How to create a food delivery app like Uber Eats?

There are millions of apps on the app marketplace. From gaming to entertainment to on demand services, whatever the need is, Android and iOS users get a huge range of options to choose from. However, some apps obviously perform better than others.

Apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash give goals to those related to the food & beverage (F&B) industry. Many aspire to build apps like these and take their business to the next level. If you are one of them, you have landed at the right place.

Even if you are just curious about how the online food delivery industry works, you can read along and find out. We will introduce you to app builder software and share development tips & techniques, some amazing facts about the online F&B industry, and more. Stay tuned!

In this blog

• Some facts and statistics worth knowing
• Why build an on-demand food delivery app?
• Key features of a successful food delivery app
• How to make an app like DoorDash or Uber Eats?
• Frequently asked questions

Some facts and statistics worth knowing

Before we start discussing development, let us first walk you through a statistical overview of the food delivery industry. F&B businesses have been rapidly growing all over the world and today several names like Uber Eats, DoorDash and Zomato have created unparalleled spaces online.

Go through the statistics below and learn about the on-demand food delivery industry in detail

• 70% customers prefer ordering food online and want it delivered.  
• Meal delivery service sales increased 17% year-over-year in May of 2021 during the pandemic.
• About 60% of operators say that offering delivery has generated incremental sales.
• Around 60% of restaurant orders from millennials are takeout or delivery.
• The number of users in the online food delivery industry is expected to reach to a whopping 2,656 million by 2026.
• Uber is the most popular food delivery service with around 81 million users.
• Next to Uber is DoorDash, which surpassed Grubhub to become the most popular food delivery service in 2019.
• Uber Eats food delivery service has surpassed the company’s ride-hailing service in size.
• Uber Eats gross bookings surpassed 50 billion US dollars in 2021.
• Uber Eats generated 8.3 billion US dollars in 2021 showing a 72% year-on-year increase.
• DoorDash accounted for 56% of meal delivery sales to US consumers in May 2021.
• Dark kitchens (deliver-only) are used by Uber Eats and others to cut logistical and other costs.

Intrigued? Well, these are only some of the many statistics related to the food delivery industry. There are several others that can have your mind blown. Read our blog suggested below and discover numerous more such interesting facts about online food ordering, restaurants, and the online food & beverage industry.  

Suggested Read: 70+ Online food ordering statistics that every restaurateur should know

Why build an on-demand food delivery app?

The statistics discussed above evidently prove why building an app for the food delivery business is important. However, in this section we will give you some more information that will bolster the argument.

Creating an on-demand food delivery app like Uber Eats or DoorDash can be beneficial for your business in many ways. Some of the advantages are as listed below:

1. Join the roaring mobile-food industry

Mobile commerce is rising like never before and the food & beverage industry is not alien to these changes. One of the biggest advantages of building an on-demand delivery app is the most evident one. It powers you to reach the mobile-friendly users who prefer ordering through apps.

2. Get complete autonomy

While there are several food-delivery apps existent in the market, they have their own operational style and conditions. If you have a unique idea and want to break-free from their limitations, creating your own app can be a great option. Moreover, customers also prefer ordering directly from their loved restaurants and offering a dedicated app to them can help you cut through the competition.

3. Streamline your business

From managing orders to handling restaurants, delivery partners, customers, etc., the food delivery business involves a lot of complications and challenges. You can streamline all those aspects of your business and bring them all under one roof by building an app. It will help you fast track your processes and leave you with more time and resources in hand.

4. Offer one-click access to services

Nowadays customers give preference to ease and convenience more than anything else. You can offer this ease or remote ordering and mobile-based order management to your customers with an app. All they need is to launch the app with a click of the button and unlock all your services at their fingertips.

5. Unlock more data & opportunities

Apps connect you more closely to customers by bridging all the gaps. It also gives you access to more data and device-based resources like usage frequency, location, demographic details, behavior, etc. All this can be leveraged to enhance the experience of customers and increase their loyalty towards your brand.

Suggested Read: Create a restaurant app and offer no-contact eMenu to your customers

Key features of a successful food delivery app

The features of an app can be divided into two categories. Firstly, an app must have all the essential features that are required to ensure the proper functioning of a given business model. Additionally, it should have supporting features that can elevate the users’ journey and amplify the profits of the business.

