How to Create a Grocery Shopping App?
Published: July 8, 2024
16 min read
In this article, you'll learn:
1
📱 Types of Grocery Shopping Apps
2
✅ Advantages of Custom Grocery Shopping App
3
🚀 Top 6 Important Grocery App Features
4
📊 Admin Panel for Grocery Delivery App
5
🌟 Case Study
6
💰 What Does the Cost of Grocery App Development Depend On?
7
💡 Takeaways
Until 2020, online grocery shopping was considered a niche industry. While many people were accustomed to ordering food delivery from restaurants, the idea of having groceries delivered or picking them up from supermarkets was not as popular.
Previously, users were hesitant to switch to online grocery shopping because they preferred selecting products themselves and were unwilling to pay additional fees. However, the pandemic led to a change in their attitudes. Importantly, even after the pandemic, they are unlikely to abandon this service.
In 2020, online grocery shopping accounted for 10.2% of total grocery sales, amounting to around $106 billion. This marked a 7% increase compared to 2019. The eGrocery market share has been growing by at least 2% annually since 2020, with projections indicating it will reach 20%+ by the mid-2020s.
Custom grocery apps have evolved from being a mere convenience to a valuable business opportunity. Modern consumers prefer the convenience of online shopping and are willing to place orders online and collect them in the most convenient manner.
Read this article to get the answers to any questions you may have about developing an on-demand grocery delivery app. (image by Chayan Sarker)
Therefore, if you are interested in entering the grocery app market and are considering developing such an app, you are welcome to do so!
📱 Types of Grocery Shopping Apps
While ordering products is a common feature of all grocery applications, the specifics of your business strategy may vary. These are the main types of such apps.
Large grocery store chains apps
Often, these stores are not interested in simply being another option on aggregator platforms. They want to showcase their unique features and brand message extensively, and maintain direct communication with their customers. Frequently, a basic grocery app evolves into a multifunctional service with features like a loyalty program, list creation, store locator, and pick-up options.
Loyalty Program 🎁: offer your app users items on sale or give them cashback on certain products | Map of Stores 🗺️: add checking product availability in the current store and send personalized promotions depending on location | In-Store Map 🏪: Locate the position of goods in the store |
Advanced Searching Functionality 🔍: Implement categories, barcode search, voice input to save client’s time | Delivery & Pick-Up 📦: Send notification to inform your customer about order status changes | Membership Options 👥: Give your most loyal clients free delivery and extra promotions in the whole chain store |
Small shops
These stores may have their own applications. Although the number of downloads may not be as high as you would want, your devoted clientele will appreciate that you allow them to view the cost and availability of any item in the store.
Advanced Personalization ⭐️: notify your customers that products from their «Favorites» are available in the nearest store | Pick-Up 🛍️: help new clients to find your pick-up point using a map with geolocation tracking | Coupons 🧾: provide customers with some promotions that are available only in the app |
Loyalty Program 🎁: create your reward system with points and offer to pay with it for some goods | Push Notifications 🔔: send weekly promotional updates to keep in touch with your customers | Easy Checkout Process 🛒: Set up the client profile so that after the first purchase, order fields will autofill next time |
Aggregator apps
A more convenient way to shop is through intermediary applications. When a consumer purchases goods from several retailers, an aggregator enables them to order delivery from any nearby store without having to download the applications for each chain.
Advanced Search & Filters 🔍: integrate the «you may also like» screen under research results | Delivery 🚚: add the ability for the customer to track the order on the map | Reviews & Ratings 🏅: invite users to leave reviews about goods they bought to make a product and shop rating |
Customer Support 🤝: implement live chat with courier during shopping –– customer will say what to do if the item is out of stock | Multiple Payment Options 💵: allow your customers to pay by cash, credit card and implement mobile payment systems | Push Notifications 🔔: send push notifications with order status changes to win the customer’s trust |
✅ Advantages of Custom Grocery Shopping App
Compared to off-the-shelf options, custom apps have several advantages. Here are a few justifications for why creating your own app is worthwhile.
Flexibility
This is the primary advantage of custom grocery shopping app development compared to using off-the-shelf builders. Custom development enables you to create a grocery app that aligns perfectly with your business requirements:
- You have the freedom to select the features you need, allowing you to implement any functionality and integrate third-party services.
- You are not limited to the basic design options provided by off-the-shelf solutions. Instead, you can create a custom design with your own navigation patterns.
