Demanded Features in a Food Delivery App by 2022 and onwards
Digitalization is an important asset for any industry in this current era. Either way, companies need to be on the internet for some purpose. Every industry is experiencing digital transformation sooner or later. Newer technologies are getting introduced to make operations flawless.
The restaurant sector was groomed well after food-delivery apps were introduced. Though it took years to get into the position it’s in now and the global pandemic situation fast-paced the digitalization of restaurants.
As we check the history of online food delivery, Pizza Hut launched a website named Pizza Net in 1994 and made the first online food delivery. Sequentially, Waiter.com was launched in 1995 and got popularity because of delivering food from 60 different restaurants.
Now see, where we are today? According to statistics, 70% of customers prefer online food ordering. Let’s take a look at a few more interesting statistics about online food delivery.
a. $320 Billion by 2029, that’s the projection of the entire food delivery app industry.
b. China stays ahead in earning the most revenue from food delivery and that’s $27.3 billion in 2021.
c. The total number of users in the online food delivery segment is calculated to reach 2613.2M by 2027.
d. 63% of consumers find it more convenient to get food delivered at home than dining outside in a restaurant.
e. Food delivery market revenue has increased by 20% in the past 5 years.
f. 27% of people can pay extra if their food arrives faster.
Technology has benefitted both, the restaurant and the consumer. 95% of restaurant owners agree that they can run their business with more potency with the help of technology.
A custom-built restaurant mobile app offers great advantages and leads to success. How? Let’s take a look at the advantages of restaurant app development.
1. Customer Engagement:
Restaurant mobile apps help in increasing customer engagement. It lets a restaurant communicate easily with its existing customers and invites new customers with app promotions or marketing. A restaurant can conveniently share the restaurant news, notify about updates in the e-menu, special and exciting offers, new branch opening invitations, etc. Also, an application lets you store customers’ information that you can use in the future for campaigns or other things.
2. Increased Sales:
Each restaurant has limited physical space. But delivering at their space has no limitations. You can let your customers fulfill their cravings for some awesome food in their own space. Digitally you can get unlimited food orders, and that’s your superpower. When your customers know about your campaigns and dishes personally (through the food delivery app) they are likely to order them pretty soon, increasing your sales. Also, you have saved the restaurant space for those who want to enjoy the ambiance or want dinner outside.
3. Payment made Easier:
When you build a mobile app, you integrate various payment gateways into your application. Users get numerous options they can pay for your services and this easiness makes them curious to order from your restaurant app. It saves time for both parties, restaurant, and customer, as physical payment processing takes a little time no matter how fast we do it.
4. A Matter of Trust:
When you collect customer feedback, you can easily figure out what’s missing in your application, or what’s creating problems for the users and you can act immediately to resolve the issue. Also, do not forget to respond to the customer who faced the issue while using your app. This lets you build a brand image and that you are always available to help them anyhow. The customers trust you based on how you provide services and how easily and speedily you solve their concerns.
Alright, so all of this was to tell you how crucial it is to own a food delivery app for your restaurant, now if you are clear about its importance, you need to implement some best features also.
Must-have features in a restaurant app:
1. Table Reservation:
Table reservation will efficiently utilize the physical space of a restaurant. You will be able to better track your customers. Some high-end restaurants allow only prior reservations while medium-sized restaurants can offer direct walk-ins along with reservations. This lets you invite the maximum customers for the dining purpose. Pre-ordering the food for the reserved table is also a brilliant feature that you can include in your restaurant app. It will not only make you prepared for the upcoming orders but customers will also save 60% of their dining time.
2. Realtime Food Tracking:
One way to satisfy your customers is by providing this amazing feature. Customers feel good when they are able to check the updates, for example, food being prepared, delivery person on the way, etc. Businesses run on trust and you can gain your customer’s trust by delivering their orders on or before time. Use GPS tracking and route optimization techniques to find out what works the best for a specific location.
3. Multiple Payment Options:
Not every customer can pay digitally every time and some may not access cash at some point, so you need to look for all the payment options so they can pay conveniently. Give them the options to pay via debit/credit card, UPI, cash, pay later, etc. And that’s not it, you need to provide a seamless payment experience too so that your customers don’t stop using your application after adding food to the cart. It’s one of the greatest reasons why food delivery applications fail.
4. Customer Support:
Let’s agree you created a very stunning application with extraordinary features and it works remarkably well, but what if your customer faces an issue and finds no help from your end? Doesn’t it sound like an imperfect application? To ensure the customer stays connected with you, you need to include a customer support feature so that the representatives can provide the best solution at that moment. The more you care for your customers, the more they will upscale your business.
5. Coupons/Loyalty Programs, Discounts:
Some research states that 70% of customers use an on-demand food delivery app to find deals, offers, or discounts. Build some redeemable coupons or loyalty programs or discount themes to attract the customer’s attention. 45% of customers agree that loyalty programs encourage them to order food more frequently. You can go ahead with the paid membership option as well where the customer gets a benefit on each order. Such programs have helped businesses to increase sales by more than 80%.
6. Ratings & Reviews:
To manage your restaurant or a list of restaurants, open up a feedback portal where the customers can share their reviews about how they liked the food or restaurant. It’s necessary to understand how well services are being delivered at the customer end. You should know about the food and service experience directly from the customer so you can include vital changes at the right time. Ratings work like a personal recommendation for another customer thereupon leading more customers to your way. Isn’t it good for you?
7. Order Scheduling:
One day when your customer is unusually busy, order food for him/her at the scheduled time. Fair enough? Create an order scheduling feature and know when your customers will love to eat. This can relate to several new features like personalized suggestions, one-click food ordering, etc. It will also help in building a strong relationship with your customer so get it done now.
8. Order Food by Voice:
By 2023, people will start using voice assistants more than 80% of now. It’s the best time to include this feature in your food delivery app. Serve your customers the best experiences before your competitors do that for you. Voice command can also import other beneficial activities like order estimated time, order arriving notification, new and relatable offers information, etc. With this feature, you can also connect with your differently-abled customers in a very beautiful way.
9. Push Notifications & Smart Search:
Let your customers know about the ongoing programs or discount themes by sending them push notifications. Don’t let them forget you, find new and creative ways to stay connected with the customers via push notifications. You can also enable smart (predictive) search and give them the best food options to order.
10. Deliver it Good:
One way to attract your customers’ attention is to deliver something extra at every order to each customer. It may be a dish, a card, or a toy, and to do this more efficiently, you can ask your customer’s preference at the time of checking out. It may be anything like sending a flower to an unmarried person, a toy to a person who has a child, etc. It’s up to you how uniquely you create this feature.
Final Thoughts:
Online food ordering market is booming with each progressing year and it’s expected to reach up to 76 billion dollars by the end of 2022. Use the desirable features to make more customers regular customers of your business. All the features that are described above are required for a successful application but may vary according to a specific business need. Pick out a top-notch mobile app development company to build super amazing features for your application. A reliable mobile app development company like ChawTech Solutions will ensure that you get flawless navigation, stunning UI/UX, and a bug-free product. Do let us know your food delivery app/ restaurant app requirements by filling up the form given below, or direct contact us on our email or skype.