On-demand delivery businesses are booming in 2021. Companies like Lyft, Uber, and Bolt have accelerated their growth during the pandemic. On-demand apps offer users access to products and services round-the-clock at their convenience.
But what impact did the pandemic have on logistics businesses? Many 3PLs have integrated their services with various on-demand delivery apps with unique functionalities to provide a transparent last-mile experience.
Apps like GoShare allows businesses and end customers to connect with delivery professionals on-demand for last-mile delivery. Customers can schedule the pick-up at their preferred time and location, all from a click on their smartphones.
This blog will discuss automating your delivery operations and scaling your business like GoShare.
Creating Your Own On-Demand Delivery App for Logistics Industry
Now, identifying a clear target market is often challenging. But if you do your research and take the proper steps, you can have a clear route to market in no time.
However, one of the challenges that small and medium-sized companies face is finding a way to deliver logistics services without reinventing the wheel.
As an entrepreneur, it is a great feeling to be your boss, but to reach a point where you make a living without much hassle, you need to make sure that your on-demand delivery app has all the necessary tools required to help you reach your goals.
You can start by opting for existing on-demand app building solutions with a low start-up cost and then move up the features ladder as your business progresses. However, there are a few fundamental points to consider if you plan to enter the on-demand delivery app market in the logistics segment.
Let’s take a look.
Rally the Fleet
It is impractical to think about owning a fleet of trucks and minivans unless you plan to spend millions of dollars on start-up costs. But, you don’t have to spend a fortune to start a business like GoShare. So, keep things simple.
Don’t reinvent the wheel. Instead, find out the logistics companies that need an app to bring their business into the digital world and aggregate them on your app by clearly showcasing their services to the users.
You can also help your end-users make informed decisions by offering them comparisons based on their choice of cargo vehicle, pricing, availability, and niche features like same-day delivery.
Technical Designs
Once you have gathered the information about your target market and created a plan on how to cater to the needs of your fleet providers and customers, it is time to create designs for your delivery app.
Make sure you have concise wireframes about each functionality in your app. It is always a great idea to get inputs from the concerned stakeholders and incorporate their feedback to avoid any real-world pitfalls during the following stages of the process.
You can also avoid challenges by hiring a full-stack development company that understands your vision, uses the ideation to identify your unique selling points, and proceed with production.
Make Way for the MVP
The best strategy is to create a minimum viable product (MVP) before venturing into the market. Then, you can test various features of your MVP and identify opportunities to scale your final product.
Also, you can send the MVP to the concerned stakeholders, who can then share their reviews and concerns about the product. So not only does it reduce costs in the long run, but it also eliminates errors that might impact the actual product launch.
Develop and Launch the Final Product
You can use an agile development methodology to create multiple iterations of your on-demand delivery app and use the feedback from the MVP run to create the perfect finished product.
Test your app thoroughly before deploying it to Play Store or App Store, and start marketing your app with precision from day one.
Having an in-house development team might bring forth new development challenges daily. To avoid that, it is a good idea to hire the services of experienced developers working in app development companies.
Why? Because these companies are aware of the challenges and pitfalls involved in an app development process. They can eliminate them as they surface and save you the trouble of dealing with them on the fly.
In addition to saving costs, outsourcing development allows you to focus on your core business while the development teams create solutions for any anticipated problems in the future.
But wait! There is no time to rest as the real challenge begins now!
How to Use NetworkON to Create a GoShare Like Business
Many entrepreneurs fail to focus on delivering a delightful customer experience. Today, eCommerce businesses partner up with third-party logistics (3PLs) partners to engage with their customers and provide a memorable experience every time they order through your app.
Regardless of the business domain your app operates in. It is crucial to offer visibility to your customers. It is up to you to build a relationship with the customers once they have placed an order on your app.
How do you do that? By engaging them every step of the way. Allow them to manage orders, get real-time updates about their orders’ whereabouts and offer digital proofs of delivery for a hassle-free experience.
However, experiences are not restricted to customers alone. Your on-demand delivery app should be able to perform some crucial activities like fleet tracking, route optimization, automated dispatch, and order management.
