Uber has been a revolutionary concept in many ways, literally defining what on demand business models are. The larger than life goal of providing a reliable and efficient alternative transportation system in every place in the world has impacted many lives. The impact of the model has led to disruptive ripple effects with new platforms emerging to streamline value chains across industry verticals. These platforms that position themselves as “Uber for X” have been constantly in news for the last few years viz. a viz. bullishness shown by investors, asset light growth focussed on better utilization of existing assets and apprehensions viewing the entire thing as a bubble.

Let’s dig deeper. Semil Shah defines On Demand Mobile Services (ODMS) as “apps which aggregate consumer demand on mobile devices, but fulfill that demand through offline services.” Often this ODMS definition has been generalized and characterized as “Uber for X”. While this does give some insights into on demand business models but there are many key variables that might be different when compared to Uber.

The point that I want to bring forth through the analysis is that ODMS as a business model bridging offline and online is a super set that finds application across business verticals. There are some key variables that are different depending on the vertical and geography. Based on those variables an AirBnB for Y or Postmates for Z, etc. characterization might be more applicable than Uber for X.

Important Variables for On Demand Business Models

1. Degree of Commoditization

Number of variables associated with a service or a product in question that consumers care about. Lesser the variables more commoditized a product/service. For instance Uber as an ODMS platform is highly commoditized with consumers only deciding the type of car while for AirBnB the user cares about the date of booking, number of days, location of the listing, facilities available, rent, etc.

2. Relationship of the supply side with the platform

A business model might involve aggregating existing small businesses or freelancers or contracting the supply. Former is easier to scale while in the latter’s case the platform is responsible for training and fixing the rules.

3. Price Control

Singular pricing structure defined for the whole platform based on some variables or the one that changes with the choice of the service provider is a core consideration that goes on to define a business model. Generally the choice depends on the level of commoditization as discussed earlier. More the difference in quality of service/product based on the choice of the service provider, more difficult it becomes to impose a pricing control on the platform.

4. Instant vs Scheduled

One of the driving trends making the value proposition for On Demand platforms is clearly the convenience they bring to the end consumers. But a common misconception goes on to equate this convenience with instant provision of goods/services. Depending on the nature of the product/service scheduled can be an equally convenient and viable option.

5. Stakeholders

Most On Demand platforms have to deal with 2 stakeholders at the minimum. The involvement of more number of stakeholders outside the roles performed by the platform also goes on to impact the business model. For instance Uber and AirBnB deal with 2 key stakeholders while Postmates, Instacart, etc. which don’t own the infrastructure for goods to be delivered have a 3rd key stakeholder who provides the groceries or prepared meals.

Based on the variation possible on account of the above variables, let’s try to create more granular parallels for the broader On Demand landscape.

Uber for X 

The term was the finalist in this year’s Forbes Jargon Madness competition [https://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2015/04/06/jargon-madness-final-four-will-uber-for-x-win-it-all/] This goes on to show how popular and unavoidable the term has become in the startup circles.

But what is Uber for X? 

Circling back to our previous discussion, while it is clearly a subset of broader On Demand platforms attempting offline-online integration by closing the DISCOVERY – BOOK – TRANSACT – PAY – REVIEW loops involved in customer -supplier value chains, it is also characterized by –

1. highly commoditized nature of the transaction involved
2. direct involvement of end service providers (taxi drivers)
3. airtight price control due to low variation in the quality of service from one driver to the other
4. instantaneous nature of the service to the point that optimizing the ETA is one of the most important consideration involved in the mind of the end consumer.
5. two stakeholders

The above characteristics make Uber for X based platforms a “Supplier Pick” model whereby the customer requests a service (not a service provider) and the service provider accepts the request. 

Related Reading for ‘Uber for X’ on demand business models – 7 factors that will make your Uber for X startup a success

AirBnB for Y

An equally popular jargon that is associated with unbundling of CraigsList into individual vertically aligned marketplaces. While the offline -online and closed loop characterizations apply, the platforms are distinctly different from Uber for X counterparts in that, they are based on a “Buyer Pick” model.