Some essential features of an on-demand food delivery app are as follows:

Multichannel sign up & onboarding

Users should get the freedom to sign up for your app using their preferred channel. You can offer multiple sign up and registration options like Facebook, Email, Apple, etc. Also keep the option of guest browsing open on your app. This will help you in gaining your users’ trust before they invest in your app.

User profile set up and management

This is a critical feature for any app. Users must be able to set up their profile on the app easily. This will also help businesses in knowing their customers and curating the right offerings, deals, and marketing content for them.

Captivating UI/UX, media & content

Your mobile app should have the right balance of visual and textual content. It should be aesthetically pleasing and captivating enough to attract the attention of your users. This is an important feature for any app as the look and feel of the app screens, buttons, etc., speaks volumes about your brand.

Smart search, filter & navigation

The users must not feel lost after landing on the app. Every content and feature should remain easily available and visible to them. The app design should intuitively guide users to navigate through, search for their desired items, and more.

Easy ordering and delivery tracking

Order-management is the most important feature of a food-delivery app. It is important to have a smooth ordering and delivery system in place. Make sure that your app powers your users to place orders and track them effortlessly.

Multiple payment gateways

Whether it is your website or app, your customers should get multiple payment options. This will free your business from any limitations arising due to restricted payment options. Design a smooth payment and checkout option for your customers and let them complete the process without any friction.  

Review and rating collection

Ratings, reviews, and feedback are important for any business to identify its strengths and weaknesses and make the experience better. Having this feature in your app will help you understand your customers’ better and enhance your offerings.

Loyalty & rewards program

Building customer loyalty and inspiring return purchases is the key to growth for any online business. Adding a loyalty and rewards program or running discount campaigns from time to time can help you increase your sales and boost your customer interactions. You can add this feature to your app and strengthen business-consumer relationships.

Social media integration

Social media has emerged as the most powerful tool in recent times. Integrating your social media channels, accounts and pages to your food delivery app can help you with cross-platform promotion. Add this feature to your app and inspire your customers to join the tribe of your social media followers.

Push notification

Push notifications have emerged as the most powerful communication and marketing tool in recent times. You must include this feature in your food ordering app and send messages to your customers. You can notify them of deals, discounts, pending orders, newly open food joints, etc.

In-app chat support

In-app chat and messages are one of the most popular and preferred methods of support for online customers. Integrating this feature in your app will enable your customers to connect with you directly and resolve their concerns, queries, complaints, etc.

Multilingual support

If you are aiming for a local market with an audience that prefers languages other than English, you must consider building a multilingual app for your business. Having this feature in your app with power you to leverage the benefits of localization and offer a personalized connection with your local customers.

Ad & monetization support

Streaming ads in your app from popular mobile app networks like Google AdMob, can help you earn passive revenue. Therefore, you must ensure that your app has ad and monetization support. While this feature is optional, it never hurts to have an added source of income.

App usage data analytics

Data is the ultimate power in today’s age. Your app must be capable of collecting primary usage data and identifying popular content, products, screens, pages, etc., among your customers. Having an app powered with analytics will help you take data backed decisions for your business and propel it in the right direction.

Suggested Read: Ten essential features you should have on your WordPress app

How to make an app like DoorDash or Uber Eats?

Now let us cut to the chase and answer the question “How to create a food delivery app like Uber Eats?”. Go through the steps listed below and learn about the popular methods of app development. You can go with a method that suits your business goals and budget.

Step 1: Conduct thorough research & study

The more you invest in research, the more optimized your development process will be. A detailed study of all aspects will help you move ahead in the right direction and avoid wastage of precious resources. The key areas of research should include:

Competitor research: Study how your customers are running their business and what their key strengths and failures are. While plagiarism is a big no-no, there still will be many things that you can learn from them. It will also help you understand what to do and what not to do for your own business.

Customer research: Besides studying the market at large, you should also know your customers like the back of your hand. You can create user personas to study the potential behavior of your targeted customers.  

App idea validation: Validating your app ideas is a significant step in the process of app development. Identify your goals, draft a blueprint of your app, and validate your ideas to test its potential, strengths, and weaknesses.

