Blogs

Social distancing and staying at home have become new norms in this pandemic age. Stringent rules and regulations along with restricted movements have completely changed the way we live. This quarantine period has forced us to stay and perform all activities from home. The corporate sector has suffered a lot because of this turbulent time. But, every cloud has a silver lining. Advancing technology has made it possible to order products or services online and get them at the doorstep. Yes, on-demand delivery apps make it possible for us.

These days, many brick-and-mortar vendors and startups have switched to on-demand apps to reduce the impact of lockdowns. Developing an on-demand delivery app has become a necessity to meet the massive demand for various products across the world. Be it utilities or groceries or food items, on-demand app development has witnessed tremendous growth in recent times.

On-demand food delivery apps like Uber Eats and on-demand grocery delivery apps like Instacart have made new milestones in the number of downloads. Amid the growing popularity of on-demand delivery apps, it is fair to mention that you can boost your business with ease through such an app with customer-friendly features. Let’s understand the models your business can utilize for developing an on-demand delivery app.

Key Business Models for On-demand Delivery Apps

• Third-party Collaboration

At the initial level, if you do not want to invest in the app, you can partner with an existing on-demand delivery services provider. But then, this is a suitable model for startups or at the beginning of your business. If you want to grow your business, you need to develop an app. It is because people who buy your products from another app will remain as the customer base of the other company. Your business cannot leverage the benefits of the other company’s customer base.

• Dedicated Delivery App

You can mark your presence in the market by launching an on-demand delivery app. This dedicated delivery app can boost your business and assist you to build a brand. You can expand your business and improve customer services to give them personalized experienced through a dedicated on-demand delivery app. If your business is in continual demand, you should opt for a dedicated delivery app model.

Types of On-demand Delivery Apps

Depending on your target audience, you can come up with any of these on-demand delivery apps.

1. Business to Consumer (B2C)– These apps are also known as Enterprise to Persson (E2P) apps. They allow product or service providers to offer their services/products directly to customers.
2. Business to Business (B2B)– These apps are also known as Enterprise to Enterprise (E2E) apps. Here, the end-users of the service or products are also business persons instead of customers.
3. Consumer to Consumer (C2C)– These apps are also called P2P (Person to Person) apps. These apps connect end-users or persons with end-users. eBay and Etsy apps work on this model.

These days, many industry sectors extensively use on-demand delivery apps to improve their services and expand businesses. On-demand food delivery apps, on-demand grocery delivery apps, and on-demand healthcare apps are the most common examples of such apps.

The mobile app development company can build a customized app in line with your business model, target audience, and other necessary aspects. These days, logistics, gifts & flowers, and home services providers also opt for developing on-demand apps. If you have an innovative idea and you want to transform it into an on-demand delivery app, then a reputed app development company can assist you from the scratch.

While developing an on-demand delivery app, you need to consider user acquisition and retention. Partnerships with local vendors or suppliers, referral programs, and in-app promotional offers can enable you to achieve both these objectives effectively. Here it is fair to mention that even if you have a feature-rich and seamlessly-performing app, your business cannot grow if there is a lack of customer support and a poor delivery network.

Let’s dig deep into the factors to consider before developing an on-demand delivery app.

Points to Ponder

While making an on-demand delivery app, you need to gather requirements and research market trends thoroughly. Also, you can analyze the competitors’ apps to find any loopholes. You can bring an app as a solution to these shortcomings. Along with this, you should focus on your target audience. For example, if you want to target an audience based in Asia or Africa, it is better to opt for android app development, but if you want to reach the US-based audience, then you should build an iOS app.

Another necessary aspect to consider is a budgetary constraint. If the budget does not permit a native Android or an iOS app, you can either consider building an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) at the initial stage or go for the cross-platform app development. Such cross-platform apps can seamlessly run across Android and iOS platforms and they can be developed in a relatively short time.

Finally, we will look at the necessary features-

Every on-demand delivery app consists of three user personas-

End-users or customers, delivery persons, and admin.

The user’s app or the customer’s app has features like signing up, search, order placing, order tracking, real-time chat, push notifications, online payment, and review. In this turbulent time, you can also give an option of contactless delivery to your customers.

The delivery person’s app should have features like registration, order management (Accept/Reject), in-app chat, order history, and payout.

The admin panel has an interactive dashboard to manage orders, delivery persons, inventory, notifications, and various promotional schemes. Real-time tracking and regular reporting about the app usage are other important features of the admin app.

Wrapping Up

Developing an on-demand delivery app for your business is quite a task. However, these tips can help entrepreneurs and startup owners to make a proper roadmap for on-demand delivery app development. It is always better to consult a reliable and experienced app development company to get a complete idea of the features and the cost of on-demand delivery apps.

Suria International is a renowned mobile app development company in Singapore. Our in-house team of experienced app developers can build robust on-demand delivery apps in line with your business model and assist you to achieve your goals. Do you want to get a high ROI and boost sales by developing an on-demand delivery app? Simply send us an email at business@suriainternational.com and we will get back to you with an effective strategy.