A comprehensive guide to developing an on-demand app
The booming on-demand economy has paved the way for startups and SMEs to satisfy their customers’ demands while providing excellent services. Think of Uber and Grofers. Many such companies have written their success stories by developing an on-demand app. The on-demand model has made it possible to deliver goods and services in real-time.
We have many on-demand apps available these days for various services like food delivery, grocery delivery, etc. But, it is fair to mention that if someone wants to build an on-demand app, the growing demand of goods and services in this pandemic age offers a lot of opportunities. Startups and small enterprises can shape their business models based on an on-demand economy and leverage the benefits by bringing user-friendly apps.
Here is a comprehensive guide for developing an on-demand app for your business. Let’s start with the most popular types of on-demand apps.
Popular On-demand Apps
Food Delivery
This is the most in-demand model of on-demand apps. Restaurants, takeaways, and restaurant chains have brought dedicated food delivery apps to facilitate people to give orders online and get delivery of their favorite food at the doorstep. In this quarantine age when people tend to avoid going out, food delivery apps can fulfill their requirement of getting delicious food from their favorite restaurants at their doorstep.
Grocery Delivery
Instacart and Walmart Grocery have set new milestones in the number of daily downloads recently. Though people have started opting for on-demand grocery delivery apps instead of brick-and-mortar stores, the COVID-19 pandemic has boosted this switching process. On-demand grocery delivery app development enables your customers to get rid of visiting the grocery store and standing in a long queue.
Retail
As per the research, same-day delivery is the first choice of around 54% of Americans under the age of 25. This fact indicates the importance of an on-demand retail app. It enables retailers to deliver various products to their customers in a swift and secure way. The rise of on-demand retail apps is supported by advancing logistics technology and the last-mile delivery system. The retail app users can buy almost everything easily as per their convenience.
Healthcare
On-demand healthcare apps are highly beneficial in this pandemic time. People can get 24/7 medical services using their smartphones through robust and feature-rich healthcare apps. Be it scheduling an appointment or ordering medicines, the on-demand healthcare app makes everything easy and simple for its users. The thriving healthcare sector can offer services like telemedicine and doctor-on-demand through an app.
Cab Booking
On-demand taxi app enables the users to book a cab in a jiffy. They can simply enter their pick up and drop destinations to book a cab. Uber and Ola have successfully implemented an on-demand model in the transportation sector through feature-rich apps. Cab booking apps can save a lot of time and effort for users.
Factors to Consider while Developing On-demand App for Your Business
Find Your Target Audience
The target audience for your on-demand app could be millennials, college goers, family guys, working individuals, singles, etc. You need to define your target audience and research market trends thoroughly before developing an app for your business. It assists you to make a roadmap for building an on-demand app with higher chances of success.
Define Common Problems
An on-demand app acts as a solution to commonly experienced problems or issues. The mobile app development company can assist you to add features necessary to eliminate collective problems through an app. Let’s take the example of Uber. It was a common problem for many commuters and individuals to find a taxi on a 24/7 basis. Similarly, cab drivers could also not find passengers all the time. Uber has solved this common problem with a feature-rich app and the rest is history!
In this pandemic time, brick-and-mortar grocery retailers can consider developing an on-demand grocery delivery app to address the challenge of following social distancing and quarantine norms. Retailers can facilitate their customers to give an online order and get the delivery at their doorstep through grocery delivery app development services.
Make Roadmap
This is one of the most important aspects to consider. It is better to do a market survey and monitor the competitor’s activities while making a roadmap for the app development project. Also, you need to focus on strengthening your delivery network because even if your app is user-friendly and rich in features, it’s timely delivery of orders that will make your business successful through increasing sales.
You can also consult a reputed on-demand app development company during or after making a roadmap or strategy.
Let’s go through some of the common features of the on-demand delivery app. Whether you want to build an Android app or iOS app, these features remain the same.
Most Important Features of On-demand Apps
Every on-demand app consists of three parts- customer app, delivery person app, and an admin panel. Here is the list of necessary features for all three types-
Customer App
- Registration and Profile Creation– It needs the customer’s name, contact number, and email address or social media account details.
- Real-time Tracking– It enables your customers to track their orders in real-time. It enhances trust for your business.
- Push Notification– You can keep your customers updated about order status, delivery status, and upcoming schemes or discount offers.
- Favorites– It helps customers to mark their favorite products or services for quick order in the future.
- Payment Integration– Customers can easily pay as per their convenient way.
- Reviews and Ratings– It shows transparency and openness of your business and customers can make informed decisions through such reviews.
- Instant Chat– Customers can chat with delivery persons with ease using this feature.
- Help & Support– This feature assists your customers to resolve their queries quickly.
Delivery Person App
Here, registration and instant chat are common features as that in the customer app. Additional features include accepting and rejecting requests and tracking earnings. Also, delivery persons can select their availability and make a schedule for their delivery tasks.
Admin Panel
It includes an interactive dashboard that shows the entire delivery process. The admin can manage users, delivery persons, and inventory with the help of various features in a robust admin panel. Also, the mobile app development company can integrate the feature to generate real-time reports that assist you to make informed decisions.
Concluding Lines
The on-demand app can take your business to a new level in this turbulent time. You can opt for either native or cross-platform app development to build an on-demand app as per your budget. This comprehensive guide with major types and features will certainly help you make an app strategy to boost sales and increase ROI.
Suria International is a leading on-demand app development company based in Singapore. We build customized on-demand apps for various sectors including healthcare, retail, home services, and hospitality. If you want to transform your idea into a feature-rich app and grow your business, simply send us an email at business@suriainternational.com. Our expert business consultants will contact you soon.