Mobile App Development

Want a Food Delivery App like Zomato? Follow This Comprehensive Guide To Build One For Your Business

Isn’t it so easy and fast to grab our lip-smacking gourmets these days? As we hate to wait, an online food delivery app like Zomato seems to be a great breather. It quenches our thirst at the tip of the finger instantly.

The online food delivery weaves magic when users need it in the most critical time, and even when they love to splurge with lip-smacking gourmets and delicacies.

Yes, the food delivery apps are the new sensation for everyone that works as a confluence between food services and customers. And the food ordering apps like Zomato, UberEats, Swiggy do the delivery services for the customers to amp their comfort to a few notches higher.

To complement the customer needs, more and more startups are coming up with their own food service business ideas. More than that, another reason could be the progressive growth of the food delivery industry that serves customers through mobile apps.

As per statista.com, revenue from Online Food Delivery app is estimated to grow $122,739 million in 2020, and the expected revenue is likely to reach $164,002 million by 2024, while the users will grow 1,094.3 million in 2020.


Figure 1 Growth of revenue from online food delivery app (Source: Statista.com)

For startups or any other enthusiasts, the food industry can be a promising venture. So, to embark on a journey, you must have a solid business plan while keeping the mobile app development at the forefront for robust customer service. It is because a mobile app optimizes your resources, time and effort properly.

Let’s explore the scopes of building a food delivery app like Zomato. But before that, we must understand Zomato’s business structures and other useful guidelines. Remember, the process is a complex one, and experts like Bytes Technolab can help you achieve your goal.

A Guide To Building Your On-Demand Food Delivery App Like Zomato

The key is to think locally instead of going global like Zomato. Once you find your niche and develop an on-demand food delivery app, we can go bigger once you have your stance firmed.

Let’s start our journey.

On-Demand Food Delivery Service Business Model Of Zomato

If you are determined to build an app like Zomato, you have to understand its business model so that you can explore your goals and possibilities.

Many restaurant owners are not so convinced to join with third-party services. In that case, your app must have all the essential features to attract the attention of the restaurant owners.

As is with Zomato, it collects commission based on the orders it receives from customers. The users pay a delivery fee, while Zomato earns commissions from the restaurants. The delivery fee and commission earned are then divided between the delivery partner and Zomato.

Monetization is another feature that Zomato incorporates in its on-demand food delivery service. It uses the advertising method to monetize their app.

If you have some plan, you can talk to the restaurant owners to share the profit earned through advertising from the app. However, to do this, you must monitor updates, track feedback and more.

Similarly, if you wish you can launch premium paid features to connect with your customers and earn a good profit.

Essential Features of On-Demand Food Delivery App

You must ensure your app has all the elements for users, delivery partners, and restaurant owners. So, it should be fully-functional and efficient. The on-demand food delivery app must have three following versions:

  • Customer version – orders are made
  • Delivery partner version – courier app to pick and deliver
  • Restaurant version – order status to prepare meals for delivery through courier service partners

There is another facet to this. It also includes an admin panel (a web app) to track and manage customer requests. So, it goes the following way.

Customer app version features

  • Customer registration
  • Customizable profile creation
  • Search for a nearest located restaurant
  • Find detailed information about restaurants’ menu, prices, special offers, and reviews
  • Menu Search
  • Ordering systems, including cancel item
  • Accurate delivery time
  • Tracking order
  • In-app call
  • Fast, secure and reliable in-app payment option with various modes such as Cash on Delivery, Online Payment and more.
  • Leave a review through the feedback section

If you want, you can turn your customer app more attractive and interactive. So, add additional features like the history of the orders, social media shares, push notifications and estimated delivery time. These make essential components of the customer version.

Delivery partner version features

  • Delivery partner registration
  • Customizable user profile
  • Order Management (must track available orders)
  • GPS for route optimization
  • Status updates (accepted/cancelled/delivered)

Some other important features are delivery tracking from the pickup point to the destination and booking history. These attributes make your app more functional for the delivery partner.

Restaurant version features

  • Push notification to encourage customers
  • Track meal orders
  • Finance Management
  • Special offer campaigns
  • Analytics

Admin Panel features

  • Admin registration
  • Restaurant management
  • Order Assignment
  • Content management
  • Discount offers
  • Payment Management
  • Technical Assistance

By now, you know all the essential features of the on-demand food delivery app like Zomato. Let’s know how to build the app.

On-Demand Food Delivery App Development Procedures

This is an essential step to create a food delivery app. Here, you must pay attention to outstanding innovation and technical expertise. A renowned web & mobile app Development Company can help you with qualified advice to build your app.

