Until 2020, online grocery shopping was a niche sector. Although restaurant delivery was already the norm for most people, delivering or picking up supermarket orders was less popular.
Previously, consumers did not want to switch to online shopping because they were then accustomed to choosing products independently and did not want to pay a fee. However, the epidemic made them change their minds. And the important thing: even after the epidemic, they will not stop this service.
By 2020, online grocery purchases accounted for 10.2% of total grocery sales, or nearly $ 106 billion. This is a 7% increase compared to 2019. And from 2020 the market share for grocery is growing at least 2% per year, targeting 20% + the mid-20s.
Customized groceries apps are not only a great addition but an important business. Modern customers do not want to waste their time shopping. They would love to place an order online and take it the easy way.
Today’s consumers do not have enough time. No one wants to go to a grocery store, buy what they need, and then drag the caboodle home. Application development agencies are not old-fashioned. That’s why they started launching mobile apps that allow one to place product orders and bring them to their door. People realize that when they download applications for grocery delivery on their phones, they can go their own way without interruption as the grocery company will deliver the products.
As an existing grocery business owner or entrepreneur, you have the opportunity to hire a top grocery delivery app development company to make the app better. However, the cost of developing a quality grocery delivery app should not be the first thought to get into your mind. Instead, you need to look for apps that win the hearts of people in a country like the USA. When it comes to finding inspiration, these apps deserve your attention. By the end of this article, you will have a glimpse of how much you should spend to improve the app.
So, if you would like to enter the grocery apps market and want to create such an app – welcome!
Types of Grocery Purchasing Apps
Grocery apps can vary depending on your business model, although they all involve commodity orders. Here are the main types of such applications.
Great grocer apps
Often these stores do not want to be just one on the list of compilers. They are committed to delivering their features and product message as much as possible and staying in touch with their customers. Normally a standard grocery app is converted into a multi-functional service with a loyalty program, list building, nearby store location, and pick-up option.
Small shops app
These stores can also have their own apps. Yes, there will not be as many downloads as you would like, but your loyal customers will thank you for being able to see the price and availability of the item in the store.
Aggregator applications
Intermediate apps provide a very simple shopping experience. When a customer buys products at multiple stores, the aggregator allows them not to download applications for all chains but allows them to receive the delivery at any store near them.
Benefits of a Custom Grocery Purchase App
Custom apps have many advantages over off-the-shelf solutions. Here are a few reasons why building an app is worth it.
Flexibility
This is a very important advantage over software developers buying groceries without shelves. Custom upgrades allow you to build a grocery app that best suits your business needs:
- You can select the features you want. Therefore, it is possible to use any functionality and integration of external companies.
- Also, you do not need to stick to the basic design options offered for solutions outside the shelf. Instead, you can create the right design with your navigation patterns.
- Lastly, you can use the simple payment system of your choice.
If you use the app builder, you will not have so much freedom when choosing the look and feel of the app. Conversely, while developing your custom product, you will be able to meet the expectations of the audience and follow every step of the customer’s journey. Thus, it will be easier for your users to place an order.
3 company mergers
If you are already using any software, you can combine it into a custom application. For example:
If you already have the Integrity or CRM system for regular customers, you do not need to worry about integrating it with your custom software. Although app developers can only support specific integration, custom applications have some limitations.
If you have an Asset Management System, it will automatically transfer that data to your application. After that users will see which stores have certain products and which ones do not, so there is no need to go there.
Security
If you want to add a card linking feature, you should definitely consider improved customer data security. Custom apps are very flexible – you will have many options for using all the security features you need.
In the custom application, you can apply all the security measures you want: a limited number of profile entry requests, two-factor authentication, fingerprint integration or face recognition APIs, etc.
You must grant access to the hidden sections of the app to only a few people – your employees, managers, and agents. It may seem challenging to use this option, but it really isn’t. To separate user access rights, use authorization agreements, such as OAuth 2.0. This is a simple but effective solution to this task.
Statistics
The app can be used to analyze data you may not have access to when customers enter grocery stores. For example, an app will collect information when a customer has made a purchase, which stores they visit the most, etc.
You can set up public login at your online grocery store. Based on customer data from their social media platforms, you will find more information about their interests and interests.
