ESMA
Network
An FMCG trade network founded in 1976. We built ESMA one custom platform: public site, member directory, member dashboard and iOS and Android apps, with one back office behind all of it.
App and platform development,
engineered as one system.
Loco Digital designs and builds the platforms behind ambitious Irish businesses: web apps, customer portals, member platforms and booking engines, with iOS and Android apps running on the same back end when the work happens on a phone. ESMA’s website, member dashboard and apps all run on one platform we built.
The problem
A templated app can’t carry
a real product.
Page-builders and no-code shortcuts get you a demo, not a product. Bolt a separate app onto the website and the back office, and you end up with three logins and three copies of the same data. When real users arrive, the seams show.
What we build
Apps built to
do real work.
One platform behind every screen, led by one senior team. Planning an iOS or Android app? Start with mobile app development in Dublin. For internal tools and integrations, see custom software and internal tools.
How we work
Consult. Design. Build.
We work from The Digital Hub in Dublin 8 with companies across Ireland, mostly remotely, with a few sessions in person.
01
Consult
We find where the work pays back: scoped, costed and honest about trade-offs.
02
Design
The system and the experience, around how your business works. You see it before it’s built.
03
Build
Engineered and shipped, led by one senior team. Working software in production, and you own the code.
Recent work
Apps and platforms we have built, live and in use.
ESMA
ERP
HEADtoHEAD
The ERP HEADtoHEAD event site for Lumenia Consulting, rebuilt with a booking and payments engine on WooCommerce and Stripe set up to bill each event from its own company.
IPAV
A custom Laravel membership platform for the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers: a public member directory, a thirteen-step online application paid by Stripe, member accounts, and the rebuilt ipav.ie website.
FAQs
Apps and platforms, answered.
What people ask us before a project like this starts.
What does a platform build cost?
From €10,000 ex VAT for a focused web app or customer portal. A platform with a back end, an admin and iOS and Android apps costs materially more, and the figure is fixed in the costed plan before design starts. Our guide to app development costs in Ireland sets out what moves the price.
Should we build a web app, a mobile app or both?
Start from where the work happens. A web app reaches every device from one build and updates the moment we ship. An iOS and Android app adds full offline use, a place on the home screen and a store listing. Many platforms need both on one back end, and we recommend the mix in the consult. Our guide to web apps, mobile apps and PWAs sets out the trade-offs.
Do you design and build, or just one?
Both, led by the same senior people. We can also build to a design made elsewhere and will say up front what that changes.
Can one back end run our website, dashboard and apps?
Yes, and it is the setup we recommend for most platforms. ESMA’s website, member dashboard and iOS and Android apps run on one platform we built, so the member directory and the events are kept in one place for every screen. We design the data model and the API first, then the screens on top of them.
How do you handle logins, accounts and user data?
Authentication is built on proven libraries and identity providers rather than hand-rolled, with hashed credentials, session and token handling done properly, and role-based permissions so people only reach what they should. Personal data is minimised and documented, so you know what the app stores and why if you are ever asked.
Who owns the code, the data and the store listings?
The code and the data are yours. Anything we host or publish for you, from the repository and the hosting to the App Store and Google Play listings, transfers to you on request, and the platform is documented so another team could pick it up.
How do you keep scope under control?
You see working software throughout the build, not a demo at the end. Each increment ships something you can use, so priorities stay visible and the expensive decisions get made early, while they are still cheap to change. Anything that moves the scope materially is repriced in writing before it is built, so the budget does not drift quietly.
What about app-store submission?
We handle it: the store listings, privacy declarations, review notes and the submission itself, prepared alongside the build because both stores reject apps for reasons beyond the code.
Who looks after the platform once it is live?
The same senior person who knows your build. A retainer from €2,000 a month covers fixes, operating-system updates, hosting and new features, and response times for urgent issues are agreed in writing when it starts.
Funding
Know what a grant
will and will not cover.
The Local Enterprise Office Grow Digital Voucher pays 50% of eligible digital adoption costs, up to €5,000: off-the-shelf software subscriptions, their configuration and training. It does not cover bespoke website development or custom software, and you need a completed Digital for Business project first. We scope which parts of your project qualify before you spend a euro.
Let’s talk
Let’s build
your platform.
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