A mobile app isn't really mobile if it doesn't work offline, and a majority of work in retail is done in the field, doing consumer polling or point of sale work -- frequently areas without reliable WiFi or cell service.
Our customers have built inventory, market research, warehouse and other retail apps that work on the street, in the aisle of a large department store, or in a multi-level mall. We're here to help you quickly build apps that access and capture the critical data you need, when and where you need it, on the device of your choosing.
Capability |
Alpha Anywhere |
Fast Onboarding to the Platform [+] Show / Hide Details |
It takes a beginner about 90 minutes to build a sophisticated mobile CRUD app in Alpha Anywhere by following a tutorial. Developers in Alpha Anywhere typically become competent (and confident) in about 2 months, and faster with more focused training or mentoring. |
Support for Citizen Development [+] Show / Hide Details |
Alpha Anywhere fully supports no-code citizen development by allowing users to create screens, buttons, fields and objects and perform CRUD operations, as well as loging/logout with built-in genies; as well as offering hundreds of predefined actions that developers use use via a list metaphor. Low code blocks can be interspersed with traditional coding. Alpha Anywhere also offers mentoring, which allows citizen developers to work directly 1:1 with a "personal trainer" as they build their apps or get up to speed with the product. |
Ability to Add Code as Needed [+] Show / Hide Details |
Alpha Anywhere allows a broad range of control in application design by exposing hundreds of event hooks. [Client-Side: Built in JavaScript Editor features Autosuggest, makes it easy to reference objects used in the applications. Low JavaScript skills required. Server-Side: Built in Server-Side Editor specifically tailored for building Alpha Anywhere Applications, features Autosuggest and other helper tools to make server-side scripting easier. Low programming skills required.] |
Speed of Developing/Updating Apps [+] Show / Hide Details |
Alpha Anywhere includes a local version of its server that runs on the developer’s machine and can instantly show changes, just by clicking the refresh button. |
Ease of Data Integration [+] Show / Hide Details |
Alpha Anywhere provides many tools for working with REST services, JSON Data, XML, SOAP and oData. Plus it lets you quickly change data sources when you switch from development to deployment. [Working with External Data: Alpha Anywhere includes native SQL drivers for all popular SQL backends (SQL Server, MySQL, MariaDB, and many others). Alpha Anywhere uses connection strings that allow access to thousands of tables at once. For Web services, Alpha Anywhere supports the oData standard to allow developers to inspect and connect to external data structures. Working with Internal Data: Alpha supports ONLY external databases – so there are no restrictions in the use of 3rd party BI and reporting tools.] |
Robust Offline Capability [+] Show / Hide Details |
Alpha Anywhere has robust offline capability built-in, with data synchronization and intelligent conflict resolution included. Citizen developers can implement this fundtionality without code. |
Built-in Analytics and Reporting [+] Show / Hide Details |
Alpha Anywhere includes a built-in banded report writer for server-side reporting. Client-side templating reports can also be generated and viewed offline on a mobile device. |
Handling and Storage of Large Image, Audio and Video Files [+] Show / Hide Details |
Alpha Anywhere allows images to be stored in either local storage or in the devices file system. Media files can be transferred directly between the device and Amazon S3 without going through an application server. |
Built-in Mobile Optimized Forms Builder [+] Show / Hide Details |
Alpha Anywhere includes mobile optimized form technology. Mobile forms offer speed data capture for forms workers with features like: larger buttons or swipe capablities for one-handed input; customized keyboards for numbers-only data fields, digital ink, and image capture and annotation that can be done without a stylus. |
Predictable Pricing [+] Show / Hide Details |
Alpha Anywhere offers transparent pricing based on the number of application servers needed for deployment. As a result, development costs and ongoing costs (TCO) are easy to predict. |
Alpha Anywhere speeds development for all users. It does the routine coding for experienced developers, and builds the apps for citizen developers. The software also has built-in genies that speed data integration, offline capability and security. But, Alpha Anywhere always gives developers the ability to add code, if needed. We call this "coding-optional."
Alpha Anywhere is the emerging standard for enterprises looking to help IT developers increase their pipeline while empowering business users to build sophisticated, web and mobile business apps fast.
Why does Alpha Anywhere consistently get perfect scores from customers?
Manufacturing companies are looking to mobile app development to gain efficiences, save on costs, and remain competitive. As your organization evaluates vendors, there are key questions to ask that can save you from big costs down the line.
When you hear: "We do offline."
Understand that all "offline" capabilities are not equal. Be sure to ask:
If the answer is "No," then it means your apps will likely have severe limitations that could hurt your ability to intelligently capture store and sync data.
When you hear: "We can connect to data."
Data integration is one of the most difficult and important aspects of app development. Be sure to ask:
If the answer is "No," you'll likely burn a lot of time and money on data integration and security issues.
When you hear: "We're cross-platform."
Understand that responsive isn't necessarily cross-platform. Be sure to ask:
If the answer is "No," then users experience will most likely not have a native-like experience on the apps.
""We found the cost of developing the first release of to be 40% of the cost it would have taken to develop a custom handheld device. Moreover, the time to market was twice as quick as the alternative."
"After struggling with those two platforms, I came across Alpha Anywhere, and it looked to me as if it had all the capabilities we needed. Its offline capabilities were particularly important and comprehensive."
""Every now and then we run across a tool that is truly transformational. We've found that with Alpha Anywhere. It's a force multiplier. It lets your development team produce modern business apps much faster than they could otherwise, and deliver much more value to the enterprise."
“Alpha Software has robust enterprise integration capabilities & rich client-side workflow & custom logic creation in its coding-optional development tool...”
– Gartner Magic Quadrant, Mobile Application Development Platforms, June 2016
The Alpha platform is the only unified mobile and web app development and deployment environment with distinct “no-code” and “low-code” components. Using the Alpha TransForm no-code product, business users and developers can take full advantage of all the capabilities of the smartphone to turn any form into a mobile app in minutes, and power users can add advanced app functionality with Alpha TransForm's built-in programming language. IT developers can use the Alpha Anywhere low-code environment to develop complex web or mobile business apps from scratch, integrate data with existing systems of record and workflows (including data collected via Alpha TransForm), and add additional security or authentication requirements to protect corporate data.
Alpha Software Corporation, based in Massachusetts, produces award-winning software that speeds mobile and web app development and deployment for business and IT. The core technology includes two components. Alpha Anywhere®, a full-stack low-code app development platform for building and deploying web and mobile apps. In just hours, Alpha TransForm® turns complex paper forms into powerful mobile forms that speed data collection.
Alpha Software is an InfoWorld Technology of the Year award winner, and scores near-perfect reviews from customers on crowdsourced review sites.
Customers rate Alpha Software highly for its speed of development, flexibility, offline apps, rich feature set and ability to scale predictably. For more information, visit https://www.alphasoftware.com/