Blogs » How to Build Your Own On-Demand Delivery Services Mobile App
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If you’re looking to build your own on-demand delivery app, it’s important that you know what to expect. Here’s a complete guide on you how to develop on-demand mobile applications for delivery services, including its benefits and challenges. We’ll also cover some of the different aspects of on-demand mobile app development and what goes into making a successful on-demand service.
What is On-Demand Service Mobile App?
As the name suggests, on-demand service applications are platforms that connect clients that have on-demand or time-sensitive needs to a service provider or vendor, allowing both parties to interact with one another.
On-demand apps like Uber, and even Netflix have enabled people from everywhere to get almost anything that they want with just a tap of a finger and due to mankind’s love for convenience and technology’s ability to meet expectations, this obviously led to its popularity.
In fact, according to eMarkerter’s research, the number of people using on-demand food delivery apps in the US will reach 53.9 million by 2023, which is a huge leap from 36.4 million users back in 2019. Not to mention that this is just for food delivery services and it hasn’t covered other on-demand services like fuel delivery, home services, and more.
As you can see, there is a need for an on-demand delivery app for almost every day to day transaction or basic daily necessities — from booking hotels, ordering food, delivery services, laundry services, home services, car rental services, to flowers and gifts delivery, and many more. This is why an on-demand delivery app is a great business opportunity– particularly for delivery businesses — to expand. Nowadays, more and more small to mid-sized businesses are now investing and taking advantage of these mobile services for their business growth.
Why Businesses Should Invest in On-Demand Delivery Applications
Now that we’ve established the importance and benefits of on-demand services for the customers, let’s discuss the advantages they can bring to your business.
1. Simplified and Streamlined Process
Whether you are just a startup, or an enterprise, having your own on the delivery platform helps streamline your processes and gives you and your customers an easy and convenient way of getting things done.
For starters, with an on-demand delivery service app, your customers can now easily find you and communicate with you regarding their needs. With an app, you can also easily track or monitor orders and optimize business processes like order management or record keeping.
2. Increased Market Reach
Another benefit of having an on-demand delivery app is its accessibility. This allows you to expand your reach not just to your locale. With this, you can widen your market scope, strengthen your brand and increase your edge against your competitors.
Almost everyone nowadays relies on technology to meet their needs. The next time a customer has a craving for food, they search for the nearest delivery service available to them. It also gives you an advantage over your competitors that do not have that online presence.
3. Boost Revenue
Down to the bottom line, at the end of the day, the most important benefit on-demand mobile apps can bring in is revenue. Chances are, your revenue will skyrocket because of the value-added convenience you offer to your customers. There are monetization strategies Remember, on top of having websites and social media pages, having your own on-demand delivery app should make it easier for your customers to discover you and avail of your products and/or services.
4. Encourage Customer Loyalty
Lastly, on-demand delivery services apps do not just help acquire new customers but could also help your business retain a loyal following or any app user who might get interested with your offers. You will have that competitive advantage if you allow the app to be a great communication channel, including an in-app messaging option that could help you communicate and receive feedback from your users. You can also reward loyal customers through coupons and update them if there are new promos, campaigns, items, offers, etc.
Challenges of On-Demand Delivery Applications
So by now, you have probably already thought about creating your own on-demand delivery service mobile app. However, although there are several benefits to having such, it’s needless to say that it also has its own challenges.
1. Sustainability and Scalability
There are several core features going on in your app, and each app has different requirements depending on your business’ nature. For example, if you need 24/7 availability or if there has been a sudden influx of traffic, you should have a trusted developer who is able to build sustainable and scalable applications. It does not just come down to ‘how’ but also ‘who’, as your software development team makes or breaks the success of your project.
2. Payment Methods
In line with revenue goals, some on-demand delivery service apps do not have enough payment options and personal data processing for security. So make sure that when building your own, you must invest in having multiple payment gateways while ensuring security for your app users.
3. UI/UX Design
Truth is, if you have a poor UI or UX design, users will likely uninstall and leave your app unused. As I havave pointed out earlier, it’s not just about having an on-demand delivery service app. Remember that we ride along with the concept of convenience and time-sensitive needs therefore, it’s crucial that you make sure your app is easy to navigate and user-friendly.