Related Reading – Airbnb business model – How Airbnb Works | Insights into Business & Revenue Model

1. lot of variables that differentiate one service provider from another
2. Most listings on Airbnb are now aggregated.
3. Price varies
4. Instant or scheduled, both are viable models
5. Two stakeholders
6. each service provider has its own individual existence.

While Uber for X and Airbnb for Y find a lot of applicability, number of stakeholders involved as discussed above lead to further variations. Here are some examples –

On Demand food requires 3 major steps to close the loop –

COOK – ORDER – DELIVER

Stakeholders being restaurants or kitchens; end customers and delivery people. While some platforms take care of both the 2nd and 3rd step by owning the virtual centralized kitchens – read Munchery, SpoonRocket (true Uber for Food Delivery) some others like Postmates, DoorDash, BiteSquad just take care of the delivery aspect relying on aggregating existing restaurants to cook the food. Instacart does something similar by relying on existing supermarkets to provide the grocery while they do the delivery bit.

Related Reading – Food On Demand : Business Models of Meal Delivery Startups

Flywheel for Z

Flywheel is an On Demand app for taxi companies. It helps taxi companies provide an Uber like experience by providing an On Demand interface.

Why this warrants a separate characterization is because these platforms directly aggregate the existing businesses instead of freelance service providers. Many such platforms aggregating cleaning companies, plumbing companies, car wash, salons, etc. are taking roots.

1. Commoditization of the service
2. Businesses are aggregated and contracted, and they have their own service providers
3. Prices can be variable for each business or fixed by the platform
4. Instantaneous nature of service
5. Three stakeholders

While the model can be supplier pick or buyer pick based on the vertical, the above distinction is enough to visualize this as a distinct business model, making it one of the unique on demand business models. 

Postmates for W

“Postmates is an On Demand Delivery platform that delivers virtually anything – food, groceries, office supplies, etc.”

1. Very low commoditization as each business has a different offering
2. Businesses and Service providers are either aggregated or contracted.
3. Variable price, set by each business
4. Instantaneous nature of service
5. Three Stakeholder   

Munchery for V

A recent and successful addition to on demand business models is the Munchery business model. “Munchery Chefs make delicious meals that they then deliver directly to customers from their kitchens in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Seattle.”

1. Highly commoditized nature of transaction involved.
2. Direct involvement of service providers
3. Fixed prices due to highly commoditized nature of service
4. Instantaneous nature of service
5. Two stakeholders.

Related Reading – Munchery Business Model – How Munchery Works: Comprehensive Business and Revenue Model

We recently launched an On Demand Phlebotomists platforms, Iggbo. Iggbo is a 4 sided marketplace that involves doctors (prescribing the tests), end customers searching for the laboratories to do the tests, phlebotomists responsible for getting the customer’s blood drawn and laboratories doing the test. Again, while Iggbo’s categorization as Uber for Phlebotomists won’t be too far fetched but I have created a different category nevertheless to bring home the importance of the stakeholders in impacting the various decisions that go on to define the business model.

This analysis is not intended to promote the use of Postmates for Z or Flywheel for W parallels. It was intended to have a deeper look at the variables involved in deciding the contours of On Demand business models. I believe whether it is an existing business looking to leverage the On Demand trends or a completely new platform trying to provide a full cycle treatment to the existing value chains, On Demand is the future. The only thing that is left to be decided are the various winners in different verticals and geographies trying to attempt the various on demand business models.

If you are interested in knowing how to build the next big thing in the on demand economy, get in touch with us today!

An introduction to the food delivery industry

Meat delivery right to the doorstep is not a new swing but has gained in popularity in recent times. Of course, the pandemic deserves some credit, which necessitated online ordering for almost everything under the sky.

There is a shift in consumer behavior and how we shop around for the products we need. As a result, almost every online service vendor had to increase their working capacity. The on-demand delivery industry is not isolated from the pandemic, which includes food delivery services.

The consumers have shifted to online channels, which in turn impacted the online food delivery services and facilitated a system that ensures safe and secure food delivery from the restaurant to the customer.

To build a successful online meat delivery service, one needs to think outside the box. As the existing providers have spoiled the customers with faster services.

