How to Build an On-demand Food Delivery Business? From A to Z

The on-demand food delivery business has been a great success in recent years and only accelerated during the pandemic. 

The industry is led by the economics of convenience. Statistics show that by the end of 2021, the online food delivery segment is projected to reach US$270,317m. 

This is the perfect opportunity to bring your long-time vision to life! On-demand is on its ultimate high and with the holiday season coming up, you can expect nothing but success! Starting out can be a little tricky, but the best way to learn is to start by doing and making improvements along the way, with the help of the right software.  

What are the ingredients to success when it comes to food delivery? 

Get to know your customer and their habits

Since on-demand delivery is locally based, you should prioritize getting to know the social aspect of the area where you are selling. Knowing the habits, culture and local nuances of your customers are going to help you put together more solid marketing campaigns and SEO based on your location. 

Choosing the right content and meta descriptions creates a bridge between your website or app and a new customer, who has not yet tried your products or services. Geolocation is crucial in this case since the on-demand delivery operates locally. Make sure to be found by potential customers when they type in phrases like ‘near me’ or names of specific places. 

Choose the right technology and attract with visuals

This one is key! Choosing the right platform for your on-demand food delivery business is going to benefit you in the long run.  You can start by building a simple and aesthetic app and add on further features and improvements as you go, depending on the customers’ response.

Buyers from 75% of their judgment on a website’s credibility are based purely on its aesthetics. Make sure to choose a clean and informative design, to begin with,  that goes hand in hand with your target market’s interests. 

Excellent usability

Your platform’s usability is the number one factor that will put you in the same league as the other big industry players, like Uber Eats or Deliveroo. 

88% of online shoppers admit they would not revisit a website after having a bad user experience the first time. Additionally, 53% of mobile site visitors leave a page that takes longer than 3 seconds to load. 

Some platforms are able to tailor the website and app features in accordance with your needs and aesthetics, including third-party integrations.  Shortening the purchasing process to the minimum will ensure that your customers stay engaged and do not leave their carts!

Transparency of delivery

Choose a  software that allows you to follow the driver in real-time and track the order status. Make sure your customers can keep in contact with the driver during the whole delivery process and set up custom notifications to inform them of the progress of their delivery. The consistent interaction makes the customers feel engaged and increases your credibility throughout the entire customer journey. 

Carry out a test launch

Make sure that the design and features actually work in practicality! Test out your app before launching, and put yourself in the shoes of a customer who is short on time and is looking for personalized and convenient service.

Using metrics and monitoring reviews after the initial launch, will help to navigate through the next steps, and make any necessary improvements to your features.

Communicate the benefits and perks!

Another crucial aspect of making your app successful is transparency and active interaction with your customer before, during, and after the ordering process. 

Be sure to communicate all the benefits of ordering directly through your app, which sets you aside from third-party competitors. 

Such as discounts, membership points, gift cards, and limited-time offers. Remember to remind your customer of those benefits after the order, too!

Simple check out

The fast check-out process is the number one factor that will prevent you from cart abandonment. Choose a system that accepts a wide variety of payment methods, including credit cards, PayPal, cash, card on delivery, or other custom payment processes of your preference. 

This way, you ensure that the payment method that is the most widely used among your target market will be available for your customer right away.

Ready to launch? 

Whether you are just starting out your on-demand food ordering business or running a well-established enterprise and are looking to expand, there is quite a bit of planning ahead of you! 

However, with the right system in place, everything will seem like a breeze. For example, Ordering offers plans that let you fully set up your website and
app in less than a month, without any coding or developer skills.