It’s not surprising that a lot of people like grocery delivery apps. It saves a lot of time and hassle. It’s like a blessing at times! If this is so, grocery delivery app development must have a popularity. Why not make a grocery delivery app? If this idea is somewhere at the back of your head, it’s time to read about how to make a grocery delivery app and this blog post is the right start.
Grocery Delivery App Market Trends and Future
In 10 years from now (2022), the online grocery market is expected to reach USD 2778.4 billion up from USD 350.55 billion in 2022. This figure alone tells you that the market is growing in a big way. How to keep up with trends? What to expect?
Here are some insights:
- Most buyers will be smartphone users.
- Online shopping for packed food is likely to increase.
- Eco-friendly packaging is also accelerating industry growth.
- Automation of grocery business.
- Integration of e-commerce with grocery stores.
- Picking up at their convenience can reduce delivery costs — click & the collect option has become a prerequisite.
- Subscription-based purchasing.
- Contactless payments.
- The proliferation of pop-up shops (or shops that use innovative strategies to attract customers).
Types of Grocery Apps
You may want to choose among many types of grocery apps according to your business needs. Here are some:
Grocery delivery apps
Most apps have grocery delivery options as customers love them for convenience. Customer shop online and get their orders at points of their location.
Grocery rebate apps
This one is among the favorites, too. Customers are offered cashback when buying groceries in this app. They don’t have to use a coupon for doing it.
Single-vendor grocery apps
Sometimes shops want to develop an app just for their shops. Mainly big supermarkets and stores do that. Although the customer base will not be as big as for online shopping apps, this is a good option to attract loyal customers.
Supermarket grocery apps
These are just like single-vendor grocery apps only that their owners are big supermarkets. These apps are especially convenient for well-known brands since customers easily download the apps if they know the supermarket by name.
Features of Grocery Shopping Apps
I will not mention sign/up and other admin features, as you know about it without this blog post. I will talk about those features that will make your app stand out. Here are some:
Smart methods
The technology is developing and your app has to keep up with trends. Nowadays, searching via voice commands or uploading pictures should be part of any grocery delivery app. Such features will make the app effective yet simple.
Recommended products
This one is helpful both for the business and for the customer. For example, “bestseller”, and “top-rated” products should be displayed at the bottom of the app.
Real-time tracking
The customer is an impatient agent. They want their products right away, sometimes at an unrealistic speed. If they can track their groceries online, this will relieve part of the stress. So, it’s good to give this option to them.
Referral programs
This is the easiest way to gain customers. People value opinion. That’s why you should have a referral program to start growing without even spending on marketing.
Loyalty programs
Loyalty programs are great for customer retention. Statistics say that those brands that have loyalty programs, also tend to expand their customer lifetime value.
Automated admin features
And don’t forget that the app users are not only customers. Automation of some admin functions, like tax or commission calculation, will help you manage your service more effectively.
Steps to Make a Grocery Delivery App
Idea: Everything starts with the idea. The best way to have a clear vision is to pose and answer simple yet effective questions.
- How am I different?
- Who are my competitors?
- What are their strengths? Weaknesses?
- Who are my customers?
- What needs do they have?
- How can I meet these needs in the most effective way?
Simple, yeah? Try to be creative while answering and you may come up with a fabulous idea.
Prototype: Once you have your idea and have documented everything in Technical specifications, you can go ahead and build a prototype. This is the basic version of the app that you will test in the market.
Test: Your success depends on how much feedback you will collect in the initial phase. Everything is important! Your friends’ opinions. Your mom’s opinion. Your early adopters’ opinions. You need to work your brain and think carefully about what they are saying. You may get lots of insights during this phase.
Launch and maintain: After you consider all the feedback received and adjust your app according to that, you are ready to develop the app’s final version. Once you launch the app vigorous marketing is needed. And don’t forget that your app needs constant maintenance.
Cost to Make a Grocery Delivery App
Although the cost of a grocery app is not too high, still it is not affordable for many businesses. The approximate cost to develop a grocery delivery app ranges somewhere between USD 20,000 to USD 30,000. Naturally, this cost depends on several factors, like the complexity of the apps, number of features, location of developers, APIs (if any), etc. Once you have a strongly supported idea that you are sure you want to put into action, you can always request an estimate from grocery app development companies.
Wrapping up
It’s up to you to decide whether to go with other marketing strategies or build a grocery development app. However, the benefits sure overrun the costs. You will increase your customer base many times and attract a lot of loyalty.
This was a short review of how to make a grocery delivery app but it can equip you with everything to get started. Once you are ready, your development company will do the bulk of the work.
