Due to social-distancing rules and people’s fear of contagion, COVID-19 raised the demand for food delivery services. In this regard, 2020 appears to be the start of a golden period for food delivery, particularly for aggregators such as Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and DoorDash.
The food delivery industry is still thriving in 2022. The demand for food delivery services has not reduced. Even as consumers return to in-person dining more frequently, the use of food delivery apps has not slowed. In this article, we will discuss top notch food delivery app development. For the coming years, the future of food delivery applications appears bright, but there are two major hurdles. Both established businesses and tiny companies must overcome it:
Rivalry
Although it may appear that industry behemoths rule the market, this is not totally accurate. During the epidemic, food delivery firms exploded around the world and are currently growing in popularity. Under lockdown, Gousto, a UK meal-kit startup, managed to raise $41 million.
There is still a lack of uniqueness. Many apps appear the same, and people prefer to use services they are familiar with, such as UberEats. To attract the attention of the target population, a food delivery app should provide a distinctive service or feature. ConverseNow, for example, made a splash with their AI-powered voice ordering assistants. Its cutting-edge system automates the taking and processing of orders across several channels, freeing restaurant workers to focus on other responsibilities.
Restaurants’ convenience
Lowering prices is another smart method to attract customers and establish a broad restaurant base. Third-party delivery services such as Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Seamless are unreasonably expensive, with fees as high as 30% per order. These fees are a significant financial burden for venues struggling to cope with the pandemic’s challenges. Low or no fees are appealing to restaurant owners, and your app can be popular with providers.
However, this raises another issue: how can you make your app lucrative if you don’t charge restaurants? Cross-selling or an ad-based monetization model could be beneficial. You might also follow Owner.com’s lead, a Palo Alto-based startup. Restaurants can use Owner for free, but customers must pay.
If you want to start a food delivery network that links diners with local restaurants and delivers food, you will need to create three different apps for customers, couriers, and restaurants. To make the ordering and delivery process smooth and convenient for all parties, each app must contain a set of basic functionality. Below, we have highlighted the process of top notch food delivery app development.
App for customers
Users should be able to easily view neighboring restaurants and their menus within this app. The app should have search filters and order tracking features for further convenience. Consider including the following elements:
- Logins and profile creation via social media platforms
- Filters for searching (by cuisine, price category, delivery time, and such)
- Making a menu selection.
- Incorporating payment choices.
- Delivery tracking in real-time.
- Providing Notifications.
- Showing past orders.
- Review and rate.
- Availing Customer service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
App for the courier (delivery)
The delivery app must be integrated with essential features. It must include a built-in GPS navigation feature for pick-ups and drop-offs, as well as quick access to available orders for delivery employees. Other important delivery app features include:
- Editing your profile and registering
- Order management (includes verifying order details, accepting or denying delivery requests, and so on)
- (accepted/picked up/delivered) status update
- Notifications through push
- Orders delivered in the past
App for restaurants (merchants)
A restaurant app’s main function is to notify the partner restaurants of incoming orders. The Restaurant management team can utilize the app to allocate a delivery to an available courier when an order is ready.
Some platforms provide analytical capabilities that allow restaurants to gather data that aid in client retention. Apart from that, your restaurant mobile app development roadmap should have the following features:
- Content administration (adding photos and updating menus)
- Creating a loyalty campaign (including vouchers and sales, promote special offers)
- Accounting for money
- Notifications through push
- Communication between interfaces (with couriers and customers)
You’ll need powerful software development kits (SDKs) and tools to create all of these features.
Conclusion
Mobile food delivery was one of the fastest-growing trends in the preceding decade. With the COVID-19 issue, it became an acute necessity. Investment opportunities facilitate the industry, as does competition. The chances of success in this industry are great with a sensible company plan and a proper approach to product development.
A well-performing, attractively designed app is crucial when launching a food delivery business. Hiring an expert software development business is the most efficient way for the top notch food delivery app development. It will boost your food delivery business to the next level.
