A decade ago, having groceries delivered from an app to one’s doorstep would have been considered a luxury. However, thanks to platforms like Instacart and Hungryroot, grocery delivery has become an amenity that people can’t live without in today’s fast-paced world.
According to Statista, Instacart encountered 10 million downloads in 2022 on both Google Play Store and Apple’s app store. Another study suggests that the grocery delivery app market is projected to surpass $630 Billion by the end of 2024.
These figures are a clear indication that customers’ reliance on grocery delivery platforms has increased drastically. For startups and business owners, starting a grocery delivery business has become a revenue-driven business opportunity.
In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at the exponentially increasing demand for grocery delivery apps like Instacart and how starting a grocery delivery business can prove to be an ROI-driven investment. We’ll also discuss the best ways to hire a reliable app development company in India to launch a feature-packed grocery delivery platform.
What are Grocery Delivery Apps and How do They Work?
For readers who don’t know, grocery delivery apps are on-demand platforms specifically designed to help users buy groceries from nearby stores and get them delivered to their doorsteps.
Customers have the liberty to choose from different service providers, add their addresses, and pay for the entire order virtually using the desired online payment mode.
Grocery delivery apps like Instacart makes grocery shopping less hectic as people no longer have to go to a grocery store physically. Instead, they can place orders with a few taps on their screens and get the groceries delivered without any hassle.
Benefits of On-Demand Grocery Apps for Grocery Delivery Businesses
1. Instant Delivery
For an average customer, the groceries they buy must be fresh. With grocery delivery apps, users have the liberty to select from nearby stores and choose fresh groceries.
The majority of these platforms have multiple delivery partners who are near the grocery stores and deliver the parcels on time. This way customers get the freshest items within a few minutes.
- Optimized Inventory and Order Management
On-demand grocery delivery platforms are equipped with a dedicated admin panel where grocery stores can keep track of the inventory and manage stocks more effectively. The admin panel also has a dedicated order management section where the store owners can see real-time order updates and process these orders accordingly.
- Deliver a Personalized Shopping Experience
With the conventional brick-and-mortar grocery delivery setup, it’s challenging for business owners to deliver a personalized shopping experience to their customers.
They run a single offer with the hope to attract as many customers as possible. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with on-demand grocery delivery platforms. With these platforms, businesses can curate customized offers and discount programs according to shoppers’ behavior patterns.
Consequently, you’ll be able to drive better sales opportunities and boost your overall business revenue.
- Improve Customer Loyalty
Running a grocery delivery business in 2022 is not a cakewalk, considering the rapidly increasing competition in the industry. That’s why these businesses need to run regular customer loyalty programs that could captivate the shoppers and drive better sales.
With an online presence, running and managing these loyalty programs is more convenient as you have the liberty to automate the entire process. Based on shopping patterns, the app will automatically devise customer loyalty offers to keep potential customers engaged.
- Real-Time Order Tracking
Real-time order tracking is another feature that makes on-demand grocery delivery platforms a reliable option to buy groceries.
These platforms have built-in GPS integration support that allows customers to track their order’s status and its whereabouts easily. Real-time location tracking ensures customers get instant updates about their orders.
- Multiple-Payment Support
In today’s tech-savvy era, people hardly walk around with cash in their pockets. Instead, they prefer using digital payment modes that offer better convenience and unparalleled transparency.
With a grocery delivery app, you can leverage this habit and allow customers to pay using their preferred payment mode. App developers in India can integrate secured payment gateways into your app that’ll provide a safe environment for users to process monetary transactions for the desired orders.
Launching a Grocery Delivery Platform like Instacart – Tips to Find a Reliable Development Partner
Now, that you know why people are more inclined toward online grocery delivery platforms, let’s start with a few tactics that’ll help you hire the right development partner for the job. Keep in mind that launching a grocery delivery platform is a nerve-wracking process, mainly because of its complex user architecture.
A grocery delivery platform has three different stakeholders – the shoppers, delivery partners, and the store owners. To streamline the entire delivery process, it’s crucial to devise separate panels for all these users and equip them with the most relevant features. If you want to deliver an excellent user experience, it’ll be important to partner with a professional tech partner who understands the market inside out.
Here are a few golden rules that’ll help you compare different service providers and hire the most qualified development team for the job.
- Always start by analyzing a development team’s portfolio. The general thumb rule says that hiring developers who have worked on similar projects will speed up the entire development process and reduce unexpected errors.
- Before interviewing development teams, make sure to plan a rough budget and look for service providers whose development charges fit your budget constraints. It’ll make it much easier to narrow down your list to the most qualified service providers.
- Hire development teams who utilize the latest development technologies as this will help you launch a product that adheres to the latest market standards.
Conclusion
On-demand grocery delivery has gained immense popularity as a business model, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the increased reliance on these grocery delivery platforms has also escalated the competition in the industry. So, it’s important to follow the latest development methodologies to build a user-centric grocery delivery solution that delivers a remarkable shopping experience.