Prototyping

This involves creating an application screen for users. This screen enables finding restaurants, menus and order management, payment and order tracking. While building a Zomato app clone, these features are essential.

UI/UX Design

Responsiveness matters when it comes to UI/UX designs. You can improve it using dynamic design elements. It helps your app respond to user actions immediately. As a result, you can build a more personal connection.

Server and API

For any food delivery app, backend development is necessary. It enables data storage in the data-base and improves the process for information synchronization. Hence, while you do the client and server-side rendering, use API.

Geolocation

A Geolocation feature enables users, courier service and restaurants to track the meal delivery route. Besides, users and delivery partners find the restaurants near them and couriers can see their orders too.

Go for Google Maps or Open Street Maps. They are easier to add to your app.

Payment Management

To offer the user an improved customer experience, you can add more than one payment option. Offer cash on delivery, payment via different online modes such as UPIs, e-wallet and more.

Integration of custom images and Instagram

It adds engagement factors to your app. As you ensure having additional space on the server for these specific criteria, it enables users to fetch images from restaurants and add them to your on-demand app.

Additionally, the integration of popular social media links is the best and convenient solution to encourage users to promote your food service app on social media sites including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

QA Testing And Making Your App Live

When everything is in place, the time arrives for your expert web & mobile app development company to test functionalities and other factors. The process helps foolproof its design and development. This is rather a complex process and should be rested upon the QA engineers. They can make your product functional and desirable as you want it.

Enhanced Navigation system

An inbuilt navigation system integrated with Google Maps helps track the order status accurately while clearing doubts for both users and delivery partners.

Technology Stack Used For This App

In this section, it depends on your budget as to which technology stack you want to choose for the project. Many leading Android & iOS app development companies use high-end technology stacks for a high profile product development. Check them.

For Native Mobile App Development

  • Android Development Java-based programming language, Android SDK with IDE
  • iOS Development – Swift or Objective-C, Kotlin, and iOS SDK

For Cross-platform Mobile App development

  • Android Development – Ionic and React Native
  • iOS development – Ionic and React Native

For Backend Development

Node.js, MySQL, PHP and cloud-based hosting

How Much Does It Cost To Build Zomato Like On-Demand Food Delivery App?

There are certain factors that decide the cost of an app development. It also depends on the on-demand mobile app development agency that charges costs depending on their team expertise, technology stacks they use and how fast they deliver the product.

However, based on the MVP model of your business type, we can help you gauge an average estimate of the product development cost. The estimated price could range between $7,000 and $10,000 owing to its basic features. If you go for an advanced version of the app for both Android and iOS versions and app testing including app launch, it costs between $35,000 and $50,000. And it takes around $75,000 for full-fledged Zomato like app design and development.

Let’s split the design and development hours.

Team Required Most Time-Consuming Features Total Time Needed to Build Zomato cloned app
UX/UI developers Admin panel App design 350-600 hrs
iOS developers Booking delivery iOS development 650-950 hrs
Android developers Order status Backend development 650-900 hrs
Backend developers Push notifications
Project Manager Payment getaway
QA analyst

Market Analysis

To be successful, you need to have patience. It reaps you the possibilities from your investment in a food delivery app. Hence, you must carry out market research before embarking on your journey. It helps you gauge a better understanding of your niche, opportunities, and competitors in your local area.

First, find out what your people in the local neighborhood love to binge upon. As per reports, the most preferred food ordered for takeaway in certain regions is pizza, burger, Chinese food, sweets and more. So, stress on this preference.

Another key factor is to delve deep to know about your competitors and their target audience. It could be busy people who rarely have time to cook or that young foodie who loves to binge on fast food. This way, you can segregate your audience type. As you are more interested to find your niche, it helps you win half the game.

How to grow

As you want to succeed in your domain, you must launch your app in a small area and get users first. You can do some advertising to reach a large user base, and even collaborate with local retailers to grow your business.

When you have a steady growth, you can improve customer retention using better user experience, customer support and special offers. Offer a better salary and flexible work schedule to retain your delivery partners and grow your business.

When Choosing Experts

Now, it seems you have understood what it takes to build a food delivery app like Zomato. But, you can turn your vision into reality only once you collaborate with qualified experts who can help you build a high-end on-demand food delivery app.

Since it seems the craze of online food ordering apps are going to boom in the next few years, it is the right time to cash in on with it.

We at Bytes Technolab offer enhanced mobile app development services for Android and iOS, and offer consultancy for better software development for your business. We are the most reliable software development agency who could resolve all complexity of your existing and new project, and guide you win your game.

If you have any such idea, do collaborate with us. We are happy to help you with your food delivery app development.

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