Today, millennials crave comfort and convenience over anything else. In this smartphone-driven era, people look up to their phones for everything. Whether to order food, buy gadgets, book a taxi, or recharge mobiles, you have a mobile app for everything. People can order anything right from their homes with a few swipes.
Businesses have sensed the pulse of these young customers, and they go that extra mile to satisfy their customers. Thus, every business has its own app that provides services on demand. These on-demand apps are trending now, providing instant gratification to modern-day customers. With people so used to comfort, the trend is nowhere seems to slow down, and it will only accelerate further.
In this highly competitive market, only businesses that adapt quickly to the current trends and technologies will survive. Else, you may go outdated, losing your customers to your competitors. Thus, investing in an on-demand app will help your customers connect with you instantly, ordering products/services from you anytime.
So, now, hop on. Let’s unravel everything about on-demand app development. Today, we are here with a comprehensive guide to developing an on-demand app.
What is an On-Demand App?
On-demand apps are customized or tailor-made for a specific brand that enables customers to connect with the respective business anytime. Thus, the customers can buy from brands whenever they want. On-demand services are more prevalent in food delivery, taxi rentals, clothing, etc. Uber and Airbnb are some of the well-known on-demand service apps.
Types of On-Demand Delivery Apps:
Here are some various types of on-demand applications and how they have influenced their respective industries.
● Food Delivery:
Food delivery apps are there everywhere. It comes in handy, enabling people to order food from their favorite restaurants anytime. Online payment, online tracking, and door delivery are some hassle-free options that users can enjoy with these on-demand food delivery apps.
● eCommerce:
eCommerce is another industry that has seen a surge in on-demand mobile apps. People have the privilege of getting same-day delivery. The advancements in the on-demand sector and logistics technology will only make the percentage of on-demand app users go up.
● Grocery:
The grocery delivery app is a game-changer for sure. You don't have to spoil the weekend by standing in a billing queue at the grocery store. With the grocery delivery app, you can buy any grocery and get it delivered to your doorsteps.
● Taxi:
On-demand taxi apps help users to book a taxi in a hurry. It allowed office goers to commute quickly without worrying about the traffic. Uber and Lyft are some popular on-demand taxi apps.
● Healthcare:
On-demand healthcare apps enabled users to avail medical services 24/7. These apps allowed them to get doctors’ advice, buy medicines, and call doctors in case of emergency.
● Beauty:
On-demand beauty apps let you connect with a beautician, hair stylist, and makeup artist in a few swipes. They will arrive at your home and get you ready for any occasion in a few minutes.
How to develop an On-demand App?
Here is a step-by-step guide to developing an on-demand app.
1. Identify the Target Audience:
You simply can’t launch a product for everyone. You have to define your target audience first. For instance, for a beauty app, the target audience will be young women to middle-aged women. The target audience varies with the app and its purpose.
Now, after identifying the target audience, you have to discover their pain points. For instance, consider an average American family, a married couple with two or three kids. With both parents working and kids attending school, they seldom have time to shop for groceries. They either rush to the grocery store at night after office hours or wait for the weekend to shop for groceries. A grocery app that delivers groceries at their doorsteps is all they need.
You have identified the target audience and the purpose of the app. What next? You have to define the actors. First and foremost is the target audience who need groceries delivered to their homes. The next actor will be the grocers who want to sell their products to the customers. Finally, the business owner or app owner needs to monitor the entire business process.
2. Create Features for all Three Actors:
Once you define your actors, you have to create a set of features for them in your app.
For any on-demand application, often there are three actors. So you need to create features for all three of them.
- Customer app features
- Service provider app features
- Admin app features
Let’s see each of the app’s features in detail:
A .Customer app features:
● Order Details:
Order history or order details is crucial for customers as they need to know what they have ordered. Plus, they can readily check what they ordered earlier and reorder them quickly.
● Real-time Order Tracking:
Real-time order tracking is one of the must-have features in an on-demand app. It will allow users to track their orders and receive on-time updates. Try integrating the Google Map API for an accurate real-time tracking facility.
● Online Payment Integration:
On-demand apps must have various payment gateways, allowing users to make payments hassle-free. So, make sure you opt for reliable and safe payment gateways ensuring smooth online payment.