To sustain within this space and to build a greater impression on the users, one must have a solution that improves user experience and offers better solutions than the existing ones. 

This article aims to help build a meat delivery service. We bring an incredible solution to the table which offers a range of custom on-demand solutions with a direct-to-consumer approach.

What follows is a detailed explanation of how to build a meat delivery service. Let’s get cracking!

How’s the Meat Delivery Market Shaping Up?

The global fresh meat packaging market is expected to grow at a rate of 2.7% between 2019 to 2025, but we can expect a further increase due to the accelerated demand.

Among the comprehensive meat delivery services, the frozen meat market stood at $73.3 billion in 2018, with an expected growth rate of 4.4% until 2025. On the other hand, the processed meat market stood at $519.41 billion as of 2019, with an expected growth rate of 6.24%.

Starting a meat delivery service requires in-depth market research. However, the issue is there is no standalone report to provide credible insights into the market. That is why we have brought together different reports related to the meat market for a better understanding.

So, given above is the potential increase in demand for meat in the global market. Below we will try to find some actionable information by accounting for different studies.

Uber saw an increase of 30% in independent drivers signing up for delivery in the US amid the pandemic. Two detailed reports helped us build an understanding of the food delivery demand.

1. According to the findings of a study by Professors at Portland State University titled “Impact of COVID-19 on Home Delivery Purchases and Expenditures,” Canada’s online food delivery demand surged during the lockdown, and the trend continues.

2.  Another report from the UK compares the increase in online and offline sales to find a 2x increase in online sales channels. To satisfy rising demand and ensure faster last-mile delivery of meat in the United States, UberEats and Deliveroo teamed with established meat processing companies such as Waitrose, Sainsbury, Aldi, Co-Op, and Morrisons.

So, in every respect, the market of online meat delivery is growing, setting new boundaries, and building the momentum for something bigger. However, to create such a platform, you must follow the right development process.

Things to consider while building a meat delivery service?

The first thing you should do before starting any business is competitor analysis and market research. We have taken care of the market research for you and as for the competitor research, it is an ongoing process, and we shall explore its components in the article. 

• Market and Customer Research
• Partner Up with Meat Vendors 
• Designing the Interface
• Team Composition and Development 

Competitor Research

Unfortunately, you are not the only one looking to build a meat delivery service. There are existing players in the market like Deliveroo, UberEats, Postmates, etc.

So, this research aims to understand how your competitors are operating and delivering the goods from the vendors to the customers. More importantly, you need to look at their mistakes, things the customers would want them to improve, and ensure that you fill the gap by embedding those services/features in your platform. 

Before beginning the building process, ensure that you answer these questions.

•  Who is my ideal customer?

•  What are my customer’s preferences?

•  What is the unique proposition that will bring value to the customers?

•  Is there a befitting time to launch the business?

•  What business model to follow? 

The purpose is to validate the idea and to identify the scope of development plus improvement.

The reason why we can hear only a few names in the market like Deliveroo, UberEats, Postmates, or a few others is because of their swelled war chests.

In 2018, $9.6 billion was injected into all sorts of food delivery businesses across the globe. Out of this, the Asian players received 60% of the funding. 

All this money is used to run highly targeted customer attraction, retention, and marketing campaigns. Plus, the big players also absorb the smaller ones and broaden their local outreach. 

Yes, several big houses are fighting to get the largest market share running cash-burning tactics. But you will still find investors appropriating capital towards building food delivery businesses.

Build Partnerships with Vendors and Suppliers

Launching a meat delivery service means you need to onboard existing meat stores and vendors on the platform for the customers to see and select.

Hence, your first step, even before launching the platform, must be to create partnerships. Reach out to the meat suppliers, pitch the idea and highlight the key benefits for them like better targeting and an extended outreach.

While building connections, make sure to get started on a good footing. The reason being Zomato and GrubHub took the initiative to include several restaurant’s menus on their platform without first taking permission. Some business owners hit GrubHub with a lawsuit for putting the restaurants in a bad light.

