The increased usage of smartphones in this decade has led to the biggest boom in online retailing. Everything from heavy electronics to even groceries are now available online.
Recently, this has also resulted in grocery app development gaining popularity as more and more people are trying their luck in this segment.
And if you’re trying to get in this domain, avoiding competition as much as possible, you need to consider the features you’re proposing in your grocery app.
Essential features for different platform models
If you’re willing to give your money and time to this venture, it will pay back your investment sooner than you expect. But when it comes to getting this kind of result, the more you know about these apps, the better.
So, let’s move ahead and get more insights on how features are distributed among different models of apps for one platform.
Primarily, according to grocery delivery app development, the platform must be created to compensate the services of 3 providers. In creating the app for multi vendors, there will be an app- the vendor app.
These are-
1. The customer side app
2. The admin panel
3. The delivery person side app
But what essential features does each app requires? Lets find out.
Customer App Features
This version serves the customers of your business; it helps them find local grocery vendor, choose grocery, place their Order, and initiate payment.
Here are the 5 essential features of grocery delivery customer-side app
1. Search Groceries
This is one of the most prominent and essential features of a grocery delivery app.
After a user is logged in to the app, the user will search and look for grocery items or even local grocery stores nearby. To look for the items he/she needs to order online; an easy search option will come in handy.
2. Add To Cart Option
Personally, this is one of the most important features a grocery ordering or any shopping app must-have. Here’s why users might order from multiple places and stores. You do not expect them to order only from one place, complete the ordering process, make payment to that store, then move on to the next store and place an order and so on.
3. Schedule Orders
Wouldn’t it be great to let users schedule orders ahead of their time and deliver the products when the scheduled Order is placed?
Groceries are important items of our lifestyle. People want these fresh. But, sometimes users get stuck in some work and just forget to place orders.
4. Payment Gateway
Once the users place the Order, it’s time to checkout to complete the process. Online payment is an important feature. To make it easy for the user to pay online, you can integrate your grocery app with multiple payment options, including payment through credit cards, payment via debit card, PayPal or Stripe, or even cash on delivery option.
5. Tracking Orders in Real-Time
This one is crucial if you want your customer to trust your services. You don’t want to make them just wait for the Order to arrive and do nothing in between. Sometimes, orders might get late or even delivered before the scheduled time. If users are able to track the progress of their Order from dispatch to arrival at your doorstep, they would love this option. Not only will it assure users of their Order reaching them in time, but it will also help them keep calm while they are waiting for it.
Admin Panel (& Vendor Panel) Features
The admin panel is required to run all of your services efficiently and manage your business online. It is a web-based app and is used by the store owners and the people who are working/running the services. It performs essential functions such as accepting or rejecting the orders, managing them, listing the products, setting the prices, etc.
Here is a list of the most important features you require to operate the core of your grocery delivery platform:
1. Registration & Profile Management
The admin panel, similar to the customer side app, also requires registration and profile management functionality. In fact, It is one of those features of grocery ordering & delivery apps that fit across all three kinds of mobile applications.
2. Assigning Order
This feature lets grocery stores or you (if it is a single vendor platform) assign orders, making it a critical feature of your grocery app. It helps you assign orders to different delivery persons as per their availability.
3. Dashboard
The dashboard will help you manage your store easily. This feature enables the admin to view all the important functionalities on the dashboard, such as the orders, payments and deliveries.
4. Content Management
This feature helps you optimize the content of your custom app and, in turn, improve the user experience. For a multi-vendor model, the content is updated and managed by multiple store owners.
Usually, the options to manage the content are
Edit grocery store information (example – name, address, contact details, working hours, etc.
5. Handling The Orders
The order management feature helps stores handle receiving and delivery of orders. With this feature, the grocery stores can manage the order status and update customers when their Order is going to be at their doorstep.
Other functionalities that can be performed here are payment handling, order history etc.
Delivery Person App Features
This is the third kind of grocery delivery app that is going to be used by delivery people. The important features of this courier app are:
1. Order Management
Using the ‘manage order’ feature, the delivery side can track and see if any order requests are made, and they will have the option to accept or reject the requests accordingly.
2. Navigation And GPS
The navigation and GPS tracking feature is very important to help the delivery person find the delivery location. Using a built-in navigation system, they can find the optimized route and make the delivery in time.
3. Status Update
With the help of this feature, the delivery person can update the delivery status of the Order he/she has picked. The status update options are –
in progress delivered delayed, and more Customers will be able to receive a notification or message about the status updates. This way, customers and the delivery side are able to communicate delivery messages easily.
4. Digital Wallet
With the help of a digital wallet, the delivery guy can receive payments for the Order delivered from customers or from grocery stores, depending on your grocery delivery business model. This amount from the wallet can be withdrawn at any time the delivery person wants.
5. Checking Delivery History[Text Wrapping Break] The ‘check history’ feature in the customer app lets customers check their placed order history. The delivery side app also has this feature. It helps the delivery side keep track of their deliveries done and how the payment received per Order.
These important features comprise to make your grocery delivery app stand out from the rest. These features define the running of your app, making it user friendly.