● Review and Ratings:
Today, all customers check for online reviews before buying from brands. Allowing customers to include reviews will let them connect with the brand. Brands can hear from customers through reviews, while new customers can make better buying decisions.
● Customer Support:
Customer support is crucial for any business. Thus, you can address customers’ problems and support them promptly. So, make sure you have an option in your app for customers to reach you.
B. Service provider app features:
● Order History:
Your delivery personnel should have the provision to check all details of the past orders. It will act as their work summary as well. Business owners can track the performance of their staff by referring to the order history.
● Accepting or Rejecting Delivery Requests:
Your staff member should be able to accept or reject the order delivery based on their availability and convenience. It enables them to work systematically without overlapping orders.
● Payment History:
It is one of the crucial features of the service provider's app as one can track sales and payments. That will allow them to calculate their monthly wages accurately and forecast their future investments.
● Google Map Integration:
Integrating Google maps in your app allows your delivery personnel to know the route accurately and deliver the products promptly.
● Vehicle Details:
Nevertheless, business owners provide vehicles for order delivery. Having a record of those vehicles fosters better management.
C. Admin app features:
● Dashboard:
A handy and customizable admin dashboard is mandatory for an on-demand app. The dashboard allows the app owner to navigate various sections, managing both service providers and customers perfectly.
● Manage Users:
Admin can manage all customers’ details right from payments, discounts, and cancellation charges and solve any concerns.
● Manage Service Providers:
Admin must be able to manage the service providers as well. It can be anything from incentives, and earnings to penalties.
● Handle Pricing and Commissions:
App owners can handle pricing based on the demand. Plus, you can also foresee commission charges and ensure smooth transactions among service providers, drivers, etc.
● Analytics & Reports:
Analytics gives accurate details on the entire business services. For instance, the app owners can get clear pictures of availed, canceled, and repeated services. Those valuable insights help you run a more efficient and successful business.
3. Testing your On-demand App:
Testing your on-demand app should happen in two ways. (i) Alpha testing and (ii) Beta testing.
● Alpha Testing:
Alpha testing is done periodically by the testing team at the end of each development stage. It is mandatory for the seamless functioning of your on-demand app. Every feature should function the way it should, and the testing team applies various testing methodologies to make sure it. In short, your app should be visually appealing and function seamlessly.
● Beta Testing:
Once the internal testing team says yes, you can’t launch the app immediately. Beta testing is highly recommended to catch any hidden bugs. While the Alpha testing is structured, Beta testing is unstructured and is done with a limited number of real users before releasing the software.
For instance, the app may work seamlessly on your device, but when a real-time user performs an unexpected action on their device, it may not function the way it should. Thus, beta testing helps you come up with a perfect app that works smoothly and flawlessly.
4. Launch your App:
Once the testing is done from all sides, the app is all set to go on the app stores. Actually, launching the app is often not a one-time job. It will need constant improvisation based on the feedback received from the users. Moreover, publishing on the app stores itself can get challenging. In case your app gets rejected, you may need to recheck the app store guidelines and work on it to get approval. So, yes, it is a constant process.
Final Words:
Ultimately, the on-demand app is the need of the hour for almost every business. Nevertheless, it bridges the gap between the customers and business owners, fostering the customers to buy products or avail of services whenever they want. Thus, modern business owners are moving toward developing on-demand apps for their brands to provide excellent customer service.
As the blog explains, on-demand app development is a time-consuming task that may take anywhere from a few months to a few years. Plus, app development involves the coordination of designers, developers, software testers, marketers, and more. All of them need to stay on the same page to build a successful on-demand app that matches your business demands and customer requirements.
Your in-house team may be competent, but they may not have all the skills needed for your on-demand app development. Moreover, on-demand app development demands more attention which may hamper their routine work. Thus, outsourcing your on-demand app development is the best way possible out there.
All you need is to find a reliable and reputed on-demand app development company that has extensive experience. Cypherox Technologies is a leading on-demand app development company that has delivered various on-demand apps for numerous clients serving multiple industries. Connect with us now, and our expert technical team will happily assist you.
