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Glossary & Terms

This glossary explains key technical terms you might encounter while managing your app. It focuses on the practical impact these concepts have on your daily work, such as content updates or bug reporting.

App Architecture

Native App

Refers to the parts of the app that are programmed specifically for the operating system (iOS or Android) and are installed directly on the user’s device.

  • Examples: The bottom navigation bar (Tab Bar), the loading screen (Splash Screen), or native push notification dialogues.
  • Responsibility: The App Team is responsible for these components.
  • Impact on Changes: If there is no config yet, changes to native elements usually require a new app version update (Release) and are not visible immediately.

WebView

A “browser window” embedded inside the app that displays content directly from your mobile webshop.

  • Examples: The checkout process, my account pages or content pages maintained in the CMS.
  • Responsibility: The Web Teams maintain these pages, as they are often shared with the mobile website.
  • Impact on Changes: Changes to WebView content are visible after deployment in the webshop. No app update is required.

Hybrid App

Our app is a “Hybrid App”. This means it combines Native elements (for performance and navigation) with WebView elements (for flexibility and content).

Releases & Updates

Release

The process of publishing a new version of the app to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

  • Frequency: We typically schedule releases on a monthly cycle.
  • User Action: Users must update the app on their phones to see changes included in a release (unless they have automatic updates enabled).

Nightly Build

A test version of the app that is automatically created every night if there have been code changes.

  • Audience: Internal teams, testers, and brand managers.
  • Purpose: To test new features or bug fixes immediately, weeks before they go live to customers.
  • Distribution: Via Firebase App Distribution (not the public App Store).

Hotfix

An emergency update released outside of the normal monthly cycle to fix a critical error (e.g., the app crashes on launch).

Linking & Marketing

A specific link that directs a user to a precise location inside the app, rather than just opening the app’s home screen.

  • Example: Clicking a “Shoes” offer in a newsletter opens the “Shoes” category directly within the app.

Universal Link (iOS) / App Link (Android)

The technical standard that allows your smartphone to decide whether to open a link in the App or in the Web Browser.

  • How it works: If the user has the app installed, the phone recognizes the link and opens the app. If not, it falls back to the mobile website.

Smartbanner

A banner displayed on your mobile website to encourage users to download the app.

  • Safari Smartbanner: A standardized banner on iOS, controlled entirely by Apple.
  • Shop Smartbanner: A custom banner configured in your shop system (managed by our Frontend team) containing an install tracking link (e.g., from Adjust) to measure downloads.

A specialized tracking link used for app install marketing campaigns. It intelligently detects the user’s device (Android vs. iOS) and redirects them to the correct App Store. It allows you to measure exactly how many clicks and app installs a specific campaign generated.

System & Data

Cache / Caching

A temporary storage on the user’s device or in our system to make the app faster.

  • Impact: If you change an image in the CMS, it might not appear in the app immediately because the “old” image is still cached. Caches typically refresh automatically after a short period (e.g., 30 minutes) or if you hardclose the app and open it again.

Environment (Stage vs. Prod)

  • Staging (Stage): A test environment with test data. We use this for development and Nightly Builds to try things out without affecting real customers.
  • Production (Prod): The live environment with real customer data. This is what the app in the App Store uses.