How to make an app for a gift shop

A gift shop's busy days are fixed in advance: Rakhi, Diwali, the wedding season. An app can let customers browse gifts and send a full order on WhatsApp, and lets you track every photo mug, hamper and bulk order against its delivery date.

Updated 2026-11-09

Who uses the app

Two kinds of user. A customer app with the catalogue and cart needs your own Supabase database so the gifts and prices you add show on every phone. A shop-only app for orders and stock can keep its data on your phone.

The screens a gift shop app needs

Catalogue: Gifts with photos and prices, filtered by occasion and budget
Cart: Chosen gifts, quantity, wrapping and a note; 'Order on WhatsApp' sends the full list to the shop
Personalised orders: Each mug, frame or cushion with the customer, the text, the due date and status: photo received, printed, ready
Bulk orders: Return gifts and corporate orders with quantity, price per piece, advance, balance and delivery date
Stock: Items in the shop with quantity and a low-stock list before festivals
Sales: Sales by day, and festival season compared with the same season last year

Features worth asking for

Filters by occasion and budget in the catalogue
A cart that opens WhatsApp with the items, quantities and total typed out
Status for each personalised order, and a 'ready for pickup' WhatsApp message
Advance and balance for bulk orders, with a PDF quote to share
A due-date list so no festival order is missed
Online payment with your own Razorpay account, if you want it

Where the data lives

A customer catalogue needs your own Supabase database, connected from the chat, so new gifts and prices reach every customer's phone. If you want customers to pay in the app, connect your Razorpay account too; the money goes to you.

How to make it with AppCub, step by step

Decide what the app does. List the screens you need, for example: Catalogue, Cart, Personalised orders, Bulk orders, Stock.
Describe it to AppCub. Paste the request below, changed to your own business and details.
Check the plan. AppCub shows the screens and features it will build. Change them in the chat until they are right; seeing the plan is free.
Try it on your phone. The app runs live next to the chat. Scan the QR code to install it, and ask for changes.
Share it. Share it as a web link, an APK file, or publish it on Google Play from your own developer account.

Copy this request, change the details to match your gift shop, and paste it into AppCub:

Make an app for my gift shop, Khushi Gift Gallery in Lucknow. Customer side: a catalogue of gifts with photos and prices, filtered by occasion (birthday, anniversary, Rakhi, Diwali) and budget, and a cart with quantity, gift wrap and a note that sends the order to my WhatsApp. Shop side: personalised orders with text, due date and status; bulk orders with quantity, price per piece, advance and balance and a PDF quote; stock with a low-stock list; daily sales. Pink and gold colours.

Tips for a gift shop app

Start with the catalogue and the WhatsApp cart; most customers are happy to settle payment on WhatsApp.
Keep photos square and on a plain background so the catalogue looks tidy.
Add the festival collection a month ahead and remove it after; old stock in the catalogue brings awkward chats.
Use the personalised orders screen in the shop even if customers never see it; it is where dates get missed.
Share the customer app as a web link first; nothing to install, and people can open it from your WhatsApp status.

What it costs

Describing your app and seeing AppCub’s plan for it is free.
A new app usually takes 60 to 110 credits. Start with the 2-day trial for ₹99 (150 credits, enough for one app and a few changes) or the one-time App Pack for ₹499. Starter is ₹1,599 a month for 700 credits.
Google Play needs a paid plan (it includes the Play Store bundle and your app’s signing key) and your own Google Play developer account, a one-time US$25 fee to Google.
Work that fails or is rolled back costs no credits.

See all plans

Good to know

AppCub doesn't connect to billing machines, barcode scanners or courier tracking, and doesn't send messages by itself. A WhatsApp click-to-chat link can't attach the customer's photo; they send it in the chat.
AppCub builds Android apps. You can also share the app as a web link that opens on any phone; for the iPhone App Store, AppCub’s team can do it for you.

Questions

Can customers browse my gifts and order in the app?

Yes. A catalogue with a cart sends the full order to your WhatsApp; it needs your own Supabase database so everyone sees the same gifts.

Can customers pay for gifts in the app?

Yes, with a pay button using your own Razorpay account, after you connect Razorpay and Supabase from the chat.

Can customers upload a photo for a mug in the app?

The simplest way is the WhatsApp button: it opens a chat with the order ready and the customer attaches the photo there.

Can the app track personalised orders by due date?

Yes. Each order has a due date and a status, and a list shows what is due today and tomorrow.

Can I put the gift shop app on Google Play?

Yes, from your own Google Play developer account with a paid AppCub plan. A web link works without that and opens in any phone browser.

Can I handle 200 return gifts for one order?

Yes. A bulk order keeps the quantity, price per piece, advance, balance and delivery date, with a PDF quote.

Make your gift shop app

Seeing the plan is free. Building starts with a 2-day trial for ₹99.

Start building