14 Jul, 2023 | mobile development company

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE MAKING YOUR OWN UBER EATS APP

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE MAKING YOUR OWN UBER EATS APP
Does creating an acceptable, productive, famous food delivery app like Uber Eats excite you?  Do you need clarification about the tasks and costs that come with it?  To create a competitive and cheapest food delivery app like Uber Eats, we are sure you must be wondering where to start. An answer in a few words is comfort & food, only if providing the best of both was actually so simple!  To begin with, the app will need to cater to the target audience's needs and follow an appropriate food delivery model. Along with this, a proper framework, with predefined functions and systems, will be needed to be introduced to maintain goodwill from the beginning. Let's have a look at some of the recent statistics related to Food Delivery:  - By 2024, the eServices Online Food Delivery Segment Platfotm-to-consumer delivery is expected to reach 13.1 million users in the United Kingdom.  - Almost ⅓ people order meals online.  - Food delivery penetration has increased by 56% in the UK post-pandemic.  - 55% of consumers (globally) say convenience is the main reason they order food online.  - 50% of users say that a discount coupon is a reason to order food, making it the most popular promotion for online food delivery.  - 2 / 3 of the total revenue of QSR comes from delivery and pickup.  - By 2023, the Online Food Delivery market revenue in the United Kingdom is predicted to reach US $40.64bn.  - The number of users is expected to amount to 50.58m users by 2027 in the meal delivery segment.  - 94% of meal delivery customers in the UK order through aggregators.  - The top apps for food delivery are Delivery Hero, Just Eat and Uber Eats   Delivery Hero (118 million users). Just Eat (90 million users). Uber Eats (85 million users).  - The Uber Eats hourly rate in the UK is £7-£14, or up to £120 per day. The benefits and accessibility that come with Food Delivery Apps like the uber eats app have surely made it a supreme business idea. We will know more about the cost required to build an app like Uber Eats, later in the article. 

FACTORS THAT WILL AFFECT YOUR FOOD-DELIVERING APP

Now that you have made up your mind about creating a food delivery app like Uber Eat App, let's know more about the factors that will affect its functioning in detail.

1. Choosing the correct BUSINESS MODEL for your Food Delivery App 

If you are looking to enter this business any time soon, knowing the pros and cons of its business strategies is a must. Let's know more- 

a) PLATFORM TO CONSUMER MODEL or AGGREGATOR APPS

This business plan will work as a great opportunity for new start-ups. This model will act as a bridge between the customers and a variety of restaurants. Being the owner of the app, you will take care of the listings done on the app and provide a platform to the customers. The restaurant owners take care of the delivery service themselves, and on-demand food delivery app development focuses on receiving orders from customers and forwarding them to the respective restaurants.  The important thing to note here is that order management is the sole reliability of business management. The restaurant or a third-party courier service handles the actual delivery logistics, whereas your role is limited to facilitate communication between the restaurant owners and their customers through the app.   In addition to the shipping costs, a cut of 20% to 30% of the order value may be expected.  The order workflow in the model will look like this:  - Customers will use your app to place an order  - Via an app notification, the order is sent to the nearest restaurants  - The restaurant confirms the order, and the customers are confirmed for the same  - The POS system sends order details are sent to the kitchen  - Finally, the delivery partner will collect the order for delivery from the restaurant  The major challenge with this model is competition. You can overcome this competition by introducing unique restaurants to your listing.   The advantage of this model is its low cost. 

b) DELIVERY SERVICE AGGREGATORS

Another feature that sets it apart from the previous model is the benefit of a logistic support partner with a delivery partner. An excellent example of this model would be the Uber Eats App:  Here’s how the order workflow look like:  - Customers browse the menu to place the order  - Post order confirmation the customer will be notified   - Post the order is prepared, the restaurant notifies the delivery partner, customer and business admin  - The nearest available rider picks the delivery  - Customers are charged the delivery fee according to the location  The major challenge in this model is setting up your logistics and delivery team, which can make or break your app's reputation in the future.

c) FULL STACK MODEL

The best part about this kind of model is its ability to give you a lot of customisations. You are the admin for the app and the cloud kitchen that you have to set up for the customers. You have your logistics team, from cooking the meal to delivering it.  The order workflow in the model will look like this:  - Present a food menu to the customers  - After the customer places an order, a notification is sent to the cloud kitchen   - The restaurant's delivery service then delivers the completed order to the customer's door  The major challenge in this model is budget. It can be tough to find investors, hence a great plan, both in finance and marketing, is required before starting an app like uber eats app on this model.

