How to Recreate a Mobile E-Commerce App from Video to React Native with Replay (2026)

TL;DR: Replay lets you recreate a complete mobile e-commerce app from a simple video recording, generating React Native code ready for customization and deployment.

The year is 2026. Screenshot-to-code tools are relics. The new standard is understanding behavior. You're tasked with rebuilding a successful, but undocumented, mobile e-commerce app. You only have screen recordings of user flows. Rebuilding it from scratch? Nightmare fuel. But what if you could turn those recordings directly into working React Native code? That's the power of Replay.

Understanding Behavior-Driven Reconstruction#

Traditional methods of UI generation rely on static images. They lack the context of user interaction, resulting in brittle, incomplete code. Replay changes the game by employing "Behavior-Driven Reconstruction." It analyzes video to understand user intent, not just visual elements. This approach offers several key advantages:

• •Complete User Flows: Replay reconstructs multi-page flows, capturing transitions and state changes that static images miss.
• •Dynamic Elements: It understands dynamic content updates, like shopping cart totals or product availability, adapting the generated code accordingly.
• •Contextual Understanding: Replay analyzes user gestures, taps, and swipes to infer the underlying logic and generate more accurate code.

Recreating an E-Commerce App: A Step-by-Step Guide#

Let's walk through recreating a mobile e-commerce app from a video using Replay.

Step 1: Preparing Your Video#

Ensure your video recording showcases the key user flows of your e-commerce app. This includes:

• •Browsing products
• •Adding items to cart
• •Proceeding to checkout
• •Completing the purchase

💡 Pro Tip: Record multiple flows to capture edge cases and variations in user behavior.

Step 2: Uploading to Replay#

1. •Access the Replay platform (https://replay.build).
2. •Create a new project and upload your video recording.
3. •Replay will automatically process the video, analyzing user interactions and identifying UI elements.

Step 3: Configuring Reconstruction Settings#

Replay offers several configuration options to fine-tune the code generation process:

• •Target Framework: Select "React Native" as the target framework.
• •Style Injection: Choose your preferred styling method (e.g., CSS-in-JS, styled-components).
• •Supabase Integration: If your app uses Supabase for backend services, configure the integration to automatically connect the generated code to your database.

Step 4: Generating the Code#

Click the "Generate Code" button. Replay will begin reconstructing the app's UI and logic based on the video analysis. This process may take a few minutes, depending on the length and complexity of the video.

Step 5: Reviewing and Customizing the Code#

Once the code generation is complete, you can review the generated React Native code within the Replay platform. This allows you to:

• •Inspect the component structure
• •Examine the generated code for each component
• •Make minor adjustments and refinements

Step 6: Downloading and Deploying#

Download the generated React Native project. You can then import it into your preferred IDE (e.g., Visual Studio Code) and further customize the app to your specific requirements.

typescript
// Example: Generated React Native component for a product card
import React from 'react';
import { View, Text, Image, StyleSheet } from 'react-native';

interface ProductCardProps {
  name: string;
  imageUrl: string;
  price: number;
}

const ProductCard: React.FC<ProductCardProps> = ({ name, imageUrl, price }) => {
  return (
    <View style={styles.card}>
      <Image source={{ uri: imageUrl }} style={styles.image} />
      <Text style={styles.name}>{name}</Text>
      <Text style={styles.price}>${price.toFixed(2)}</Text>
    </View>
  );
};

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  card: {
    backgroundColor: '#fff',
    borderRadius: 8,
    padding: 16,
    marginBottom: 16,
    shadowColor: '#000',
    shadowOffset: { width: 0, height: 2 },
    shadowOpacity: 0.1,
    shadowRadius: 4,
    elevation: 2,
  },
  image: {
    width: '100%',
    height: 200,
    borderRadius: 8,
    marginBottom: 8,
  },
  name: {
    fontSize: 18,
    fontWeight: 'bold',
    marginBottom: 4,
  },
  price: {
    fontSize: 16,
    color: 'green',
  },
});

export default ProductCard;

This code snippet demonstrates a basic product card component generated by Replay. It includes the product image, name, and price, all styled using React Native's StyleSheet.

Step 7: Integrating with Supabase (Optional)#

If you configured Supabase integration, Replay will automatically generate code to fetch product data from your Supabase database. You can then use this data to populate the product cards and other UI elements.

typescript
// Example: Fetching product data from Supabase
import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js';

const supabaseUrl = 'YOUR_SUPABASE_URL';
const supabaseKey = 'YOUR_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY';
const supabase = createClient(supabaseUrl, supabaseKey);

const fetchProducts = async () => {
  const { data, error } = await supabase
    .from('products')
    .select('*');

  if (error) {
    console.error('Error fetching products:', error);
    return [];
  }

  return data;
};

// Usage in a component
const ProductList = () => {
  const [products, setProducts] = React.useState([]);

  React.useEffect(() => {
    fetchProducts().then(setProducts);
  }, []);

  return (
    <View>
      {products.map(product => (
        <ProductCard key={product.id} {...product} />
      ))}
    </View>
  );
};

This code snippet shows how to fetch product data from a Supabase database and display it in a list of product cards.

Replay vs. Traditional Methods#

Let's compare Replay to traditional methods of UI generation:

📝 Note: "Manual Reconstruction" refers to rebuilding the app from scratch without any automated tools.

As the table illustrates, Replay offers significant advantages over traditional methods, particularly in terms of speed, accuracy, and maintainability.

Addressing Common Concerns#

You might be thinking: "Can Replay really understand complex user flows?" Here's a breakdown:

• •Complexity: Replay excels at reconstructing common e-commerce flows like browsing, adding to cart, and checkout. More complex flows, like advanced search filters or personalized recommendations, may require additional manual refinement.
• •Accuracy: The accuracy of the generated code depends on the quality of the video recording. Clear, well-defined user flows will result in more accurate code.
• •Customization: Replay generates a solid foundation of working code, but it's not a "magic bullet." You'll likely need to customize the code to meet your specific design and functionality requirements.

⚠️ Warning: Replay is a powerful tool, but it's not a replacement for skilled developers. It's designed to accelerate the development process, not eliminate it entirely.

Product Flow Maps#

Beyond code generation, Replay creates "Product Flow Maps." These visual diagrams illustrate the user's journey through the app, highlighting key interaction points and transitions. These maps are invaluable for:

• •Understanding User Behavior: Identify common user paths and potential bottlenecks.
• •Improving UX: Optimize the user experience by streamlining flows and removing friction.
• •Onboarding New Team Members: Quickly communicate the app's structure and functionality.

Frequently Asked Questions#

Is Replay free to use?#

Replay offers a free tier with limited features. Paid plans are available for more advanced features and usage. Check the Replay pricing page for details.

How is Replay different from v0.dev?#

v0.dev primarily focuses on generating UI components from text prompts or screenshots. Replay, on the other hand, analyzes video to understand user behavior and reconstruct complete user flows, resulting in more comprehensive and functional code. Replay also provides features like Supabase integration and Product Flow maps, which are not available in v0.dev.

What kind of video quality is needed for Replay to work?#

The clearer the video, the better the results. Avoid excessive glare or shaking. Ensure key UI elements are visible.

Can Replay handle animations and transitions?#

Yes, Replay is designed to capture and reproduce animations and transitions within the video.

What if my video contains sensitive information?#

Replay provides options to blur or redact sensitive information within the video before processing.

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Ready to try behavior-driven code generation? Get started with Replay - transform any video into working code in seconds.