How to Build an On Demand Delivery App with Ionic

The on-demand economy is on the rise. With a new entrant in the on-demand industry every day, consumers are hooked to the idea of on-demand delivery, more than ever before. Solutions like Uber, Foodpanda, Halodude delivery app are making people accustomed to the idea.

With the growing demand, more and more startups are evaluating the idea of launching their own on-demand delivery app. Global startup entrepreneurs are eagerly planning to focus on mobile delivery app development to grab a slice in the on-demand growth pie.

Global On-demand Growth Curve

The demand for on-demand apps is on the rise, depicted by the growth in consumer spending over the years. According to the US National Technology Readiness Survey, only 24.9 million consumers used on-demand services in 2016. The number increased to 41.5 million by the end of 2017.

What does this mean for a business? Increase in consumer spending on on-demand services. Where consumers were spending $48 billion in 2016, by 2017-end, the spending increased to $75.7 billion by 2017.

Source: Rockresearch

Starting with on-demand app development

Clearly, the demand for an on-demand app is on the rise and will be off the charts in the next five years. It is no wonder that the on-demand app space is becoming immensely crowded, already. If you are planning to launch your own on-demand app, you need to have the right mix of the following:

• Business Model: Your business model should be profitable, scalable and should add value to the end-user.
• Technology: The technology you use for on-demand app development should be capable of supporting the dynamic needs of the continuously changing business landscape.
• Features: Your mobile app should be equipped with useful features to simplify the on-demand service ordering process for end-users. At the same time, you should think of the service providers, too.

Developing a sustainable long-term Business Model

The most important aspect of getting started on your entrepreneurial journey is finalizing a long-term business model. The on-demand segment is quite diverse, and you can begin mobile delivery app development only when you understand the dynamics of the industry.

Will you launch a B2C app that makes consumers order products from a business/service provider like Zomato or Foodpanda, or you would launch a P2P app that facilitates on-demand pickup or delivery of anything like Halodude delivery app?

This decision is really crucial before you move ahead with actual development as everything from costs to features will depend on this decision. Whatever you choose, make sure to research well and choose a model that can justify your delivery charges to the end customer.

Choosing the Right Technology: Why Ionic is the Best Option?

As discussed before, choosing the right technology framework will help you streamline your plans with the end-user expectations.

Ionic app development can help an on-demand startup is launching a dynamic mobile app across multiple platforms. Here are some of the advantages of using Ionic for on-demand delivery app development:

• Open source: Ensuring low cost of development for a startup
• Cross-platform app development: Ionic supports code-reusability which means startups can build apps for multiple platforms using the single codebase.
• Popular framework: This means that startups can find developers easily for executing their on-demand app development plans
• Great community support: Startups can easily deal with bugs and issues owing to a large community of active developers.

Features You Should Have in Your On-demand Mobile App

Once you have taken important decisions regarding your business model and the technology you would use, you should plan your mobile app development activity. It is important to set clear expectations so that the development process bears the desired fruits.

If you are going for a customer-facing mobile app, you would ideally have to focus on three different stakeholders:

1. The end-user – who avails on-demand services
2. The service provider – who offers services
3. The mediator – who brings service to the end-user (courier/delivery partner)

To cater to the expectations of the above three stakeholders, you will need to have separate modules/apps for all of them. Also, your app should have the following features for increasing the chances of success.

Customer App Features

• Easy signup/login via email, phone number of social media accounts
• User profile management
• Service/vendor search
• Order placement
• Scheduling of service delivery
• In-app payment platform
• Geo-location support
• Location tracking for finding nearest service partners
• Live chat/messaging features
• Push notifications
• Rating and reviews

Service Partner App Features

• Order management dashboard
• Service detail update and management
• Active/dormant status for new orders
• Chat with end-customer
• Order status update
• Service availability update
• Pricing management
• Ratings and reviews management

Delivery Partner App Features

• Accept/reject incoming order
• Live location sharing
• Chat with service provider/customer
• Update order status

Admin App Features

• App content management
• Order management
• Customer support module
• User/service partner profile management
• Reporting and accounting

Cost of Building an On-demand Delivery Mobile App

Your business model, choice of technology and the features determine the delivery app cost. While the costs vary depending on the complexity of an idea and the app requirements, a professional app development company can help you determine the investment required.

You can get in touch with a company that offers ionic app development services. Once the developers evaluate your idea and feasibility, they come up with a detailed quote on the resources required and the underlying cost of building an on-demand mobile delivery app.

Wrapping Up

Ionic is a powerful platform to build an app. Using the above-outlined strategy, you can definitely kickstart your dream of launching your own on-demand mobile app. If you are confused about the next steps or are not really sure about your business idea and choice of technology, our experts can help.

We have built several on-demand delivery apps in the past and can help you create a dynamic, intuitive and engaging mobile app that drives business revenues. Get in touch to know more about delivery app development with ionic today.