An Uber of Trucks?
Moving places contributes to the trucking industry’s growth, and the number of people moving homes is only increasing each year.
While moving into a new house is exciting, moving can also be frustrating, thanks to some activities like packaging, lifting, loading, unloading, and unpacking.
So, when you talk about starting a business like GoShare, you should look forward to eliminating all these woes for the customers.
Use your technological solution to help them hire a moving company as they do all these overwhelming tasks for you. However, it is often difficult to find the right company in your budget and even if you do, tracking their progress is difficult.
- Does this mean there is a gap in the market for another GoShare-like business? Absolutely!
- Is there a market in the gap? Definitely, and the market size is constantly evolving.
If you live in an area where multiple trucking companies have no concrete means of managing their business digitally, it is the right time to connect these delivery professionals and help them expand their operations nationwide.
How Does it Work?
You can use NetworkON to connect the customers who want to move their stuff with trucking companies.
The customer and admin app interfaces allow your users to drop their location pin and choose a service provider based on the following:
- Number of trucking partners available
- Type of vehicle
- Availability of add-ons like dollies or boat trailers
- Easy image uploads of the stuff that needs to be hauled
- Easy descriptions like estimated weight and boxes
NetworkON uses complex algorithms to deliver the best estimates by considering a business’ pricing rules. Once the customer and trucking company are satisfied with the job, a task can be assigned to your system, and you can process it further.
Similarly, the trucking companies can also have an Uber-like arrangement and pay structure through your service platform, and you can start generating revenue from every transaction completed from your system.
In a nutshell, completing a deal in your GoShare like business is a simple three-step process:
- Step 1: Finding the right delivery partner to get estimates, set a pick-up time, drop the exact location within a matter of minutes
- Step 2: Finalize the deal and get the trucking company moving to pack, load, secure and transport your items to the designated place
- Step 3: Generate digital proof of delivery, track the progress of your order, make digital payments and submit reviews within the app.
While these are some crucial elements that NetworkON helps you with, it offers a wide range of features that can transform your business from a traditional small-sized company to a well-known national phenomenon.
Here are some of the most impressive features that NetworkON can offer your business.
NetworkON: Your AI-Powered All Round Delivery Management System
NetworkON is an AI-powered delivery management system that accelerates the digital transformation delivery management processes.
It is a proven platform with a comprehensive list of app integrations that can cater to all delivery challenges in a cost-efficient manner. In addition, NetworkON works seamlessly with apps operating in different industries and niches regardless of the size of the enterprise’s operation.
NetworkON champions green technology. It helps businesses reduce their carbon footprint by eliminating the need for physical paperwork and offering digital and fully automated solutions.
Key features of NetworkON include:
- A powerful and centralized dashboard that manages orders, fleets, and customer service
- AI-powered route optimization to improve the operational efficiency of the delivery partners
- Complete visibility of the entire logistics fleet in a single dashboard
- Intuitive geofencing to reduce delays in order fulfillment and create specific functional areas for delivery partners
- Real-time business metrics analysis with robust performance analytics tools
- Automated order dispatch to nearest available agents to avoid delay in deliveries
- Enabling and restricting access to different team members based on their role
- Fostering seamless communication between customers and delivery partners via SMS or call
- Enable digital proof of delivery using smart devices and scanning tools
- Regular in-app notifications to agents about incoming orders while they are on the move
- Option to extend functionalities of your NetworkON interface with NetworkON Marketplace
Make Your On-Demand Delivery Business a Monumental Success
Suppose you are an aspiring entrepreneur who wants to win over the customers and create a strong brand. In that case, you must focus on delivering a delightful experience to your customers with every order received.
NetworkON’s complete list of features is far more extensive than those mentioned in the list above. To know about the other features that NetworkON has to offer, click here.
Jump on the customer experience bandwagon today and ascend your on-demand delivery business to the next level. To know more about getting started with NetworkON, get in touch with us today.
You can also send other queries to info@networkon.io or visit our website.
Are there any challenges that you face in your on-demand delivery business? Share them with us in the comments section, and we will help you find the right solution.
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