Additionally, make your app as inclusive as possible and think of all the people you are targeting to use your app. For example, if you are creating a medicine delivery app, your possible target users could be the elderly or sickly, so make sure to avoid small, unreadable fonts.
4. Customer Retention
While it is true that on-demand delivery service apps can help you gain loyal followers, just like any other mobile app out there in the market, it must still find a way to rise above the marketplace through continuous engagement. Look for ways for people to check in the app, make use of push notifications, coupons, personal offers, social media integrations, and updates to maintain a relationship with your customers.
5. Development Costs
When you decide to build an app, you don’t just pay for the developer. In fact, you pay for a whole team of UX/UI developers, front-end, back-end developers. You must know that apart from the software engineers, the price of development depends on the features, platforms, integrations, and sometimes even compliance requirements that your mobile app requires.
Features Customers Look For In An On-Demand Delivery App
Here are some of the basic features that customers look for in an on-demand service app.
1. Simple, Fast, and Easy to Use
Starting with the basics, as I have mentioned, one of the first selling points of on-demand delivery service apps is its ability to provide immediate service and convenience. In line with that, it is advisable to have easy onboarding.
While onboarding first-time users, refrain from welcoming them with long series of sign-up processes. You should be able to establish a process of how new users come to understand and use a product. Users should find your app easy to use. They must be able to easily create and set up their own accounts. In the beginning, try to let your customers answer only the most basic questions first just to get started. Additionally, it’d be great to have search bars, simple order placing, scheduling, or checking out for faster transactions.
2. Access to Personal Data
One of the things users also look for is their access to personal data such as their own profiles, history of their transactions, favorite services or items, and saved payment options to list a few. Having this also helps you build behavioral information and analytics later on.
3. Secured Payment Methods
Make sure that you have a safe and secured online payment system that has multiple payment options. It’s ideal that your app must support different payment methods, such as card or e-wallet payment options including those that are popular among your audience.
4. Real-Time Tracking and Updates
Provide a real-time GPS tracking and update feature that helps both your users and their customers monitor status orders. Make use of Geolocation services to let users know if they are at a nearby restaurant or shop or let them know if tasks are being fulfilled, or if their order is already out for delivery. Having this transparency helps build trust and lets your customers know how you are handling their requests.
5. In-App Call/Messaging
Another feature users look for in an on-demand service app is in-app messaging. This helps users coordinate with their delivery personnel, rider, etc… whenever there are special instructions. It also provides a layer of extra protection for users since it eliminates the need to provide personal contact information from the service provider and vice versa.
6. Ratings and Reviews
Lastly, provide a way for your users to rate and send their feedback about their experience. This does not only help build brand and credibility but also helps you improve on your product or service.
How Technology Rivers Build an On-Demand Delivery App
In one of our projects, we created SimpFuel, a fuel delivery app, where users can request gas delivered to wherever they are. SimpFuel technicians then will drive the truck to the user’s location and fill in the gas tank.
To build the app, we have sat down and discussed with the SimpFuel team to understand their pain points and needs. Our team then designed all the features for the app. Platforms and technical features include Cross-Platform Hybrid Mobile App using React Native Mobile App Development Framework, Google Firebase, Android development, and Apple iOS development.
The app features include scheduling with multiple time slots, payment processing with multiple payment options, payment hold, and charge features, tracking, status updates, order history, cancellation, push notifications, and many more.
Summary
In conclusion, the on-demand delivery app market is continuously and rapidly growing from several industries such as food and grocery deliveries, healthcare, professional services, logistics, transportation services, and many more. Leverage this trend and be on top of your competition and landscape and make sure to enter this market successfully by acquiring experienced developers who can save you so much time and in the long run, business success. Think about all these things and how they can benefit your business and build stronger brand credibility and presence. On-demand app solutions will help boost your traditional businesses to the next level.
Do you have an app idea? Start your on-demand app now! Technology Rivers have been building mobile apps for several businesses in various industries. Contact us now and let’s discuss!
Did this article help you decide if you want to build an on-demand app? We’d appreciate your comments. Get in touch with us, reach us out through our social channels via Facebook or LinkedIn.
