BALANCING THE SUPPLY AND DEMAND WITH AN ON-DEMAND GROCERY DELIVERY APP

1. BALANCING THE SUPPLY AND DEMAND WITH AN ON-DEMAND GROCERY DELIVERY APP How to start an online grocery delivery business? 1. Figure out your business model Do you plan to start a single grocery shop and deliver its products online? Do you have enough investment to open a few small shops and centralize your online delivery with their help? Are you going to be a middleman, accepting grocery orders through an app and then coordinating with stores for timely delivery? Whatever may be the case, you must be clear about your business model, as that will help you decide on the amount of funding and the interface of the mobile application you will design at the very start. 2. Hire or outsource a team of app developers To run an online grocery delivery service successfully, you need a team of techies. This team should ideally include full-stack developers and user experience designers. You can fund their salary by opting for business finance. But, before availing one, check your potential EMIs using a business loan EMI calculator.

2. With the help of your brief, your tech team can come up with the beta version of your grocery delivery app. This app will also contain a virtual admin dashboard that will help you keep track of orders. 3. Know the basic blueprint your app Fortunately, a small startup business loan is all you need to develop your app. But, what elements should it contain? Here are the key features your development team must include in the app: ● Short sign up form to create an account. ● Advanced product search ● Delivery timing – not only for time slots but also days, like same-day or overnight delivery ● Payment gateway – a way to collect payments electronically and in cash ● Space for including a coupon code or reward at the time of billing ● Alerts and push notifications for discounts or new arrivals ● Feedback form and a way to quickly reach out to the customer service team through a call or live chat. ● Location tracking for both customers and app managers ● A way to flag out-of-stock items by customers, and set reminders for when they are back in stock ● Order confirmation page on the app, and a way to access old orders placed by a customer. ● An admin interface that helps the app manager track orders, delays, product stock, and finances Here are a few reasons why you should build a grocery delivery app development ● Growth Potential

3. According to the reports of WHO, The global market for online grocery delivery was USD 190 Bn in 2019. The online grocery market is likely to grow around 28% CAGR between 2020 and 2026. People have begun ordering more groceries online because of COVID restrictions. The comfort factor of not going out to buy for low-involvement purchases has also increased the trend. ● Enhances the Store Efficiency The market has gone beyond the traditional trade area. People in nearby zip codes can also choose the products from the grocery store and ask for delivery. The grocery store should focus on stocking the right products at the right price and deliver them at the right time to the customers. ● Improves the business This app will quickly increase the business for most of the small grocery stores. Investing in a marketplace can also empower small grocery stores to sell online. So, a grocery store must have the opportunity to go online and do business. Let us look at what you should build in a grocery delivery mobile app. There are three stakeholders in this model. They are 1) Customers 2) Grocery store 3) Delivery partner. The must-Have Features would be ● Register/Login:

4. The initial customer contact takes place on the registration page when the user creates an app account. Keeping user records is essential for implementing a trouble-free customer delivery system. The user may get registered using an email address and a phone number. Incorporating social media in the businesses is becoming increasingly popular as a means of ensuring a seamless operation. ● Features of Product Search You must set the mobile app interface to enable quick shopping. Consumers may use the app to search for things in several categories such as price, brand, and size and compare products using pre-set criteria. ● Alerts This tool sends one to push alerts about the biggest bargains, seasonal offers, and coupons. ● Payment gateway integration Payment gateway integration enables customers to pay using a variety of methods. ● Integration of an e-wallet The software can include an e-wallet into which the user can load money to ensure a smooth and quick check-out process. ● Organizing and tracking the order for distribution

5. The simple distribution plan allows one to check the progress of your orders and know when they will be delivered. ● Discount vouchers and coupons When customers pay on the app, they will be able to access and enter their discount code. ● Order history This feature allows customers to place a repeat order or select a previous product, ensuring a seamless user experience. ● Ratings and Reviews Customers may swap payment methods for a particular store or product on the app using ratings and reviews. Cancellation, exchange, and the replacement order ● The app will generate a complaint, return, or refund request if a customer receives a damaged item. Cancellation and replacement are two options. Grocery app development cost Since the platform consists of three main components (buyer, shopper, and admin apps), we recommend starting such projects small. This means that for

6. the app's first version you should integrate only essential features. In software development, such a project version is called an MVP, or minimum viable product. With such an approach, you can validate your business idea without spending too much on grocery delivery app development. Besides this, an MVP ensures a faster time to market. Below, we share an estimate in hours for an MVP we did for one of our previous clients who hired us for grocery delivery app development. The given app's cost includes only the Android platform. Handy strategies for grocery ordering app owners amid COVID-19 The coronavirus pandemic is almost in the past. However, people are still afraid of being infected and continue to keep social distancing. To help your customers remain calm about their health, whilst also caring about other shoppers, we suggest using the following strategies. Provide personal protection measures The safety of your couriers and customers is your top priority. To keep people safe, you should provide access for all your shoppers to personal protective equipment, including masks, respirators, gloves, and hand sanitizer. Also, workers should wash their hands when required and clean frequently used equipment once an hour. Adopt contactless deliveries Zero contact delivery allows your customers to choose where shoppers will leave their orders: near the doorstep, in front of their home, etc. In this way,

7. you will limit any interactions between both parties, while ensuring safer delivery. Increase partner network Due to the pandemic, retail sales have gone down to 30% in the U.S., and many offline grocery stores do not have enough resources to take their business online. Thus, to support local grocery businesses, you can join hands with them, which is a win-win situation for both your grocery ordering app and the local grocery stores. Provide high-quality services Apart from protecting shoppers and buyers, you should also consider providing excellent delivery services. Such services might include late delivery, working 24/7, a wide range of delivery windows, and fresh groceries in every order. High-quality delivery services will matter, especially after safety will no longer be an issue. Thus, try to do your best to balance the demand and satisfy every customer. In this way, loyal customers will choose to shop at your grocery store delivery app even after COVID-related restrictions have ceased.