Food Delivery App Development From The Scratch: A Complete Guide

The emergence of food delivery apps has revolutionized the way culinary choices are made today. From family get-togethers to friends’ parties, we all love to order our favorite meal from our go-to eatery. Isn’t it? This choice of many of us has led to a tremendous rise in the popularity of food delivery apps. 

Let’s look at some crazy food delivery market statistics that confirm the trend. 

• 86% of Americans have used a food delivery app;
• The food delivery market is projected to grow by over $213 billion by 2030. 
• China is the largest market for food delivery, with a market size of $46.6 billion in 2023. Meituan and Ele.me control about 90% of all food delivery in the country
• DoorDash in the US holds over 50% of the market share. 
• The global online food delivery market revenue is expected to reach $505.5 billion by 2010. 

The winning numbers suggest plenty of room for you to develop a food delivery app and enter the market. However, it is not easy to jump on the bandwagon and start reaping benefits straightaway. Food delivery app development requires a lot of deliberations and considerations. If you are thinking of creating a food delivery app like any popular app (Uber Eats, GrubHub, Swiggy), you have come to the right place. 

In this blog, we will discuss the various types of food delivery apps that you can develop, the suitable food delivery business model, and the necessary features of a food delivery app. 

Let’s begin this with, 

Food Delivery App Business Models:

There are several food delivery app business models that you should consider for app development. The first on the list is, 

Order-only model:

With this business model, you develop a food delivery app that bridges the gap between food restaurants and customers. The platform acts as an order recipient, and the restaurants manage the delivery.

The restaurant delivery person brings the delivery to the doorstep of the customer. 

Order-and-deliver model:

If you look at the most popular food delivery apps, they operate using this model. In this model, the platform is responsible for managing deliveries and not the restaurant. 

How the model operates is described below,

Customers place the order with the restaurant using the platform → restaurant receives the order, prepares it, and packs it → the delivery team associated with the platform assigns a delivery person→ delivery person to deliver it. 

The above two are very common food delivery app types that are usually preferred by businesses. Now let us talk about the benefits of food delivery apps. 

Benefits of Food Delivery App Development:

The food delivery market is growing exponentially, creating multiple opportunities for businesses. Here are a few compelling benefits of food delivery app development. 

Market demand:

The food delivery app market is booming and people are constantly looking for reliable apps that assist them in a swift food delivery experience. To mark your place in this booming market remarkably, you should develop a food delivery application that solves the purpose. 

Increased reach and higher revenue:

Mobile apps have become an integral part of human lives. A food delivery mobile app will make it easy for people to satisfy their needs. With this ease, you have a chance to reach out to more audiences, irrespective of their region, and thereby increase sales.

Personalized user experience:

Food home delivery saves a lot of time for consumers by saving them from the hassle of cooking. Additionally, it gives them an option to select a restaurant of their choice and order food that they love. The personalized experience that users get from the food delivery apps increases the likeability of the app amongst users. 

Also by using advanced technologies like AI and predictive analysis, the business has a chance to increase the loyalty of the brand. 

Business expansion:

Once you start with a small-scale food delivery app, the sky is your limit. You can start your business locally and expand it nationally or internationally at the opportunity available to you. However, it is a sure thing that once you start a food delivery business, there is no looking back. 

Also Read :- Create a Profitable Grocery Delivery App: Complete Guide & Tips

What Are The Key Features Of A Successful Food Delivery App:

There are a variety of elements that define the success of a food delivery app. Let’s check out the key features of a delivery app. 

Customer-side application:

Signup/Sign–in: 

Design an easy-to-fill compact sign-up form that attracts users. Too long a form can make users bored easily. 

Search an Eatery: 

Allow customers to smartly search for their favorite restaurants using the app. 

Add-to-cart:

Let users drop their selected food items into the cart to initiate the delivery. 

Payment gateway integration:

Integrate multiple payment options using which customers can initiate payment. 

Push notifications:

Let users know about their order and delivery status using notifications. 

Customization:

Facilitate users to add special meal preparation instructions to the restaurants. 

Order history:

Let users view their past orders using the application. 

Repeat Order:

Customers can repeat their past orders with this option. 

Reviews:

Provide customers an option to submit their reviews as well as view reviews provided by others for placing an order with the restaurant. 

Courier-Side Features:

Courier side application is accessed by delivery partners or agencies managing the order deliveries. 

Receiving orders:

Allow the driver to view the list of orders and pick them up according to their availability. Let them know the details of the location, distance, and route. 

Earning Tracker:

Integrate an in-built earning tracker using which driver can view the list of deliveries completed on a particular day. This tracker shows the revenue generated from the deliveries. 

GPS direction:

It is difficult for any driver to reach the exact location without help. Integrate a GPS tracker using which drivers can receive turn-by-turn directions and reach the destination successfully. 

Chat/Call function:

Let the delivery driver call or chat with the concerned user for any queries about the address or deliveries. 

Restaurant-side features:

Set-up restaurant page:

Facilitate an easy sign-up page using which restaurant owners can set up the profile page. This profile page should cover all the necessary information like pictures of food, ambiance, location, operating hours, contact information, etc. 

Integrated CMS:

Allow restaurant owners to update the food menu, pictures, etc from time to time.

Launch promo codes and offers:

Let restaurant owners launch promo codes and offer them to their customers. 

Order tracking:

Restaurant owners should be able to view the list of pending and completed orders for better management of the same. 

Invoice generator:

Restaurant owners should be able to generate invoices in the app and send them to customers. 

All of the above elements when integrated together set up a perfect food delivery application. However, if you feel like integrating more elements into the app, feel free to do so. 

What Is The Process of Developing a Food Delivery App?

Food delivery app development follows a very strategic approach and the average app development time (at IT Path Solutions) is around 6 months. We have years of experience in working with the food industry which allows us to deliver trending food delivery applications. 

Our developers keep themselves updated with the trends and would love to suggest you best possible methods for your app idea. 

Here is a brief about the app development process that we follow at our company. Please read the blog to learn more about our step-by-step app development process. 

Food Delivery App Development Cost:

Food delivery app development is a very huge project and often requires multiple iterations. It is indeed very challenging for us to give you an exact amount of food delivery app development, as it majorly relies on the following factors. 

• The complexity of the application idea;
• Technology stack you select;
• Third-party integrations;
• Platforms you target for app development;
• Hourly rates of developers;
• Support and Maintenance;

At IT Path Solutions, our food delivery app development cost ranges between $20,000-$50,000. However, this is subjective to the above factors mentioned. We suggest that you get in touch with us for your app development idea. 

How Does a Food Delivery App Make Money?

“Money” is The only focus of why businesses are developing food delivery apps. Isn’t it true? 

Profit numbers play a huge role in influencing the decision of food delivery app development. As we have already read about the huge market numbers, let’s now look at how you can have your share from the huge market chunk. 

Delivery fee: 

In this model, the platform charges a delivery fee from the customers based on the distance between their location and the restaurant location. 

Commission fee;

You can charge a small commission fee from restaurants to help them connect with the customers. Do not charge high fees from the restaurant owners otherwise, you are likely to lose on the audience. 

Ads: 

A very popular way of generating money using a food delivery app is by promoting related third-party products on the platform. 

Conclusion:

From 2024 and beyond, food delivery app development is processing millions of orders. And this market is huge enough to create an opportunity for everyone. If this app development idea excites, you it is the right time to develop an application that is innovative and scalable. 

At IT Path Solutions, we can help you bring your ideas to life. Get in touch with us and discuss your upcoming project.