- You can integrate a convenient payment system of your choice.
All these aspects help differentiate your app from others.
A personalized supermarket mobile app is more engaging than an off-the-shelf app. (image by Excellent WebWorld)
You won't have as much control over the looks and feel of the app if you use an app builder. As an alternative, you will be able to adhere to every stage of the buyer's journey and satisfy the expectations of the target audience while creating your own product. Your users' ordering process will be simplified as a result.
3-rd-party integrations
If you're already using any software, you can seamlessly integrate it into a custom application. For instance:
- If you have a Loyalty or CRM system for regular customers, you won't need to worry about integrating it with your custom software. While app builders may support only specific integrations, custom apps offer more flexibility.
- If you use an inventory management system, it will automatically transfer data to your application. This allows users to see which supermarkets have specific goods in stock, saving them the trouble of visiting stores where items are unavailable.
Security
Advanced customer data security is something you should absolutely consider if you want to include a card-linking option. Because custom apps are more adaptable, you may incorporate as many security measures as you require.
You may include any security feature you like into a customized application, such as limiting the number of times users can log in to their profiles, implementing two-factor authentication, integrating fingerprint or face recognition APIs, etc.
Additionally, you should restrict access to hidden sections of the app to specific individuals, such as employees, managers, and couriers. Implementing these security measures may seem challenging, but using protocols like OAuth 2.0 can simplify the process and ensure secure user access.
Analytics
Data that would be difficult to obtain when customers just go into conventional grocery stores may be analyzed using the app. For instance, the app will collect data on the customers' most frequented stores, transactions, and other activities.
Your online grocery store allows you to create a social login. You will learn more about the customer's tastes and interests based on information gleaned from their social network profiles.
You can customize the app more after examining the data you were sent. This would be advantageous over pre-made mobile apps, which are difficult to customize to the demands of the user.
Including a section on popular products in the search results is a smart idea.
(image by Istiak Ahmed)
Additionally, you may utilize analytics to adjust your product offerings in response to user behavior. We'll go into further detail about that later.
🚀 Top 6 Important Grocery App Features
The grocery shopping app's feature set is unique and contingent upon the circumstances. We'll outline the features customers anticipate seeing in grocery apps in this area, along with occasional development updates.
Personal profiles
As we've already discussed, you can obtain more information about your target audience by creating a personal profile. However, a difficult registration process and login can deter users from utilizing your grocery delivery service. Because of this, it's preferable to include a second social network login option or allow users to establish a profile after placing a purchase, depending on the information they provide.
Loyalty features
To attract more sign-ups and encourage customers to use your grocery mobile app, consider implementing various strategies such as:
- Offering sales and promotions.
- Providing various coupons.
- Establishing a reward system where users earn points for completing tasks like purchasing goods, inviting friends, or making a certain number of transactions per month.
- Allowing users to pay with points.
- Implementing a cashback system.
These approaches can motivate customers to engage with your app and spend more money.
The idea of Massy Stores' loyalty program. (image by Darya Kozachuk)
Search parameters
Optimizing product search in your app is key for user convenience. Here are some strategies to enhance this feature:
- Category-based Search: Users can browse products by category, helpful if they don't remember specific names.
- Predictive Search: This feature suggests products as users type, speeding up the search process.
- Voice Search: Enables users to search by speaking, which can be faster than typing. However, complex brand names might not always be recognized accurately.
Implementing these features can greatly improve the user experience and make shopping more efficient for your users.
The consumer at the store may use the barcode reader to add items to their cart and find out how much they will cost. ML Kit’s barcode scanning API (for IOS and Android) and AVFoundation (for IOS only) may be utilized together with a barcode scanner.
Customers can use barcode scanning technology at the self-checkout station to scan all of their purchases and make payments. (image by Manoel Andreis Fernandes)
Additionally, favorites can facilitate the search. Consumers just need to open a list of their favorite, comparable products or regularly bought things, then choose the ones they desire..
Shopping list
The shopping list is quite an important and useful feature in your grocery app. By creating shopping lists, users can easily compile a list of items according to their preferences or menus.
But how can we improve this feature beyond just listing names and photos? Let's consider a couple of life hacks:
- Add special tags. For example, for vegan products, items with strong allergens, or products for diabetics.
- Ratings and reviews. Allowing users to share their opinions about a product will help form a rating, and you'll know what your customers like.
