The food delivering app market has boomed like never before. The growth in this sector has been incredibly tremendous and the whole food industry has witnessed the change. As much as it has changed the complete scenario of the food industry, it has got the app users market share like never before.
The statistics say that more than 70% of food deliveries take place online and the reason for this incredible number is the kind of speed and convenience these platforms offer to the users. This huge shift to online food delivery has led to tough competition in the segment. Well, why not?
Everybody wants to have a share of this growth. So, we have got big players like UberEats, Zomato, GrubHub and Swiggy ruling the market. Well, if you too want to leverage the change in trending scenario then go ahead, this is the time!!
However, that is not going to be a piece of cake. With such tough competition prevailing, even mere survival would be difficult let alone growing and making profits. So, you would need to exhibit exemplary service in the form of user interface and quality of service to be able to make some profits.
So, let us take you through this complete guide of how to create an amazing food delivery application. So, at first, we will discuss the different kinds of models of food delivery that exist in the market. Based on their functioning, you can decide which model suits your business needs the most and then go ahead with it.
So, the first one is the:
Restaurant App
The name speaks for itself. This is the kind of model where a restaurant would be designing a delivery app for itself. McDonald’s and Starbucks are the classic examples for the same.
The next category is the Traditional Aggregator Model- Here the Food delivery app acts as a platform for customers and restaurants to meet. It just acts as a mediator, rest all the delivery is carried out by the restaurant only.
Now, third and the most prevailing category is Food Delivery With Logistic Support. This falls in the likes of UberEats, GrubHub and Zomato. Apart from acting a mediating platform, all the delivery logistics are managed by the service provider only. This gets much more customer traction than any of the above categories.
This primarily should be your focus if you are looking at some huge profits.
Competitors Analysis
Well, Competitors Analysis is a must for any start-up entering a new market segment but it is exceptionally important in this particular segment as you will face real tough competition here. The market is crowded here and survival is difficult. You will have to have a smart strategy to work up in order to make some profits.
So, you must gather as much information as possible before making an entry in the market.
This means doing the basic homework like- studying the customer behaviour, target audience, what is working the best in what location, understanding the logistics, studying the management part, understanding the marketing strategies which are working best, reading success stories and failures of your competitors. After your done with your complete study make the final move with a blast.
Information is the key
For the customers to have trust in your service, you will have to provide them with complete information about the purchase they are going to make. For that, include every little detail in the application that they might be possible concerned about. This includes-restaurant address, reviews about the restaurant, the ingredient of the dish, nutritional value, estimated time of delivery, etc.
This is particularly easier with applications where automated APIs are at work. The work simply API fetching all the required information from restaurants in an automated way. The moment customer selects anything, he gets all the relevant information regarding the product in the cart. This way you can bring a great factor of trust and loyalty among your customers.
Easy and exciting User Interface
This is one essential need and by complying with this, you would be able to get maximum customer traction and retention as well. Yes, the customers need something appealing to the eyes, easy and convenient to use. For that, pay extra attention to the User Interface part of the application.
Make it different than others, but in this effort do not overlook the fact of adding ease and convenience of use. Add some exciting features, make the UI interactive and intuitive by showing things related to the taste and preferences of the customer. Through buying preferences to frequently ordered food items make way to customer’s heart by playing well with this information. This way you will be able to ensure customer engagement and satisfaction better than your competitors.
Easy and simplified setup
The setup process is necessary but do not just scare off the users by asking them to fill a long form with irrelevant details. Also, it could be a good option if you make the sign up part optional. The users can first explore the app and then if they make a purchase then only the sign up form should come in picture.
Apart from that, the app should offer other Login options too like:
Login via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other popular social media applications.
The registration form should only talk about the most relevant details regarding the food delivery which includes address and phone number.
Customize your delivery options
Like other On-demand service application have offered, food delivery app can also make way for some customization on the part of the user. This includes proving them the option where they can ask the driver not to call for directions, or not to ring the doorbell for delivery, or leave the order at reception or door. Sounds trivial, but this can make a huge difference with the whole customer experience with the app. These calls and repeated doorbells make customers irritable at times and an option to get away with them could really fascinate them and add to a smooth, hassle-free experience.
Scheduled delivery options
The customer might want to schedule a delivery beforehand. In that case, it would be great to provide them with an option to do so. While this way, you will show your concern for the user, the satisfaction on his part will speak in the form of customer engagement and retention.
Offers and coupon codes.
The whole food delivery industry has changed the way we used to order our food. Before the order depended on the hunger of the user but now they depend on the kind of discounts they are being offered. Funny though, but absolutely true!
The whole food delivery app industry is running on discounts and you cannot get away without it. The point is to add some excitement to it by offering festive specific, occasion specific and event specific discounts. Like the World cup discount trending on UberEats these days. Also, to have your customer’s loyalty towards you, it should be given certain reward points or rebates or some sort of recognition for his loyalty. This will ensure maximum customer retention and a sense of proud to be associated with your brand.
Feedback is the key to success
Yes, actually there could not be more genuine key to growth than acting on your customer’s feedback, they have the most valuable information to share and if you act upon them you would be able to improve like anything. At the end the purpose is to give the customers, the service they want. So, why not ask for their feedback only and do our best to satisfy them.