The ultimate guide to starting an on-demand courier delivery app business in South Africa
This is the ultimate guide to start an on-demand courier delivery app business in 2021.
You can start and manage on-demand businesses from anywhere around the world — like South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, the United States of America, etc.
If you want to learn,
1. the steps to start an Uber for courier delivery business
2. the app development stages
3. the features to consider for an MVP
4. the technology to create an app
5. and the cost of development.
Then, this will be the only guide you need.
Let’s get started.
What is an on-demand courier delivery business?
An on-demand courier delivery business [also known as Uber for couriers] is an online service that connects users who need to send the packages or couriers with the nearby delivery person.
This kind of business needs an on-demand platform to have both customers and delivery persons on board.
Is the courier delivery business profitable?
On-demand businesses are at their peak now.
And they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.
In fact, the market revenue of the Couriers & Local Delivery Services industry in the U.S is $118.0bn in 2021.
That is a 4.7% increase when compared to previous years.
And it is expected to grow in the next five years.
Steps to start an on-demand courier delivery business
There are several steps to consider when starting an online business. This can guide you from market research to the launch of your business.
1. Pick your niche
Before getting started with your business, you need to understand and pick your niche.
A business niche is a specific area of a broader market that a business can target. This can help them stand apart from others in the market.
These are some of the courier delivery niches you can choose,
- Local package delivery
- Same day delivery
- Uber-like courier delivery
2. Market study
Starting a business without conducting an effective market study will fail. The market study helps determine the basic needs of your target audience, their pain points and helps you create an effective solution.
3. Take care of the legal requirements
Before starting your business, you need to get your business license and a federal tax identification number.
Also, you need to determine the legal structure of your business like LLC, Sole proprietorship, Corporation, etc.
4. Create a platform to connect your customers with the delivery persons
Creating an on-demand courier delivery platform can be a bit tricky. But when you collaborate with the best on-demand app development company, then it would be a cakewalk.
5. Get users onboard
Now, it’s time to get customers and delivery personnel onboard. You can start by creating social media advertising, email marketing, local print media, etc.
You can also use referral programs to get more customers for your courier delivery platform.
These are the basic steps to start any on-demand business. The only trickiest job when starting an on-demand business is creating the platform.
Let’s discuss this further.
How to create an on-demand app for your courier business?
The app development stages include,
- Picking up the right technology
- Choosing the features and functionalities for an MVP
- Hiring the right team
These 3 things play a vital role in creating your on-demand courier delivery app flawless.
Picking up the right technology
Technology can make or break your app development process. The right technology will help you create an app efficiently and launch faster into the market.
We suggest — Flutter. A cross-platform app development toolkit to create mobile applications.
Choosing the features and functionalities for an MVP
After picking up the technology, you have to choose the features and functionalities to be included in the MVP.
Some of the basic features include,
Customer app:
- One-click signup
- Pricing estimation
- In-app chat option
- Multiple payment methods
- Service scheduling
Delivery person app:
- Payout option
- Service tracking
- Earnings report
- Dynamic routing
Admin features:
- Auto payout
- Geo-fencing
- Service category management
- Bookings management
- Sub-admins management
Hiring the right team
Hiring the right team to create your on-demand courier app helps you launch your business faster into the market, and they can help you with all the tech support needed.
You can create your courier delivery app in two different ways,
- By outsourcing software development
- By purchasing a readymade Uber app clone, and customizing it.
Cost of development of courier delivery app
The cost of creating an app from the ground up will cost around 30000 dollars.
And it’ll be a huge sum of money for a budding startup to invest in.
This is when the readymade apps come into play.
Readymade apps cost you around 4000 to 5000 dollars, and if you need to customize them, it costs from 25 dollars an hour.
You can create and launch your MVP at a low cost.
And with quality too.
Now it’s your turn.
You now know what it takes to create an on-demand couriers app and launch it successfully into the market.
What’s stopping you from getting started?
