The Appinop Blog

In today’s fast world where we hardly get any personal time, we feel more than happy to be able to save as much time and energy possible. Even though we love shopping, shopping for groceries is not something that most people look forward to. It’s boring and consumes a lot of our precious time and energy. If you have the option to use an app and do all our grocery shopping, we use it. Then why take the trouble to go to the market? If truth be told, grocery apps are life saviors.

 

Wondering how to build a Grocery app like Instacart? Here are a few simple steps that will help you get the best ideas from some of the best grocery apps.

 

The most basic and important thing that you need to know about building a grocery app is that there are 4 different types of apps:

 

1. Marketplaces

This type of app is more like a store where you can choose from their own menus and get delivery at your doorstep by their dedicated delivery personnel and/or own logistics. This type of app is best for those who have no prior experience in this domain. One of the most popular grocery shopping apps is Bigbasket.

 

2. Aggregators

This type of app is more like a mall. They list the menus of all the nearby stores and allow you to buy products from any of these stores listed in this app. Though they have their dedicated delivery personnel and/or own logistics, the fulfillment of the product depends on the store itself. Flipkart is an example of an aggregator.

 

3. Grocery Chains

They provide services in multiple towns and cities and one single app can be used even if you are in a different city. They have one dedicated app for all of their customers.

 

4. Single Stores

This type of app is generally used by regulars and solely managed by the single stores itself.

 

However, when you want to cater to an On-demand grocery app development you need to understand that there are 3 most important must-have features for these apps.

 

Customer app panel

This side of the app is going to be used by the end-user and is going to be available on the app stores for downloading and installing. Hence, it needs to be user friendly and also have great features.

 

• The end-user should have the option to sign in with their email/phone/social media accounts and also be able to personalize their profile according to their shopping preferences.

 

• The customer feedback option allows customers to provide reviews on various products.

 

• Order management will help the customers to change, add or subtract any item easily.

 

• Shopping list feature can help customers with their regular shopped items.

 

• Multiple payment options like COD, Card and etc. will allow customers to make hassle-free payment.

 

• Scheduled delivery will help people request deliveries as per their convenience.

 

 

Admin panel

• A dashboard will help you manage and track orders.

 

• Order allocation will help in keeping track of order processing.

 

• Payment management is important as it will help you track all payments.

 

• Inventory Management will help you track your entire stock.

 

 

Delivery personnel app panel

• Delivery request notification will help your delivery personnel get alerts on their delivery request.

 

• Chat or call feature will help the delivery personnel coordinate with the customer on delivering the product.

 

• With the help of the GPS feature, they can track the delivery route aiding in a smoother delivery pattern.

 

Other important points to keep in mind while trying to build an app like Instacart are as enumerated below:

 

What languages to use for Programming

Java and Kotlin are the programming languages used for developing apps that are on the android platform and Swift is used for the iOS platform. To build the front end of an initial iOS version app, you can use Ruby on the Rails framework.

 

However, to build a web version app you can use C++ or C#. You should use Javascript, HTML, and CSS for the forefront of the website and use python or PHP for the backend. This will give you great On-demand app development.

 

Payment Gateway

Remember that this is where safety and security are of utmost importance so the technology used to build the payment platform or gateway needs to be safe and secure. The most popular and user-friendly technologies are used by Paypal, Stripe, Braintree, etc. Providing more than one payment gateway option enhances user experience.

 

Estimated time of Delivery

Once an order has been placed, customers eagerly wait for its delivery. Not knowing when it will be delivered makes them impatient. Now, if you can provide an estimated time of delivery, you have a happy customer. It’s now possible with the help of an algorithm as it will help you calculate the estimated time of delivery based on dispatch time, volume of the order, and delivery location.

 

Location and Navigation

GPS navigation is needed as the usage of location and navigation is vital for your app.

 

To know your delivery location on an android app, you can use Google’s Places API and for iOS, you can use Core Location Framework.

 

To assist your delivery personnel or driver with accurate route directions, you can use Google Maps API for android and MapKit for iOS.

 

Final Thoughts

Before building a grocery app, keep in mind the features that are most essential. Do not forget to compare your ideas with other competitors’ apps. Check what is working for them. Try to understand what better or different you can offer.

 

A grocery app has now become very essential. It gives you the freedom to use the app anytime and from anywhere, allowing you to multi-task. You can shop on the go. Time is changing and people are opting for faster and easier options so that they can focus on other priorities in life.

 

It is difficult to provide an estimate of the cost of building an on-demand grocery delivery app as it depends on various factors such as its platform, functionality, and features, development nation, and lots of many.

 

If you are interested in developing a grocery app for your existing grocery store or willing to start an entrepreneur journey in the retail sector, Appinop is the right place to discuss your project idea and know the cost estimation in creating such an app.