Grocery App

How To Build A Grocery App Like FreshDirect

By Read Dive 4 years ago
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The unprecedented pace of innovation has changed the grocery retail landscape. Consumers are transitioning from brick-and-mortar stores to grocery apps for shopping. The flexibility and the convenience provided by the grocery apps are unsurpassed as orders are directly delivered to the consumer’s door. This consumer behavior shift has pushed entrepreneurs and startups to invest in grocery app development to scale their business growth. 

FreshDirect, an online grocery platform with a large network of grocery suppliers has been a huge success in delivering fresh groceries to consumers in the United States. By using the FreshDirect app, customers can order groceries online with the click of a button which is later delivered to the consumer’s doorstep by a refrigerated truck.

In this blog, we will be covering the working and the steps involved in making a custom grocery app like FreshDirect.

Understanding the Business Model of FreshDirect

Online grocery delivery apps are built with the prime aim to bridge the gap between the consumers and the buyers by providing a door-step delivery of grocery orders. The unique selling point of FreshDirect is to deliver fresh groceries to the consumers, its business model comprises of:

  • Grocery Supplier
  • FreshDirect Buyers (Buying, Warehousing, Dispensing)
  • Customers

Grocery Suppliers

Grocery suppliers partner with FreshDirect to supply their produce- such as meat, poultry, seafood. To showcase products to the relevant buyers, suppliers are also listed on the application of FreshDirect.

FreshDirect Buyers – Buying, Warehousing, Dispensing

FreshDirect buyers check and purchase fresh grocery supplies from the suppliers. The purchased stock is taken to the warehouse of FreshDirect where all the grocery items are stocked in a temperature-controlled environment.

FreshDirect follows just-in-time practice so the grocery order is prepared only when it has been placed by a customer. This keeps the supply fresh and reduces wastage. The prepared order is delivered to the customer in a refrigerated truck by a delivery driver.

Customers

Customers log on to the FreshDirect App to purchase groceries online (24×7) from the FreshDirect App. Payment for the grocery order can be done by credit cards, debit cards, EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) cards, and PayPal. The order is later delivered by FreshDirect’s delivery driver.

How Does FreshDirect Delivery work?

With the rise in consumer shift towards online grocery shopping, delivering fresh groceries on time to the consumer is important. FreshDirect understands this and has a step-by-step process for delivering groceries to the consumers on time.

3-Step Grocery Delivery by FreshDirect 

The three prime steps of grocery delivery by FreshDirect are as follows:

  • Customer shops groceries online with the FreshDirect App.
  • FreshDirect team prepares the order at their state-of-the-art facility.
  • A refrigerated truck delivers grocery orders as per the time slot provided by the customer.

Perks of FreshDirect App

Using the app of FreshDirect offers the following benefits to consumers looking to purchase groceries:

  • 24×7 Availability: Online grocery buyers can place or modify their grocery orders from the comfort of their homes at any given time.
  • Schedule a Delivery: Online grocery buyers can schedule order deliveries based on the available time slots.
  • Mark Favourite Orders: This feature enables buyers to shop from previous orders and mark them as favorites for future purchases.
  • Customer Support: Consumers can reach out to the customer service team in case of any query related to their grocery order.

Building A Grocery App Like FreshDirect

To develop a grocery delivery app like FreshDirect planning a process flow is important. Regardless of the scope and size of the project, following a process flow will make the grocery delivery application a success. The steps included in a process flow for grocery app development like FreshDirect are:

  • Strategy
  • Analysis and Planning
  • UI/UX Designing
  • Development
  • Testing
  • Deployment
  • Support

Strategy 

This phase includes identifying the online grocery consumers and understanding their needs. Market research is also conducted to establish the objectives and the priorities of the grocery app, which is to be developed for delivering groceries online. 

Analysis and Planning

Comprehensive functional specifications are described in the phase. The phase marks the beginning of an idea taking the shape of a project. A start-up or an entrepreneur in this phase identifies the mobile application development architecture like MVM (Model-View-Model), MVVM (Model-View-View-Model), or MVP (Model-View-Presenter). 

UI/UX Designing

Designing is about creating a skeleton of the grocery application. In this phase, UI/UX designers create and follow a particular style guide for designing. Wireframes, mockups, and prototypes of the grocery application to be developed are made. 

Development 

In this phase, life is put to the design by the developers. After deciding the technology stack to be used for the development of the grocery app, a developer starts writing the code according to the coding standard. The code is tested and later deployed.

Testing

A testing analyst matches the requirement with the developed grocery application. The functionality is tested and in case of any bugs, the same are reported to the developers.

Deployment

After all the bugs are fixed in this phase, the code is deployed on a staging or testing environment. The grocery application is released once everything is fixed on iOS and android platforms.

Support

Support is an important phase for user-reported issues after the release of the grocery application. A dedicated support team monitors the progress of the online grocery shopping application based on the key performance indicators (KPIs).

Conclusion

Grocery apps like FreshDirect have become quintessential for people in current times. The ease of shopping for groceries online and the convenience of door-step delivery, have been the key driving force for people to transition from traditional grocery shopping to online grocery shopping.

If you are an entrepreneur who is looking for a custom app development company for grocery app development for your business, look no further. FATbit Technologies, a custom app development company with over 17 years of experience, provides ready-to-launch mobile apps. These grocery mobile apps can be customized as per the requirement to make a similar app like FreshDirect.

Author Bio – Ramesh Lal is a digital marketing specialist at FATbit Technologies. He works closely with B2C and B2B businesses. Being a digital marketing professional, he is passionate about sharing his knowledge by writing blogs. His main interests are the growth of businesses through innovative ideas and unique strategies.

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