These restaurants complained that the staff was unaware of the orders, and the delivery agents came to the restaurant for pick up. Even though the customer will get a refund, it puts a bad light on the restaurant. Thus, you need to take approval to ensure a hassle-free delivery process completion.

More importantly, since the vendors have to give a commission for every order coming from your platform, they need to agree on that. Ergo, reach out to the vendors, get their permission and show them the benefits plus their duties and contribution.

Intuitive, Friendly, and Attractive User Interface and Design

As a delivery service provider, create three different interfaces for the platform.

•  For the customers

•  For the vendors

•  For the drivers

To provide an intuitive user experience, including all of the features that are unique to each of the participants. The drivers, for example, should be able to obtain the vendor and customer addresses with a single click. 

The vendors must get complete order information on a single screen along with the request button to call for the delivery guy and inform them when the order is ready.

On the other hand, the customers should be able to access an easy navigation interface with listings divided as per popularity, favorites, and price.

Before actually moving to the development phase, it is better to create design drafts that work like an actual application, a prototype. This will allow you to make the changes saving the development time and cost.

Team Composition for Building a Meat-Delivery Platform

Apart from the team, you also need to choose the ideal tech stack for your platform. This, in turn, is further dependent on the operating systems or devices you want the platform to work on. Consequently, the tech stack to build a platform for the web will be different than building one for an iOS or Android device.

This was a lengthy process to build a meat delivery platform. Remember that we mentioned that there’s another way of building the same platform.

Three team configurations can be applied to build a meat-delivery platform. 

• Hire an in-house team
• Hire Freelancers
• Outsource the work to an agency 

There are some pros and cons of choosing each prospect. For instance, the in-house team will provide the highest quality product but at a high cost. Although freelancing is cost-effective, controlling them and ensuring timely delivery is a difficult challenge.

Outsourcing the coding work is relatively affordable, and you can also get assured deliverables but communication issues may arise.

Well, this is where Yelo comes in.

What is Yelo, and Why Should You Use It?

Yelo is an online marketplace builder solution that enables users to create and manage their own virtual market. It is built to support all types of marketplaces, such as rentals, professional services, and hyperlocal among others.

Why Yelo? 

• Build Without Coding 
• Proficient management abilities 
• Single-day launch 
• Extensive features and functions 
• Integrations 
• Design your marketplace 
• Multiple payment gateways 
• Marketing and SEO 
• Help and Support 

Reasons to use Yelo –  

Build Without Coding

One of the best things about Yelo is that you don’t have to hire developers or learn to code to use it. You won’t need to use a drag-and-drop builder. Building with Yelo is as simple as filling out a Form.   

Proficient Management Abilities

Marketplace management is one of the areas that Yelo excels at. Building a customized platform from the ground up tends to provide the business with entire control. It allows you to create and manage all of the hyperlocal marketplace’s components, including the admin panel, customer panel, vendor panel, and delivery panel. 

Single-day Launch 

According to what we’ve seen and heard in the industry, bringing a new product to market takes about six months. 

Consider how much work you’ll be able to get done in these six months while your competitors are still developing and revising their products. Yelo allows launching in a single day.

Features and Functions 

Yelo has it all, from ordering features to browsing, listings, store management, delivery, payment, checkout, push notifications, tracking, and route optimization. Another benefit is that the advanced features do not require the development of backend infrastructure. Everything will be taken care of by Yelo.

Integrations 

It also provides for integration with many other platforms needed to support marketplace operations, such as Kato for analytics, BulBul for CRM, Hippo for customer service, and Tookan for delivery management. 

Design Your Marketplace  

Yet another reason to use Yelo is that it has inbuilt UI/UX designing and customization features delivered via the themes engine.  

Multiple Payment Gateways 

Yelo was created to help marketplace owners and operators all around the world. Yelo can be integrated with more than 100 payment gateways to ensure that business owners do not run out of options.

Marketing Offers and SEO 

Yelo offers built-in features to assist you with SEO requirements such as meta tags, sitemaps, and instant access to robot.txt files. 

For marketing purposes, discounts, gift cards, and loyalty point programs can be used to enhance the marketing results.

Help & Support

Instant and proficient support from the team will help you set up your business hassle-free. 

