Sign in
Log inSign up

Post hidden from Hashnode

Posts can be hidden from Hashnode network for various reasons. Contact the moderators for more details.

How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Delivery App Like Postmates?

Nickolas's photo
Nickolas
·Nov 9, 2018

We are living in a wonderful time. In a time when a food delivery app replaces a trip to the restaurant, when we can put the entire shop in our pocket having no need to go to an ordinary mall, when we can watch 3D movies without leaving the sofa. Digital products are no longer locked up in our devices. On the contrary, they extend beyond the screens and start moving forward, gradually catching up with the demand for physical services. It is a kind of evolution. This digital evolution gives us new products that, in turn, encourage the development of specialized delivery. That's because everyone wants to get their stuff as soon as possible and digital services open up new opportunities for that.

How Much Does It Cost to Develop an App Like Postmates? A word about Postmates What is a Postmate app? Actually, it is a courier service. The concept of delivering goods is not a new one. However, everything goes digital and our connectivity through different technologies allow us to bring new life to the logistics industry. That's what guys from California did. Having combined technologies with shipping, they created a digital version of on-demand delivery. Their distinctive feature is that everybody can have a try at working as a courier. All you need to do is to fill in a simple form on their app or website. Moreover, the presence of a vehicle is irrelevant since the company is ready to hire different people from pedestrians to van owners.

See how mobile design is created at Cleveroad. Read Mobile app design process: how we build UI and UX at Cleveroad Diving into the features, the process of ordering is as simple as the app itself. After an order is made and paid for - one of the nearest couriers to the place accepts it and starts working. All the shipping details are straightened out directly with the user by means of a call or a text message. What's new? The company has managed to organize on-demand food delivery app development, creating well-paid workplaces with a flexible schedule and providing its users with doorstep delivery within 1 hour. Postmates food delivery app: interface Postmates interface 4 crucial steps to start development with Before you start the development of an app like Postmates, you should study and analyze your idea, find out how feasible it is. If you perform it wisely, you will be able to create a really first-rate app, so follow these steps in order to achieve success. Market research comes first You should conduct market research and analyze your competitors that are engaged in on-demand service for food delivery. UberEats, Bootler, Postmates, and others are your direct competitors, so see how they became successful and what they did to promote themselves. Keep in mind to check out the main statistics of these apps, metrics they use, specific figures and so on. Remember that only detailed research can help you compete with such giant like Postmates and others. This information will let you find out how to make a food delivery app like Postmates. Use business model canvas What is it? It is a means of visualizing your business model. The canvas itself is divided into several segments, digging into problematic areas which you can find, and work on them. This model is especially useful for startuppers since it helps them reach a deeper understanding of their business from different sides. Companies like Postmates: Business Model Canvas Before the app development itself, you need to think through all the possible issues connected with the physical part of your app. Talking about a Postmates-like app and it's cooperation with shops and restaurants. Of course, big chains with their own delivery service may reject your proposal, so for a while, you need to focus on those ones without own delivery. Explain all the benefits of your service and give them figures showing the profit that they will be able to gain by cooperating with you. One more thing you need to take into account is payment. Since in Postmates all the payments are done with credit cards, the question about how the courier should pay for the goods can appear. I mean it is reasonable to build inner payment system with your partners. This way, restaurants will get money for the goods and the cost of the service will be sent to company's bank account. To avoid costly development of one more payment system, you may simply provide your employees with cards they will be able to buy goods. However, there is a security question since you need to make sure your employee can purchase only those goods that were really ordered and only in those restaurants or shops which have been specified by the user when ordering. Make a unique offer Do you want your app to become something unique and competitive? When you realized how to create a food delivery app similar to Postmates, you should offer your users some unique features or bonuses that your competitors lack. To implement this, it is highly recommended to conduct a research and find out what your target audience wants to get in the app most of all. Using such unique features, you can achieve success much faster and turn a unique offer into your app's personal gimmick. Keep up with trends This step may help you build a unique offer, so they are tightly connected. Modern trends are designed to enhance different software, make it up-to-date and attractive. The following trends may be your good assistants in the development of an app like Postmates. Artificial intelligence. Chatbots, speech and voice recognition technologies are always welcome since it motivates people to use the app with modern digital technologies. Such innovation will affect the cost of a Postmates-like app, but the game worth the candle; Convenient personal service. It would be better if you offer people different types of delivery and it is better to elaborate a user experience design both for customers and for restaurants as well. When both parties will get a high-quality UX, they will have more trust towards your app; Augmented reality. This trend is not so important, but its visual effects can also help build more trust and enhance the search-and-delivery experience. As you can see, 4 simple steps may just help you turn your startup into a stunning app Building the skeleton or MVP of your app The success of any app depends on the set of features it offers. Let's consider the primary components of the app, split them into features and find out the appropriate cost of Postmates.

Learn more about project planning phase. Read Project planning phase and how our team approaches it Sign up to get your food Registration is an integral part of the majority of apps. Especially, of those ones having built-in payment systems or in-app purchases. Modern apps could have a dozen ways to sign up - from ordinary login & password methods, to registration via social networks or a phone number. Postmates made a very smart step here. Since their business is currently working within the USA, they implemented an opportunity to register via the social network where 58% of Americans already have an account in - Facebook. Those ones without a profile there or a desire to link it with Postmates are welcome to register through a good old-fashioned email address. Thus, they have saved some money on development. Before converting everything said above into dollars, it is worth mentioning that the price fully depends on the number of development hours. Accordingly, the more methods you would like to add - the more money it will cost you. For our estimation, we will take an average price - $50 per hour. Based on the Postmates methods, we will get the following. Development hours: up to 125 hours Development cost: up to $6,250 Geolocate your food When you create a food delivery app, it is tightly connected with logistics, so it is essential to conduct a proper work with maps and geolocation. You need to think through all the possible features allowing your users to make and track orders as convenient as possible. Considering the example of Postmates, we can see that users are able to track their orders immediately after the payment is made. To be exact, they see all the movements of a delivery guy even before the food was taken from the restaurant. Also, based on the location, this food delivery app calculates the approximate time needed to get to your place. https://www.cleveroad.com/blog/how-much-does-it-cost-to-make-an-app-like-postmates-