Smart Cooking by AMC: App relaunch as a strategic enabler
Von Pots & Pans zum smarten Kocherlebnis
The relaunch of the Cook & Go app marks the next big step for the AMC digital ecosystem. Together with PCG, the app has been fundamentally modernized to create a scalable basis for the future. The result is an improved cooking experience that measurably increases adoption and brings AMC’s premium standards to life digitally.
Mission: Smart Cooking – Challenges as a springboard for innovation
For over 60 years, AMC has been synonymous with premium cookware and healthy, precise cooking. The Cook & Go app was designed to extend these strengths digitally as a smart companion. However, the product faced a number of hurdles before its relaunch:
The starting point:
- Technological legacy issues: The structure that had grown over the years prevented efficient further development.
- Barriers in the business model: A subscription model with a restrictive paywall led to stagnating user numbers.
- Design gap: UX and UI, as well as a lack of accessibility, no longer met the brand’s high quality standards.
- Lack of flexibility: The app was insufficiently optimized for different end devices and real-life usage scenarios in the kitchen.
The strategic vision: The relaunch was intended to elevate Cook & Go beyond a mere app. The goal: A seamless digital extension of physical cooking that positions AMC as a leading provider of smart integrated systems and drives the brand’s digital transformation.
Challenges at a glance
- Low app adoption despite high hardware penetration
- Declining user numbers due to unsuitable monetization model
- Lack of strategic development of the digital product
- High expectations for usability, reliability, and scalability
PCG helped us to reposition Cook & Go not only technically but also strategically—with a clear focus on users, brand, and measurable added value. We were impressed by the holistic approach, which takes into account both the app strategy and the entire analog cooking system.
Modernization & Re-Engineering - Technology, Design, and Business Model in Harmony
PCG started with a structured app review to holistically evaluate the technology, UX, business model, and user needs. On this basis, Cook & Go was consistently rethought—not as an isolated software project, but as an integral part of the AMC cooking system.
Key solution components
Architecture and development: The existing React Native-based app was replaced and Cook & Go 4.0 was completely redeveloped in Flutter. The result: faster development, better maintainability, and maximum flexibility for future enhancements.
UX/UI modernization: PCG worked with AMC to develop a uniform, accessible design system that works for all brand-relevant markets and target groups. User guidance was simplified, the design language modernized, and consistently aligned with the brand’s premium standards. Building on this, Cook & Go was not only redesigned as a mobile app, but also consistently implemented as a cross-platform experience—including an optimized tablet version and a responsive desktop and web version. This makes smart cooking flexible and usable wherever planning, cooking, and inspiration actually take place.
Realignment of the business model: The app was converted from a complete paywall to a freemium model. Users get access to basic functions and are gradually introduced to smart cooking with the AMC system.
Stable operation & gradual modernization: A decoupled approach was used to quickly modernize the front end, while the existing back end continues to run stably via managed cloud operations in Microsoft Azure. This enables a gradual back-end transformation without service interruption, while optimizing time-to-market for the new app experience.
As a result, the app focuses on the benefits for the end customer: guided cooking with step-by-step instructions, real-time status, smart notifications, and precise control in conjunction with the AMC Audiotherm – for reliable, healthy, and stress-free cooking results. Regardless of the device – whether a smartphone in the kitchen, a tablet on the worktop, or a desktop/web for recipe planning – the user experience remains consistent, high-quality, and seamless.
Shared vision, shared expertise
AMC specifically chose PCG as a partner that combines technical implementation expertise with a deep understanding of brands, hardware, and user behavior. The focus was not only on operational execution, but also on PCG’s role as a strategic catalyst.
The following were particularly appreciated:
- Objectivity: An unbiased user perspective that constructively questions existing approaches.
- Collaboration: Seamless integration into AMC’s internal design and product teams.
- Holistic approach: A systemic view of the interaction between app, hardware, and business model.
As a sparring partner, PCG acted proactively and with a focus on decision-making in order to work with AMC to shape the digital transformation of the cooking system in a sustainable manner.
From the outset, our collaboration with PCG was based on partnership, transparency, and goal orientation. We always felt that we were working together on a product with genuine added value.
From App to Lifestyle Companion
The relaunch of Cook & Go has firmly established the app in users’ everyday cooking routines and significantly strengthened its strategic importance for AMC. The hypothesis that a freemium model would increase use of the cooking system has been confirmed: In the first week after the launch, daily active users increased by 300%, while monthly active users grew by 145–150% year-on-year.
Cook & Go has thus evolved from a pure companion app to an economically relevant digital product in the AMC ecosystem.