To Sum It Up

Building a meat delivery service platform is a multi-step process that necessitates thorough market research and skilled development techniques.

Yelo is an end-to-end management solution that can be easily used to build a meat delivery platform. Setup a complete meat delivery business with Yelo’s headless commerce, go direct-to-consumer neglecting the middlemen, and having a more transparent connection with the consumers. 

In the early days, it was very clear that manufacturers will make the product and Retailer or Wholesalers will sell the product, with the introduction of online shopping gave rise to a host of online retailers which fundamentally didn’t affect the model of the brick and mortar world and manufacturer to retailer largely remained intact. The modern customer wants to interact with the brand directly to have all the information at their disposal so that they can compare prices, read product reviews, provide feedback, and much more. To meet these expectations manufacturers need to rethink their relationship with and dependence on the retailers and wholesalers for getting their products to the consumers. D2C model enables manufacturers to take the responsibility of selling and marketing their products in their own hands.

What is Direct to Consumer?

Direct to Consumer or D2C is simply selling directly to the consumer by eliminating the middleman. The internet has eliminated the need for middlemen from today’s economy, it is time for companies to adapt to D2C to make better profits and provide even better customer experience at a lower price making it a win-win for both companies and consumers.

7 major reasons why the companies should shift to a D2C model are:
1) Increase Revenue: Leverage the demand for your product.
2) Provide the best customer experience and build a direct relationship with your customers
3) Understand your customer better
4) Improved customer engagement and customer loyalty
5) Showcase a wider product range
6) Optimizing costs and prices
7) Sell to anyone, anywhere

Increase Revenue: Leverage the Demand for your Product.

Every brand has 3 types of customers:
1) The consumer who finds your product at a retail store while they’re looking for something.
2) Those who have had a great offline experience with your brand and go to the store to buy a specific product of your brand.
3) The ones who shop with the brand simply because they like the brand.

In the case of the 2nd and 3rd types of consumers. You already have built a demand for your product, it makes sense to sell directly to the consumer to fulfill that demand. This move can make a dramatic difference in your revenue and increase your profits. Since your brand is not paying commissions for any purchase.

Provide the Best Customer Experience and Build a Direct Relationship with Your Customers

Customer experience is very important. It allows brands to build relationships with customers. Having full control means brands can customize their customer experience for their audience.

Most Brands are built upon the message and stories and retail stores fail to convey the same. Customers do not buy the commodity but the experience that is delivered by the brand and expect a direct link with the brand itself. Moreover, customers tend to trust the product more if they buy directly from the brand.

When there is a middleman who is selling your products, you have very little say on “how the product is sold”. You have to rely on the middleman to convey your message or story to the end consumer so that they leave the store with satisfaction, also the post-purchase experience can be handled better by the brands as compared to the middleman.

Understand your Customer Better

Before the D2C model, manufacturers didn’t really interact with consumers. Sure they did do market research by testing the target market and conducting tests on focus groups.

Ideally, Brands need to have a direct relationship with the consumers at every stage of the sales process, this includes the post-purchase communication and feedback on the services which are hard to test on focus groups.

This direct relationship will help you to understand your target audience better and create lucrative offers that attract repeat customers while generating actionable insights that will help you grow your business.

Improved customer engagement and customer loyalty

“One-third of consumers visiting a brand’s website with the intent to make a purchase prefer to buy from the brand,” – Forestor.

Direct and authentic engagement helps you understand the “why” behind the purchase that helps the brand tap into emotions and increase sales.

Customers love to be directly in touch with the manufacturing brand, a D2C store enables the same not only this it also provides better prices. The organic engagement of the customers allows a brand to grow with word of mouth and generate trust among the community members thus increasing the customer base.

Showcase a wider product range on your Own D2C Store

Brands have a risk of losing shelf space due to competitors not only this retailers don’t tend to keep the spare parts or the accessories that a consumer might need to save the shelf space which harms the brand’s customer lifetime value since not knowing about the availability of the spare parts increases the risk of purchase of that particular product. Limited shelf space means consumers get access to only a limited range of your products that too with a risk of losing to competitor brands in the same space.

