On-demand App Development: Types, Benefits, and Cost

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On-demand economy and on-demand apps are two buzzwords in the corporate sector. In the recent time when the mobile becomes a major driving force, the on-demand business model gains ground swiftly. Be it a food delivery, healthcare, courier, retail, or field service-related sector, the on-demand dispatch system is prevalent worldwide. It has brought a tremendous disruption in people’s online order booking approach with the help of on-demand mobile applications.

On-demand app development can open the doors to many business opportunities. As per a data, in the US alone, the on-demand economy has crossed 55 billion USD in the year 2017. Aspiring entrepreneurs see a huge potential in such a thriving economy. Let us take an example of Uber, which has brought the revolutionary changes in the transportation sector, and Airbnb that has set milestones in the domain of rental property. Here we give a handy and comprehensive guide to on-demand app development.

Let us start with the basics:

What are customized on-demand app solutions?

If you want to offer a product or service as and when your customers need it, then on-demand app solutions can serve your purpose with ease. The on-demand mobile applications get the orders and act as a platform between the suppliers and customers. It greatly reduces the time and efforts from both the ends.

Before the advent of on-demand apps, people had to find the suppliers or service providers, contact them, and compare their quotes. Now, the on-demand ordering and delivery apps have brought drastic changes in this traditional approach. The restaurant business can make the most of such apps. But, it does not mean that other sectors are lagged behind. Here are different types of on-demand applications that cover almost all the major industry sectors:

Types of On-demand Applications

Image Source: Appinventiv

Transportation and Logistics- When it comes to convenient personal transportation, how can we forget the taxi-hailing apps? These apps have made transportation easy and quick. People can quickly find and book taxis from their nearby areas to reach the right spot. Courier and logistics companies can also come up with an on-demand booking app that can show the real-time status of the products.

Hospitality- If you are an owner of a restaurant, the on-demand food delivery app can help you deliver favorite food to your customers at their doorstep. If you are an aggregator, you can collect the order from the app users, send them to your restaurant partners and deliver the food items. Swiggy is an example of an aggregator app. These apps can help you provide the food as per your customers’ orders.

Housekeeping- Dishwashing, house cleaning, etc. services fall under the category of on-demand services. Housekeeping apps can help people to find individuals who can do odd jobs. Such apps enable people to get rid of hiring individuals for chores on a permanent basis.

Rental Properties and Lounging- If someone wants to put their property or even one room on rent, there are on-demand rental booking apps. The app users can find the accommodation in a city, and book the property for a short to medium term online with these apps.

Healthcare- One of the biggest beneficiaries of the on-demand app development domain is a healthcare sector. The users can get a doctor on-demand. The app also enables the users to book medical tests from home and get the medicines also. The thriving healthcare domain can get a boost from on-demand healthcare application.

Freelancers- There are on-demand apps dedicated to freelance professionals. People can find and hire developers, programmers, marketers, and teachers with ease by using such applications.

That’s not all! Any customer-centric business can make people’s lives easier with the on-demand application. You can make your business model successful by integrating the on-demand app in your system. But then, you should take care of three major aspects for making your app user-friendly.

Easy to use- Basically, on-demand apps have two parts- one is for the customers and the other is for service providers. Now the app needs to be convenient for both the users and service providers. From registration to booking to delivery, every process should be presented in the easy-to-understand form.

Seamless performance- Appealing interface and effortless operation should be accompanied by a seamless performance. A few types of on-demand mobile apps also offer the facility to pay for the services or products. In such a situation, the app needs to be safe as well.

Flexibility- Your app should be flexible enough for both the parties. It is better to give more options to the app users to make your app’s success certain.

Scalability- Do you know that your on-demand app should be enabled to handle hundreds of thousands of bookings in a second? It requires to be designed in a way that it could handle a lot of traffic.

Main Features of Bespoke On-demand Apps

You may wonder which features need to be included in the on-demand mobile application for your business? Well, a mobile app development company with a vast experience of developing apps across various industry sectors can give you a perfect answer. But, here we make a list of basic features for any on-demand app:

Push Notification- It is always good to inform your customers about the new services or promotional offers. Push notifications can act as a reminder and a marketing tool. You can also send them the real-time status of their orders and inform them about any change in the status.

Tracking Facility- GPS integration can be very helpful to track the order. It is one of the most important features of any on-demand application because it can inform the users about the progress of their orders.
Activity List- It can show the users their orders, search results, and other necessary information for a quick reference. It enables the app users to get rid of remembering everything.

Wishlist- At times, the app users may not want to buy products due to several reasons, or a few products are out-of-stock for a particular time. This is particularly useful for eCommerce on-demand application.
Payment Facility- Mobile payment facility is a norm in the age of m-commerce. Your on-demand app will be more acceptable if it has enough payment options with safe transaction facility.

Review and Rating- Customer testimonials and reviews can play a vital role in ensuring your on-demand mobile app’s success. They will also help you improve quality and user experience.

Booking Cancellation- It is also possible that users need to cancel their order in some circumstances. The app users can cancel or reschedule their bookings as per convenience with the help of this feature.
Multiple Order Booking- It is always better to facilitate your customers to book multiple items at once. Also, your app needs to store their basic information so that the users can promptly go to the checkout process in every subsequent order.

Cost of On-demand Applications

Image Source: Bacancy Technology

Now comes the cost. But before that, let us make a list of necessary phases to build a customized on-demand mobile application:

Ideation- Just like any other mobile app, ideation is the first and foremost phase. All you need to do a proper research on the customer’s demands before making a plan for an on-demand app. You also need to ensure that your app has a feasible model to gain profit. You can also do research on the similar apps available to come up with a better version.

Design- A reputed on-demand app development service provider can take care of the design and prototype of your app. However, you need to be careful while designing an app to remain assured of functionality and features.
Development- This is very important and the most time-taking phase. Experienced on-demand app developers can readily build the app with desired features and a flawless performance. Some development companies also offer the clients to interview the developers before hiring them.

Testing- Testing phase is very crucial as even the slightest lapse or a flow in performance can mar the reputation of your business. Be it for an Android or iOS platform, your app should be rigorously tested on different devices.
Deployment- This is a final phase when your app is deployed in the app store. You can also opt for a beta version before deploying the app to get the real-time feedback from stakeholders and customers.

The cost of any on-demand mobile app largely depends on the duration and feature integration. When it comes to the development cost, the hourly rate can make a huge difference. For example, the US and Canadian developers charge over $160 an hour, whereas, their Indian counterparts take just over $25 an hour. Considering various development-related factors and hourly rates, the cost of an on-demand app is in a range of $10000 to $45000. Also, it is better to keep the provision for regular update and maintenance cost to make your app ready to handle the changing customer requirements and growing competition.

It is fair to mention that an on-demand app with desired features and excellent functionality is a one-time investment and can earn you millions of dollars over the years.

Concluding Lines
Tailored on-demand applications can certainly help you boost your business while offering you a competitive edge over peers. You can hire mobile app developers to get the most efficient solutions in a cost-effective way. Just make a list of the features you want to offer to your customers and contact a reliable on-demand app development company.

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