To avoid situations where the chosen item is unavailable, you can add a substitution feature. Like Walmart, this allows customers to specify a substitute for the selected item. If the item is out of stock, the app will automatically refund the money.
Careful monitoring of product availability and timely updates of information in the app are also important aspects of your service. The main goal is to provide customers with the best shopping experience by offering them a wide range of products and timely information about their availability.
Certain supermarket apps let you create some shopping lists. (image by Mateusz Nieckarz)
Target has a feature where you may borrow numerous shopping lists. It would be simpler for your consumer to create two distinct lists, for instance, if he has to buy goods for his house and the BBQ. The amount that the consumer has to divide among his buddies from one large check may then be determined without calculation.
Map of stores
The integration of store mapping and location detection is essential for customizing the user experience in a mobile shopping application. In an app that aggregates various stores, the assortment depends on the user's location, as some stores may be available within a certain radius, while others may charge an additional fee for delivery based on distance.
Additionally, the available products in stores may vary depending on the location. For example, promotions and special offers may only be available to users in one of the network's stores, and this information can be easily obtained by determining the nearest store on the map.
Usually, Google Maps or Apple Maps are used for in-app integration.
Payment Gateway
This functionality should incorporate diverse payment methods to enhance customer retention. By integrating different payment gateways, you can offer customers the flexibility to pay using various options such as cash, credit/debit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay, and allow them to link their card to the app for seamless transactions.
Additionally, if there's a delivery service available, provide customers with the ability to tip the courier through the app post-order, even if they've paid in cash, as it's common for individuals to lack small denomination notes.
Delivery & Pick-Up
The main concept of a grocery shopping app is to save customers time by eliminating the need to visit a physical store. During the pandemic, grocery delivery services became essential, and now, users can't imagine life without them.
The delivery feature may not suit all business models, but if you're considering or have already incorporated delivery into your app, here are some key points to enhance it:
- Optimize your app for mobile devices so couriers can easily view addresses and manage deliveries on the go.
- Implement a mapping feature that allows you to track courier routes, enabling you to manage coverage areas efficiently.
- Utilize a calendar to track courier working hours and manage schedules effectively.
One key feature will be the ability for customers to get in touch with the courier after checking out. (image by Imran Hossen)
Certain businesses provide a pick-up service. A bag of groceries will be waiting for your customers if they pay in advance or when they arrive at the store. If your software allows users to create wishlists, it would be beneficial to have the ability to quickly convert these lists to pick-up orders.
You may use a QR-code system to precisely identify your consumer if you provide a pick-up option. Your supervisors may view the individual's profile and assign them the appropriate task after it's scanned.
To enhance the security of your delivery service, consider implementing an electronic signature system. This system would require customers to sign on the courier's tablet upon receiving their orders, ensuring that the goods have been received.
Another approach is to request identification before releasing the goods, similar to the system used at Costco supermarkets.
For customers who choose to pick up their orders, you could include a map showing the route to the pickup point, with the customer's location tracking for added convenience.
Additionally, you might consider implementing a feature similar to Instacart's "Someone else picking up" option, allowing customers to designate someone else to pick up their order, along with specific pickup instructions, to help ensure timely retrieval.
Push Notifications
It will be a useful tool for keeping in touch with customers and reminding them about your application. Customers can be informed about upcoming deals and promotions as well as new offers.
Push notifications can notify of changes to an order. (image by Mahmudul Hasan Manik)
Retargeting is the most useful and potent approach. You may use it to send personalized alerts to anyone. Viewers will be able to obtain:
- A prompt reminder to finish their order.
- Offers of discounts on products they frequently purchase.
- Notifications on the launch of your new physical store in their area.
- Alerts on products from "Favorites," which are now accessible.
📊 Admin Panel for Grocery Delivery App
Typically, an admin dashboard is a web application designed for managers and administrators. They can control every in-app procedure from this panel, including tracking your couriers and updating the product list. The salient characteristics of this panel are listed here.
Product management
The manager may monitor which products run out and need to be removed using the admin panel. If a client has placed an order for a product, even though it is out of stock, there is no need to worry – you will always have up-to-date, accurate information at your fingertips.
These days, inventory management software is widely used in grocery stores to maintain stock lists in real-time. You may put the product reservation function into practice using this software. The products are assigned to that order and the consumer has a window of time to pay for them when he gets to the checkout stage. However, the goods become accessible again if the customer fails to pay for the order within the specified time limit.