After analyzing the information you have received, you can make the app more personal. This will be more profitable than off-the-shelf mobile applications because they are difficult to adapt to customer needs.
You can also use statistics to change your product offer based on customer behavior. We’ll tell you more about that later.
6 Key Features of the Grocery Application
The set of features in the grocery shopping app is unique and depends on the specific situation. In this section, we will tell you about features that users expect to see in grocery apps and share specific details about their development.
Personal profiles
As mentioned above, having a personal profile can help you get more stats from your intended audience. But at the same time, sophisticated registration and login may discourage customers from using your grocery delivery service. That’s why it’s best to introduce an additional login option via social media or offer a profile registration after the order, based on user-generated data.
Aspects of integrity
Loyalty programs help you promote subscriptions. There are several options to encourage customers to use your grocery app and spend extra money:
- Sales and promotions.
- Various coupons.
- Reward plan. You can give users points to complete certain tasks: purchase goods at a certain price, invite friends, number of activities per month, etc.
- Payment by points.
- Cashback system.
Search options
Quick and easy search helps the buyer reduce the time to place an order. This is very different from shopping in a supermarket, where one spends a lot of time looking for items on a grocery list. And this fast order process will keep the customer coming back to you again.
To make it easier to find goods in your grocery app, add other search options such as:
- Product categories and filters help customers find the product even if they forget their name.
- Predictable search. The user will not have to waste time typing the full product name.
- Voice search takes less time than typing. But there is a problem: sometimes, the app cannot understand the product name.
With the barcode reader, the customer in the store can find out the cost of the product and put it in the cart. The barcode scanner can be integrated with ML Kit’s barcode scanning API (for iOS and Android) and AVFoundation (for iOS only).
Favorites can make searching easier. Customers simply open a list of favorites, similar products or items for sale and select the ones they want.
Shopping list
Improve your grocery catalog to make it easier for customers to choose products. In this way, clients can build their shopping list as quickly as possible.
For example, in addition to brand names and pictures, you can tag products with allergens or vegan products. You can also invite users to rate the product and leave a comment. Therefore, you will generate a rating and find out what your customers are choosing and adjust their purchases.
You are probably aware that when your service goes online, you should keep a close eye on availability and update app information immediately. But it may be best to protect yourself in situations where your client has placed an order for a product that is no longer available and is dissatisfied with the service. We suggest that you consider the option of a refund and exchange immediately.
Ask your customer to indicate when ordering products that can be changed – Walmart has the same feature. If the customer wants a specific product, but it is finished, the app will issue a refund.
You can borrow more shopping list options from Target. For example, if your customer has to buy groceries at home and sauces, it may be easier for them to make two separate lists. Then there is no need to calculate the amount the customer should share with his or her friends by one large check.
Map of stores
The integration of geolocation detection is important to make it your own grocery shopping app. In an aggregator app, store variations depend on location, and grocery chains may charge additional fees depending on the delivery location.
Additionally, content may change by location. For example, one store in the series has a promotion, and nearby customers can be notified. Users will be able to identify which store is closest to them and find its opening hours.
Typically, Google Maps or Apple Maps is used for internal integration with the system.
Payment Gateway
This feature should include different payment systems. With some payment gates, you can save more customers. Provide the card payment option, cash, Apple, or Google Pay, and link the card to the app.
If you have a delivery option, give the customer the option to advise the sender about the app after the order is placed, even if it pays in cash – people usually just have no small notes.
On What Does the Expense of Grocery Application Development Depend?
To determine how much it costs to upgrade grocery delivery applications, there are a number of factors to consider. Therefore, it is difficult to know the exact cost of developing a grocery application; anything that seems small can change that amount.
However, we do have a list of important things that affect the budget:
- Application complexity and number of features.
- The platform where the application is being developed.
- Implementation of third-party services if necessary.
- Developer hour rate.
Takeaways
A custom shopping app can be a great booster to increase sales. With it, you will improve the customer experience and get a better and more timely response.
From our application developer experience, we want to give you some tips that will work for your grocery business:
Make your app easier. Do not cause the user to search for a shopping list.
Label products that may contain various allergens.
Integrate multiple payment systems.
We hope our article has helped you learn more details about how to improve your grocery shopping app.
If you still have questions or need help from us feel free to contact us. Our top app development company in USA is always happy to help!
