Delivery App Development : Things to know before developing a Food Delivery App

The need to consume food is never going to stop. Be that as it may, the manner by which food was monetarily expended will undoubtedly change now and again. In the past food was prepared at home. Restaurants came to the rescue of people who were outside their homes. Nice cafés began to become home base joints and individuals began to rationalize to visit eateries. The restaurants likewise began to offer different cuisines and dining experiences. Some restaurants retained their classic stance of providing just the food as a utility.

The income in food delivery services is required to show a yearly growth rate of 9.9% from 2019 until 2023. This converts into a market volume of $156 billion by 2023. As of recently, the income from online food ordering software has added up to more than $100 billion.

Why Food Delivery Are Companies an Enormous Success Today?

The concept of food delivery isn’t new. From ordering telephonically to using dedicated online platforms linked to a particular restaurant, the process of ordering food has become as easy as, well, heating a frozen TV dinner. Over the past 5-7 years, a slew of companies across the world appear to have zeroed in on a new (and now not so secret) magic formula; where earlier versions of online food delivery service were limited to a single restaurant or menu, it is now a veritable buffet, allowing customers access to thousands of restaurants and millions of dishes.

The idea of nourishment conveyance isn't new. From requesting telephonically to utilizing devoted online stages connected to a specific eatery, the way toward requesting nourishment has become as simple as, well, warming a solidified TV supper. In the course of the last 5-7 years, a large number of organizations over the world seem to have focused on another (and now not all that mystery) enchantment equation; where prior forms of online nourishment conveyance administration were restricted to a solitary café or menu, it is currently a genuine smorgasbord, permitting clients to access to a huge number of cafés and a huge number of dishes.

 Online nourishment organizations are finding to their joy that clients are greedy for such administrations. Industry development rates have soared as a huge number of clients have given themselves more than ready to have nourishment conveyed at the press of a catch as opposed to spending extended periods blending scoop in the pot. In 2018, Frost and Sullivan assessed the business at $82 billion as far as gross income appointments and is set to dramatically increase by 2025, sponsored by a total development pace of 14%. Business proprietors of the cafés need bunches of speculation directly from getting the kitchen gear to legitimate space. To draw more individuals towards the eatery, it must be very much planned and made appealing, which implies, you need more cash. In the event that these things are not executed satisfactorily, it implies proprietors of the eateries are going to confront misfortune for the business. So the main way out is to build the number of requests. What's more, it very well may be effortlessly accomplished by the nourishment conveyance applications. With the origin of nourishment conveyance applications, eateries have had the option to help many clients who are situated far away. 

Important Factors to Consider While Developing Food Delivery Apps

• Research Thoroughly

Failing to plan is planning to fail, and when you think you’ve researched it all, some new information pops up on the internet. The journey and fate of your food delivery business depend on the depth of your research. From competitors to end-users, gather as much information as you can to help you make an informed decision. The time and money you invest in research will give you insights into your target audience. On the contrary, overlooking market research will only save you time and cost in the initial stage, but it will prove even costlier when you plan to set things right. In simple words, research doesn’t guarantee success, but it surely improves your chances to succeed.

• Get Your App Right

In continuity with the previous base, you can’t just expect to have extraordinary results with an ordinary app. From basic/essential features to advanced features that set your food delivery app different from the rest, you need to make sure the app looks and works according to the needs of the hour.

Segregate your app features into two categories: Essential and Influential. The essential features are whatever mobile app development company with proven experience in the field. And then there are the Influential features that make your app stand a class apart from your competitors. This is what makes research more so important. See what your audience wants, what your competition isn’t providing, and tap the need to make a strong presence in the digital world.

• The Perfect App Launch

Launching your food delivery business app is more than simply putting it up on different app stores. You can’t just launch it and cross your fingers, waiting for the first download and then hoping for millions more. It just doesn’t work that way. Launching an app is about announcing your presence and making your audience want to try it. Create a marketing campaign that taps the consumer pain points with existing food delivery business apps and how you have the solution for the same. Ensure your app actually delivers the claims you make it does. Leverage upon all the marketing channels you need to spread the news. Get social media influencers to talk about your app. Do a press release to get the attention of your audience.

• Take Reviews & Ratings Seriously

Reviews and ratings do more than simply telling you what customers liked about your food delivery business and what they didn’t. Working on your app in accordance with the reviews actually helps you with better customer retention. Reviews also add to your app as dynamic content that further helps in app store optimization. Moreover, reviews help you build a sound support community that further enhances the User Experience of your customers. Also, the more people talk about your app, the more visible it will be on the app stores.

