The mere fact that one can enjoy their favorite cuisines from desired restaurants has led to the massive demand for doorstep food deliveries. A decade back, calling and placing orders in restaurants was convenient. However, as technology progressed indefinitely with time, a new & reliable way of ordering food has sprouted up – the online platform. With smartphone penetration forecasting to surge past the 4 billion marks any time soon (3.5 billion in 2020), it is high time restaurants adapt and utilize this trend to elevate their sales.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had alarming consequences, especially to the ride-hailing and traditional restaurant businesses. The need to transform online, coupled with the necessity of reaching out to potential customers, has made restaurants collaborate with third-party UberEats Clone delivery platforms. Grubhub joining hands with 20,000 restaurants in March, immediately following the lockdown, and UberEats surpassing Uber’s core ride-hailing business in terms of gross bookings, are examples that the food delivery market will witness unprecedented growth in the near future.
Are you an entrepreneur who aspires to build a food delivery empire like UberEats? If so, are you aware of the critical factors to consider during food delivery app development? This blog provides you a detailed overview, right from the platform’s workflow to the features and revenue model.
Lucrative Benefits of Food Delivery Apps – A Quick Overview
Any on-demand platform without advantages to the ecosystem fails to create a positive impact on the audience. Speaking of the ecosystem, there are three prominent stakeholders involved. They include,
- Customers
- Restaurant executives
- Delivery personnel
Let’s take a quick look at what benefits these platforms hold in their stores.
- Customer Convenience – Irreplaceable – On any given day, it is the customers who have the final say on the success or failure of any business. When it comes to food delivery apps, customers enjoy their favorite meals with just a few taps on their smartphones. They have access to a wide range of restaurants from a single place. Besides, with customers stranded in their homes amid the outbreak situation, they can satisfy their cravings from time to time by ordering via their smartphones.
- Boost in Restaurant sales – Inevitable – Even in the pre-COVID-19 era, restaurants have experienced a decline in foot traffic. They can supplement their sales by collaborating with delivery platforms. According to a recent study by MiQ, foot traffic for casual dining has declined massively by 67% since the lockdown situation. With expenses mounting, restaurants are on the lookout for ways to connect with their target audience and, in the process of doing so, earn a consistent income.
- Flexible income source – Impeccable – The global economy has plummeted knee-deep, and the situation invariably leads to unemployment in the first place. The ‘gig’ economy has gained enhanced acceptance in today’s world, and delivery workers can offer their services during flexible hours. This way, they get to provide their UberEats Clone services during their need and have a steady income source.
The Seamless Workflow
The food delivery platform’s workflow is decisive in numerous ways. Even after loading a bulk-load of features and designing a user-friendly interface, workflow sets the tone and comprehensively engages the audience. Here’s a seamless workflow to consider while launching an app like UberEats.
- Initially, users download the app and register with the platform by specifying the necessary information or logging in via their social media handles.
- Subsequently, users enable their location preferences and browse restaurants or cuisines using the advanced search tab. They can filter their results effortlessly as well.
- After adding different food items to their cart, they review the cart and proceed to checkout.
- They can pay for their orders using a multitude of ways, be it credit/debit cards, net banking, digital wallets, etc.
- Upon placing their orders, users get to track their order status in real-time using the navigation functionality.
- Users can communicate with the assigned UberEats Clone delivery executives by reaching out to them via call or chat.
- Users enjoy their deliveries from the comfort of their homes and rate and review the entire experience for the display of fellow users.
Unique Features To Scale Your Platform
USPs (Unique Selling Propositions) play a crucial role in creating an instant positive impact among the audience. Besides, they provide compelling reasons for customers to leverage your app for ordering food. Here are some stand-apart features to consider in your application,
- Reorder: Enable users to order from their order history in no time.
- Multilingual support: Let users access the platform in the language of their choice.
- Zero-contact deliveries: Encourage zero physical contact between your delivery chain and customers, leading to enhanced safety.
- In-app wallet: Users can pay for their food orders using an e-wallet, eliminating the need to enter account details every time.
- Multiple orders: Users can place multiple orders from different eateries concurrently using this feature.
- Heat map: This admin panel feature enables the admin to figure out areas with high demand and reroute the delivery chain accordingly.
- In-app chatbots: First-time users can place/cancel orders seamlessly via the chatbot, leading to enhanced engagement rates.
Revenue Models for Unrestricted Income
In due course of delivering hot and fresh meals to customers, an UberEats clone app must generate consistent income to sustain and succeed in the competitive market space. Here’s a list of revenue models that you shouldn’t want to miss out on in your on-demand UberEats Clone food delivery app.
- Commissions from restaurants: Restaurants give up a fixed percentage of their earnings as commissions to the platform.
- Subscription charges: Customers pay subscription charges, either monthly/annually, to enjoy premium benefits.
- Delivery charges: While a part of customer payment reaches the delivery team, a substantial amount reaches the entrepreneur’s pockets.
- In-app ad charges: Displaying third-party advertisements on the platform enables you to generate ad charges based on its reception, like clicks, impressions, etc.
Conclusion
With online food delivery emerging as the next big thing, do not hesitate or have second thoughts about investing in this lucrative business opportunity. An entrepreneur’s ideas when matched with the resources of the right company can do wonders. Reach out to an expert app development company, and foray into the highly-demanding sector right away.