2. APPLICATION FUNCTIONS

To give an amazing user experience on a platform like a uber eats app, some application features are necessary to add convenience for the customers, restaurant and delivery functions.   Some features that can be essentially included in your app, like the Uber Eats app are:  - Login/Registration like Uber Eats login and sign up  - Menu/Order/Restaurant management   - Incoming order / Delivery / Order Confirmation Update   - Ratings and Review   - Discount Features  - Professional Support  Some more exciting features that can be added are:  - Push Notifications  - Cashback and Loyalty Programs  - Real-time Food delivery tracking  - Order scheduling and pick up  - In-App Messages 

3) TECHNOLOGY STACK FOR FOOD DELIVERY APP DEVELOPMENT LIKE UBER EATS

- Java & Kotlin for app development (Android)  - Objective-C & Swift for iOS App Development  - React.JS with highly efficient JS library for admin panel and API  - Live Map for food tracking  - AWS or Azure for cloud hosting facilities   - Google Cloud for data storage  - Stripe, PayPal etc., for payment gateway  - Facebook SDK for registration or sign-ups  - Uber for Food Delivery

4) App Cost & Hours

a) App Discovery Phase

This is the first phase of creating an app like the UberEats app, where the app's design, development and deployment takes place.  With a budget of 8,000-9,000 USD, the discovery phase for the food delivery app will roughly take 3-4 weeks.
Hours (UI/UX designer, developers, PM, QA)
Project Initialization 32-35
Detailed description of main features logic 12-15
Mind map creation 8-10
Clickable prototype creation 87-100
Solution architecture document 21-25
Functional Requirements 32-32
Software Requirement specification 8-10
Proto Test 6-4
Resources and communication plan 2-4
Accurate Estimation 10-12
Communication, Brainstorming 35-38
TOTAL DEVELOPMENT HOURS 251-290
 

b) App Development

There are 2 ways of app development- Native & Cross-Platform App Development.  Native App Development takes 560 to 650 development hours total and costs from £40,200 to £46,000.  With Flutter, the complete process for app development of the food delivery app (both iOS and Android) will take 470 to 550 development hours and cost from £35,600 to £40,000. 

c) Admin Panel

The admin panel or the administrator of the app allows the admin to manage the app's configuration, settings, content, features and functions.  Web Development of the front-end and back-end admin panel takes about 230-280 development hours.  

COST BIFURCATION TO DEVELOP AN APP LIKE THE UBER EATS APP IN THE UK

Description Total Cost (in £)
UI/UX design 1200-1300
Registration 550-650
Financial Gateways 550-650
Analytical Integration 450-550
Geolocation Service 6500-7000
Communication & Notification 3800-4400
Total 13050-14550
Note: These costs are just estimations. However, these may vary from time taken, expertise, brainstorming and the number of personnel required. 

WRAPPING UP 

The world of comfort and convenience allows many opportunities for you to enter the market and create your brand image, even though apps like Uber Eats exist. With a fantastic user experience and appealing interface, you can grasp the audiences' attention and gain their trust with safe and timely delivery, vivid restaurant options and the simple pleasures of an approachable help chatbot like uber eats support.  Creating an app like the UberEats app is undoubtedly a great business idea for many reasons, however, to embark upon such a venture requires immense dedication and mostly practical planning.   Suppose you are keen to create an app like the Uber Eats app. In that case, WeDoWebApps will help you from ideation to implementation, with expert opinions and years of experience in app development as the best mobile app development agency London! planning. If you are keen to create an app like the Uber Eats app, WeDoWebApps will help you from ideation to implementation, with expert opinions and years of experience in app development!  

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the purpose of creating my own Uber Eats-like app?

A custom app can provide a platform for your food delivery business, allowing you to control features, functionality, and user experience to meet your specific needs.

2. How can I get started with making my own food delivery app?

Building an app typically begins with identifying your requirements, choosing the right technology stack, designing the user interface, developing the app, and then testing it.

3. What features should a food delivery app have?

Essential features might include restaurant listing, menu display, order placement, real-time tracking, payment gateway integration, reviews and ratings, and customer support.

4. How long does it take to develop a food delivery app?

The development timeline depends on the app's complexity, the development team's efficiency, and the amount of testing required before launch.

Matt
Written by Matt

Matt is a Mobile app development specialist at WEDOWEBAPPS. His ability to look through things from the client’s perspective and his detailed vision makes him a successful developer. He has a passion for writing about the latest mobile technologies.