• Keep Iterating and Improving

No matter how good your app is, there will always be plenty of room for improvements and iterations. At the same time, regular updates help you keep your food delivery business app free from bugs and upgraded operating system compatibility issues. Reviews and ratings play an important role in figuring out any and all scopes of improvement.

• Payment Integration

From making online payments to the traditional cash on delivery, giving your customers the option to pay the way they want to is tantamount to a great user experience. In current times, customers are making a switch from paying through credit/debit cards and net banking to more sophisticated Apple Pay and Google Pay. Integrating as many payment options in your system as possible will also make them move faster through the checkout funnel. The faster they move, the quicker they’ll pay.

•  Real-Time Order Update and tracking

Keeping customers informed about the order status (order confirmed, in preparation, out for delivery) to exactly where the delivery agent has reached keeps them in the loop. Such real-time notifications and information enhance user experience as customers don’t have to call again & again to know when will the order reach. Real-time order tracking when the order is in the delivery stage can be carried out with the help of the Core Location framework (for iOS Apps) and Google Location API (Android apps). At the same time, Map kits and Google Maps allow the delivery agent to get the best route to the customer’s location.

•  Advanced Analytics & Reports

Analyzing customer behavior is the key to improving your services. It will help you reach out to each of your customers in a highly personalized way. From buying preferences to frequently ordered food items to the time window when a particular customer orders the most, all this information gives you the power to enhance your business.

The same information will also help you make better food recommendations based on customer’s favorite cuisine, their budget preferences, and many other parameters.

• Delivery Scheduler

Customers normally order food when they need or want it right away. However, there are customers who want their food delivered later in the day. Giving them the freedom to schedule delivery will not only enhance user experience but also build brand loyalty. So, give your customers the power to schedule their dinner delivery in the noon or order a cake for a birthday or anniversary coming in a week. They’ll love you for it and will want to come back for more.

•  Referrals & Promo Codes

Want to increase the downloads of your food delivery app? Referrals are among the most efficient ways to do so. At the same time, promo codes are also a great way to increase your food delivery mobile app’s AOV. Make sure you send referral points and promo codes through push notifications so your customers grab the offer quickly.

Read More : A complete guide for Food App Development UAE

Key Elements of a Successful Food Delivery Application

The diverse aspects of the application that comprise such an app before detailing how to build an on-demand food delivery service, should be taken into consideration. The following three parts compose a basic food delivery app:

User Application

• Let new users' create their account using their email address or their social media accounts 
• You can select from a list of vendors on your site - a restaurant or a cafe
• The ability to order from a menu easily
• A hassle-free payment gateway can be provided for processing payments and validating promotional codes validation. Customers should be able to pay for orders most easily and efficiently. Ideally, add the potential payment methods – credit 
• Customers should be able to pay for orders most easily and efficiently. Ideally, add the potential payment methods – credit cards, debit cards, net banking, and multiple payment wallets. 

Restaurant Application

• A signup website for a restaurant that allows food companies to join the food supply platform. This page contains all relevant information, such as your business name, location, business hours, contact information, and the like, about the restaurant.
• An integrated content management system allows restaurants to publish menus and include photographs on the food supply platform.
• The ability to start campaigns and provide consumers with promotional codes
• An order tracking function that allows retailers to look at incoming orders and to notify clients of their orders' progress. The full states of orders should be seen at any moment by both parties — canceled, finished, delivered, etc.

 Ways of Building Food Delivery App

Once you know what essential features your food delivery app must have, you need to finalize how you want the app built. Given the wide variety of niches food delivery for X model presents, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the ways are as wide in variety too.

The choices you have are:

• Hiring your own team of Developers

This method is best applicable if you are going to work on your app every hour of the day, forever. Then it will be a good idea to hire developers, designers, testers, and the whole shebang. Otherwise, this method is only going to cost you time and money.

• Hire a Freelancer

Hire a freelancer if he/she lives in your time zone. If your time zones vary, we recommend you figure how to keep the communication gap at bay. And then you have the possibility of the hired freelancer to be in another country. Then, you may also have to deal with the possible language barrier.

• Hire a Mobile App Development Company

A custom solution that meets all your requirements minus all the hassles surely sounds like a good idea, because it is. A trusted and recommended food app development company will give you great value for money. Moreover, you will be able to focus on your business while your app gets built. A win-win situation.