You may have read our previous article about On Demand Apps – The Future Of App Development? We had so much fun writing that article that we decided to create a brief step by step guide of how to create your own on demand app!
The on demand app market has become extremely diverse in the last 18 months, particularly with the lockdowns we have all endured and predictably on-demand delivery services have become an inevitable part of everyday life.
Convenience is king, so whether it be ordering a take away or pre-ordering a prescription, the on demand app market is booming!
Having worked on some on-demand app projects ourselves here at Media Shark, we wanted to share our insights to help you decide if an on demand application is right for you.
Choose your target audience or industry
It is important to know which niche, or industry that you want to target; You may already have a successful restaurant and want to offer a takeaway and delivery service or this may be your first start up and it’s just an idea at this stage – do your research and find out your competitors.
The on demand economy is growing in size so there may already be an app which exists in the App Store or Google Play similar to the app you want to create. Don’t panic just yet though, this just means there is demand for the product and room for a little healthy competition! As long as you aren’t going up against Uber Eats ar another multinational and you launch your product correctly the chances of success are still optimal!
Stick to an industry that you have confidence and experience in, or even choose an audience which is similar to you so when you do your market research you’re already a step ahead.
Identify their problem & find their solution
Most consumers wanting to use an on demand service are using it simply for convenience. So how can you “bridge the gap” between the consumer and what they want/need?
One of the first on demand apps we were involved with was for eMoped – The “problem” the consumer had was getting from point A-B in the city, the “solution” was an app where the consumer could book a moped that they could use for their journey and leave it at a certain location once finished with their ride. Problem solved!
Can you connect buyers and sellers?
The key to success is the ability to connect consumers with what exactly it is that they want. Now you need to decide – are you an aggregator or will you provide an end-to-end service?
Amazon Pharmacy is an aggregator – connecting an array of pharmacies to customers
Dominoes is a full end to end service – providing its own product to customers
We recently worked on a project for Jays Food Emporium. Jays Food Emporium is a restaurant and take away which provides a delicious selection of food, sauces and seasonings at affordable prices. The consumer orders directly on the app and then collect at one of two locations. Therefore, Jays food Emporium provides an “end to end” service
Decide on the “must have” features of your app
Your development team will be able to guide you thorugh this stage however it is a good idea to think about what you want your app to do and how you want your users to interact with the app itself. From here your team will be able to provide a feature list and this is the very foundation of how your app build starts.
- Real time tracking – an absolute must have, people want to see where their product is and how long it’s going to take to get to them.
- Easy registration – make the sign up process easy and quick – 21% of people abandon an app after one use, so make sure you don’t lose them by making the sign up process too lengthy
- Easy and secure payments – of course, people want to trust you and ensure their money is safe, so make sure you have a secure payment process
- Reviews/ratings – give people the chance to provide feedback whether positive or negative, any interaction with your audience is a good one 🙂
- Push notifications – push notifications are a quick and direct way to speak to your user, they don’t get missed in a junk folder and give the user a polite reminder that your app is there
- Navigation – it does exactly what it says on the tin – a navigation feature simply allows your user to navigate their way through the different screens and pieces of content within your app
Prototype your app
A prototype is a visual mockup of the app, it looks just like your app will look once it is built howvere there is no acutal code behind it to make it function yet. It is imperative to prototype your app and ensure it is user friendly and functional – the UI/UX design is key to an app’s success.
App prototyping is extremely important especially if you need investment. It gives everyone involved including designers, developers and investors the opportunity to test the app and see how it will work and function for the everyday user.
A slow loading app with poor functionality and complicated UI/UX is the death of any app and is the main cause for people to uninstall very quickly, so ensuring this doesn’t happen is crucial.
User acquisition is very important as this is where you gain your first round of users and this is where you have the chance to build a loyal client base who will keep returning to use the app. User retention is even more important as this is where your loyal customers spread the word about your easy to use functional app and this is where the monetisation can begin.
Costs involved?
Developing an app can vary in costs depending on the size and scope of the project. If you have a start up and are in the first stages of building your business you may need a designer to create your logo, branding and style guides.
The next phase would be the cost to prototype your app – at this stage, those who are not entirely self funded may look to gain investment to help get the development work started.
The cost of development will be ongoing as there will be maintenance and updates once the application is completed. During this time however the main focus should be the marketing spend to build the hype and excitement around the launch of your product.
Testing
During the testing phase of your app, you will gain invaluable feedback and insights, the testing phase gives you an opportunity to develop and build rapport with your potential audience and is the final stage in assessing whether your app is ready to go into the market.
Testing will give you the opportunity to try the app as an actual user in real time and this is where you’ll find out what works, what doesnt work, any bugs which need fixing, things which dont make logical sense and things which need to be reworked.
Conclusion
Of course building an app for the first time can be a daunting experience but it can also be an incredibly exciting and rewarding experience too. Make sure you have researched every aspect of your industry and product, don’t run before you can walk and be ready for any unexpected pitfalls. But most of all, keep going – if you truly believe you have a great idea, you have taken the first steps to make it a reality!
Contact us if you have a great idea for an app!
