- What else is changing? A new POS, ordering partner or loyalty platform can make a rebuild the efficient choice, because the foundation is moving anyway.
What it looks like when it works
The Jack in the Box app had a 2.6-star rating: broken sign-in, offers that didn't apply, a checkout that lost orders. We sorted the reviews into the jobs that were failing, rebuilt the identity and offer flows, restructured the menu and made checkout resilient.
How we'd work together
Most brands start with a Digital Audit (2–3 weeks, starting at $8,500) to make the rebuild-or-fix call with evidence. If you want me to lead the work that follows, that's a Fractional Head of Product retainer, starting at $6,000 a month. And if you want the fixes built, not just specified, Design & Build covers prototypes, pilots and production features, scoped per project.
Questions people ask
Should we rebuild our app or fix it?
Fix it in most cases. Rebuild only when the foundation itself blocks the jobs guests need done: the platform can no longer change safely, every fix breaks something else, or your ordering partner or POS is changing anyway. A rebuild takes your team off improving the live product for months, so it has to earn that cost. The full framework →
How much does it cost to rebuild a commerce app?
It depends on scope far more than on the app: how many platforms (iOS, Android, web, kiosk); platform or custom; which systems it connects to (POS, inventory and order management, payments, loyalty); how many brands and markets; and whether you build in-house, with an agency or with me. The expensive mistake is rebuilding without knowing which problems the rebuild has to solve; a Digital Audit answers that first, starting at $8,500. Pricing and cost drivers →
Why is our app store rating so low?
Because guests can’t get a few core jobs done: sign in, redeem an offer, complete an order, find the item they want. One-star reviews describe those failures precisely. Sort the reviews into the jobs that failed, fix the biggest ones, and the rating follows. How to improve your rating →
How long does it take to improve an app store rating?
At Jack in the Box, the rating went from 2.6 to 4.8 in 8 months, by fixing the failures the reviews described rather than by asking for more reviews.