Identifying latest trends: Research and identify the latest and ongoing practices of the online food delivery industry. This will help you keep your endeavors in line with the latest trends and your business up to date with the latest demands of the market.

Step 2: Fix your business & delivery model

Once you are done with the research, start working on fixing your business model. This decision should be based on your logistics, business goals, customer demands, etc. You can become an aggregator platform and partner with restaurants to deliver their food.

Platforms like Uber Eats operate on a similar model and act as an intermediary between restaurants and customers. Moreover, you can create an app like Domino’s and McDonald’s and operate on the inventory model. Here, you can deliver orders from your own centralized kitchens and restaurants and keep a quality check on the same.

Step 3: Pick a feasible app development option   

This is the most critical step and will determine the final results. Pick a development method that suits your budget, gives you control over the process, takes less time, and delivers powerful results. The popular development options are as follows:

Create your app with a code-free app builder like AppMySite

Code-free app builders are on top of the list because they have disrupted development like never before. No-code options have emerged as the better and more optimized alternative to custom app development.

DIY app builders ensure faster development time on an affordable budget. For instance, AppMySite lets you complete your app projects within minutes. This reduces your time to market. On the other hand, the costs are also reduced by huge margins.

Above all, several aspects of app development get compiled under one roof and you get complete control over the process. AppMySite also eliminates the need to hire technicians, designers, and developers as everything can be single-handedly managed on the platform with minimal effort.

Code yourself with low-code app builders

This method of app development requires you to face a learning curve and wait for a few weeks or months. Some amount of coding or programming knowledge is required to build apps with low-code app builders as these are not completely code-free.

In fact, several DIY app builders on the market that claim to be code-free are actually low-code app builders and often require dealing with complicated dashboards, development tools, etc. You can sign up for one such low-code development platform and learn their programming language and techniques to build your food delivery app.

However, we only recommend doing this if you have ample time in your hand and have a prior experience in coding. This process is not recommended for beginners or for those who want to fast-track their app development process.

Hire agencies or experts to build the app for you

This is the most conventional method of app development. While the emergence of code-free app builders has challenged the monopoly of custom app developers and made the process more easy, transparent, quick, and affordable, some people still choose to opt for the traditional methods.

If you are one of them then go ahead and hire an agency or an in-house team of professionals to take care of the process for you. You will need your own team of developers and other professionals like UI & UX designers, coders, experts for dedicated features, copy writers, and more.

However, custom development is only suitable if you have ample time and money in your hand. This process is extravagant and takes months to complete. Besides, there is also a lack of transparency and control over the entire process. You can read our blog suggested below and learn more about the pros and cons of custom, low-code, and no-code app development.

Suggested Read: How to develop an app in 2022: A must read for small businesses

Step 4: Launch & promote your mobile app

Once the development process is complete, you can go ahead and launch your app on the app marketplace. List your app on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store as these two are the most popular and you will be able to target both Android and iOS users.

Once your app is listed, you can start to promote it. We recommend App Store Optimization and Mobile App Marketing for wholesome results. Promote your app on your website to gain exposure on search engine results and tell your incoming visitors about your app.

Leverage various social media platforms and start promoting your app on these channels. You can also create app-only offers for your potential customers and inspire them to download your app for ordering food online. You can read the blog suggested below and learn more about app marketing.

Suggested Read: Popular mobile app marketing techniques – The complete guide to success

In conclusion

Each app associated with the food delivery business is somewhat similar when it comes to the goals, purpose, generic features, etc. However, what sets them apart is their unique approach. Whether you want to create an app like Uber Eats and DoorDash or you have your own distinct idea, now would be a good time to turn it into a reality.

We recommend you try AppMySite’s restaurant mobile app maker and build your own app without coding. Do not worry, AppMySite will be completely free until you commit. You can design, customize, and create your app and watch it come live without spending a dime. Once you have previewed the app on our Android and iOS emulators and you are sure of what you have built, you can upgrade and publish your app on the app marketplaces.

AppMySite is simple, easy, quick, and affordable. Here, you can convert your WordPress website to app or create an app for any other kind of website as well. So, go ahead and give shape to your mobile food delivery start-up and grow your restaurant business without limits.

Frequently asked questions