Food businesses are readily embracing technology, which helps them engage more customers and generate high revenue. Apps like Just Eat and Delivery Hero have earned a reputation and people like to order from these apps because they have won customers’ trust by providing them with convenience.
As per Statista, by 2023, the global online food delivery sector is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.51 percent. With the high demand of online food delivery services, many entrepreneurs are taking calculated risks in building delivery apps like Just Eat and Delivery Hero.
Before going any further, the first thing you need to do a bit of research before building the app
Market Research
In-depth market research will help you in the long run. You should know about the latest market trends and practices in that niche. It is worth mentioning that you should analyze your competitors and know about your target audience so that you can hit the bull’s eye easily.
Find a Niche
Find your niche, what kind of food do you wish to deliver and the audience you want to target. You can target office employees or a wider audience.
Business Model
When you are clear about your niche, you should choose a business model that’s perfect for you. You can tie up with local restaurants and establish a food delivery network so that customers receive orders on time. One can take inspiration from Uber or ChowNow business model.
Revenue Channels
It is important to have a clear vision of how your app is going to make money. You can incorporate various methods such as commission, advertisement, service charges, subscription, etc.
Marketing Strategies
It is essential to plan your marketing strategies beforehand so that you won’t have a tough time once your app is live on the Appstore.
Important Features to Look for While Building an App like Just Eat or Delivery Hero
There are four role-based apps in an online ordering and delivery system:
The Customer App
The Admin App
The Restaurant App
The Delivery Agent App
Let’s Discuss in Detail the Features of These Four Role-Based Apps:
The Customer App
The customer app allows the end-users to order food online. Â Important features of the customer app are:
Advanced Search
The advanced search option allows users to find the restaurants and food items easily. In addition to that, customers should be able to filter the options, for instance if a user wants to see only vegetarian or vegan items, he should be able to do so on your app without any glitch.
Push Notifications
Push notifications allow users to get to know about offers, discounts, or new launches. The feature is a great way for businesses to promote their business to users who have already installed the app. Push notifications act as reminders as well, as they remind users to order the food.
Real-Time Tracking
Customers should be able to track their orders in real-time. No one likes to wait, but the waiting time can be made less frustrating when they know that the order is arriving in a few minutes.
Loyalty Points
Loyalty points are a great way to retain customers. Each time a user shops, he is offered loyalty points, which he can redeem when he shops the next time from the app.
Ratings and Reviews
It is integral to have a feedback channel, where users can post about their experience. It is a great way to improve and positive reviews help businesses attract more customers.
Multiple Payment Modes
Every user has a preferred payment method. It becomes imperative to provide users with multiple payment modes such as debit cards, credit cards, e-wallets. Etc.
Social Media Integration
More and more people like to spend a big chunk of their time on social media; therefore, it makes sense to have a social media integration feature on your app. It will help you attract more customers from social media.
The Admin App
The admin app helps the admin to manage various aspects of the business. Below mentioned features are of great help for the admin:
Comprehensive Dashboard
A comprehensive dashboard allows the admin to get a 360-degree business view. Also, the feature allows the admin to understand the data in a better way.
Statistics
Reports and statistics help the admin to understand how much revenue has been generated, the best sellers, top vendors, recurring customers, and so much more.
Vendor Approval and Management
The admin can approve the vendor and his services and further manage him, and control the access to various parts of the app.
Commission Management
The admin can offer two types of commission modes. The first one is fixed amount and the second one is the percentage. Depending upon the vendor, he can select the one more beneficial for his business.
Tax Management
The feature allows the admin to set up tax slabs so that the tax is calculated automatically and the customer id offered utmost transparency.
Coupon Management
The admin can create coupons and set an expiry date as well.
The Restaurant App
The restaurant app or the vendor app allows restaurants to present their menu and streamline their business operations. Must-have features of a restaurant app are:
Catalogue Management
The restaurant should be able to manage the catalogue by reducing the manual effort involved so that vendors should be able to showcase the products without any delay.
Revenue Analytics
The restaurant should be able to know about the sales and revenue generated. This helps him understand how the business is doing and the vendor can devise strategies for the betterment of his business.
Order Management
The restaurant should be able to receive, process, and track orders with transparency. There should be no confusion in doing the same.
Refund Management
Refund management feature allows restaurants to refund the amount in case of order cancellation or delivery failure.
Staff Management
Staff management is an important feature of the best food delivery app and shouldn’t be ignored while building the app.
Agent Tracking
The real-time agent tracking feature of the app allows the restaurant to track the agent so that there are no unnecessary delays.
The Delivery Agent App
Last but not least, the delivery agent is a crucial pillar to support your delivery business.
Accept/Reject Requests
The delivery agent can accept or reject requests depending upon his availability. It allows him to be in control and accepts requests only if he is able to deliver them on time.
View Order Details
The delivery agent can view order details, such as an address, phone number of the customer, etc.
Route Navigation
The route navigation is an important feature which allows the delivery agent to reach customer’s address at the earliest.
Manage Status
The delivery agent can mark the order status as pending, completed, or in-transit.
Personal Wallet
The feature allows the delivery agent to have complete knowledge of his personal wallet and transactions.
Manage Profile
The delivery agent can manage his profile and add, delete, or modify information.
How to Build Your Own Food Delivery App
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When it comes to the development part one can choose either a readymade solution or a custom one:
Readymade Solution
The readymade solution allows you to bring your business online instantly. It saves time and money. If you are choosing a readymade app, it’s important to choose a flexible and user-friendly app.
Custom App Solution
When it comes to food delivery app development, one can opt for a customized solution, where businesses can have features that are important to them. If you want certain features that readymade apps don’t offer, it’s best to go with the custom app development.
Final Words
Online food order and delivery app is extremely important for food businesses as in today’s world, when competition is tough, it’s important to have an app to get a competitive edge. While selecting a food delivery app like Just Eat and Delivery Hero, consider the above features to get the best for your business.