Please contact us if you are considering developing your own inventory management software! Our staff will be pleased to assist you.
The manager may add or remove products, modify their prices, and create new categories — like promotional or soon-to-expire items — all from the same admin panel window.
Order management
The order management administrator will have access to all order details, including the customer's profile, delivery address or pick-up point, payment status, and list of purchases.
If an item becomes unavailable after the order is placed, the manager can communicate with the customer through the order management system to arrange for a replacement or reject the request.
Payment tracking
This screen allows the manager to set up the order and confirm that the payment has indeed arrived. You will be able to comprehend what transpired and why, in the event that there are payment-related issues.
Pay options for an on-demand grocery delivery app. (image by Mahima Mahajan)
Statistics
In your admin profile, you'll have access to various analytics, such as:
- Identifying the most and least popular products, helping you adjust your inventory and promotions.
- Tracking the frequency of home delivery orders, allowing you to optimize your courier resources.
- Understanding the price range most appealing to customers, aiding in product selection.
- Monitoring sales trends by day, enabling you to introduce targeted promotions to boost sales on slower days.
🌟 Case Study
Here we're going to examine three distinct grocery applications in this section: aggregator, small shop, and large chain.
Walmart
Walmart initially had two separate apps, one for general shopping and another for groceries. However, based on customer feedback, they combined these into a single app. This consolidated app allows customers to compare prices, discover discounts, and place orders conveniently in one place.
Some notable features of the app include:
- Walmart Pay: Customers can link their bank cards to the app and pay for their purchases by scanning a barcode in the Walmart app at the store.
- Paid membership (Walmart+): Members of Walmart+ receive benefits such as free delivery from the nearest store or website if a product is out of stock. They can also purchase some prescription medicines at discounted prices from Walmart's pharmacies.
- Store Assistant: This feature helps customers easily navigate the store. The app provides a store map and item locations. Additionally, with Smart Shopping lists, customers can stay on budget as the app shows the total cost of the selected items, including tax.
Instacart
Instacart is a highly popular grocery aggregator app in the USA, known for its collaboration with numerous shops, ensuring users can find the store they need. Clients favor Instacart for several key features:
- Simplicity. To make it simple for users to log in for the first time, the app requests a postcode. In this manner, customers can quickly ascertain whether nearby stores are open for delivery.
- Communication with the courier. The courier can make modifications as soon as he begins working on the client's request. Customers can converse with the delivery person while making a purchase, though.
- Delivery. The consumer may choose the earliest available courier to deliver their purchase thanks to Fast & Flexible delivery. In this manner, the order will be delivered to the client within a few days, saving them the trouble of scheduling it for a certain day and time. When customers choose Fast&Flexible, they are able to view estimated delivery dates and receive notifications as soon as their items are packaged and prepared for delivery.
Instacart screenshots from Google Pay (image by Google Play)
Grocety
This is an illustration of a small food store without an actual location in Egypt. The business learned that customers frequently cook using recipes they find online while building the app. However, there are instances when the grocery store across the street is empty and they have to make the lengthy trip to the supermarket. Grocery provides goods for every dish.
Its own recipe page is the app's most intriguing feature. It will be unnecessary for customers to look up recipes and visit the grocery store to get all the ingredients if they want to prepare something unique and different. When a recipe page opens, users can view all the ingredients needed to make this particular dish and, with a single press, add them all to their cart.
💰 What Does the Cost of Grocery App Development Depend On?
The cost of developing a grocery delivery application depends on a multitude of factors. Starting from the technological stack and ending with the list of core and additional features - all of this can significantly impact the final cost of your grocery app.
Here, we've compiled a list of several factors that can affect your budget:
- The size and functionality of the application.
- The target development platform.
- Implementation of additional services if necessary.
- Hourly rate of developers' remuneration.
💡 Takeaways
Developing a custom shopping app can significantly boost your sales by improving the customer experience and receiving better feedback. Based on our app developers' experience, here are some tips that can be relevant to your grocery business:
- Ensure your app is intuitive, making it easy for users to find their shopping list without any hassle.
- Clearly label products that may contain different allergens to cater to customers with specific dietary needs.
- Integrate multiple payment systems to offer flexibility and convenience to your customers.
We hope these tips help you in developing a successful grocery shopping app!
If you still have any questions or need help with mobile app development, feel free to contact us. We are always glad to help!
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