D2C approach overcomes this by allowing you to showcase the entire portfolio to the consumer with detailed information about the product that helps the consumer to make an informed decision. It also enables you to upsell or cross-sell the related products to the consumer increasing the overall cart value. Not only this, a D2C model limits competition by zero since you only display your products and you focus the messaging on assisting the customer with the purchase.

Optimizing costs and prices

With no middleman, brands save up a lot of margins which in turn can be utilized by them to give out attractive discounts that attract a large number of customers with intent to purchase. When you control what you sell and what products you show next to the main product you have overall control to create unique offers and combos that increase the profit margin and also give you the ability to clear out the stock faster.

Sell to anyone, anywhere using D2C

Another reason to shift to the D2C bandwagon is that it helps you sell your product without any geographic restrictions. Online marketplaces and websites help your brand to sell your products across the border which will help you explore the demand in multiple markets helping you grow at a faster pace.

Conclusion

Shifting to the D2C model makes sense for the brands. It offers great potential to grow sales, improve margins, and be a direct link to customers. Apart from the reasons we discussed, adopting the D2C approach can help brands improve overall brand control and brand messaging, access to the customer data can help them personalize their advertising campaigns.

With so many benefits the question is not of “if” but “when”. In short, the opportunities in the D2C model are endless. However, every brand has to be careful while planning their shift and should not stop looking for additional channels to grow their business rather than just relying on the Direct to Consumer channel.

If you have read till here, you are probably interested in starting your own Direct to Consumer business. We here are at Yelo have developed the turnkey solution you need to get started and turn your business idea into a mean profit-making machine.

How do we do it? We do this by enabling you with technology that provides you with functions like order management giving you the ability to update your catalog anytime and your customers the ability to order anything from anywhere using their phone within some simple clicks, marketing ecosystem which will help you with hyper-personalization of your brand messaging and engage with your customers at a deeper level using promo-codes, referral programs, custom push notifications and real-time analytics that provides you with actionable and valuable insights that help you tap into customer behavior and come up with a unique and attractive offer.

The Tookan integration with Deliverect grows your business by seamlessly weaving together, order management and delivery management software.

Whether you’re running a small café or a restaurant, the Tookan integration with Deliverect simplifies your online order management so you can focus on your craft and your customers.

Tookan and Deliverect integration brings guaranteed ROI and puts your business operations on autopilot. Every time you receive an order on Deliverect, it will automatically be pushed to Tookan and further auto-assigned to your delivery persons. This automation saves you time while ensuring that your customers are always up-to-date about their delivery status. Tookan automatically:

• Pushes the order from Deliverect to Tookan.
• Allocates the order to the delivery person with time and location details of the delivery.
• Sends SMS and email to the customer about their delivery status.
• Sends the live tracking link to the customer when the delivery boy starts.
• Notifies you when the delivery is made successfully.

The integration process is very simple and takes only a few minutes to set up. Here’s a step by step guide:

1. Retrieve V2 API Key From Tookan Dashboard

2. Login to Deliverect Panel

3. Navigate to Delivery >> Generic >> Edit

4. Add Tookan Endpoints 

5. Configure URL(s) are as following:

1. Validate URL: https://api-3112.tookanapp.com/deliverect/validateJob?api_key=APIKEY
2. Create Url: https://api-3112.tookanapp.com/deliverect/createJob?api_key=APIKEY&T=TIMEZONE&P=PICK_BUFFER&D=DROP_BUFFER&G=GEOFENCE&A=AUTOASSIGN
3. Cancel Url: https://api-3112.tookanapp.com/deliverect/cancelJob?api_key=APIKEY

6. Replace the following parameters accordingly from the URLs :

1. API KEY: api key retrieved in part 1
2. TIMEZONE: retrieve from https://timezones.tookanapp.com/ 
3. PICK_BUFFER: buffer time in  minutes to pick your order (default: 30)
4. DROP_BUFFER: buffer time in  minutes to drop your order (default: 60)
5. GEOFENCE: whether to follow the geofence (1: YES, 0: NO)
6. AUTO ASSIGN: how agent will be assigned to a job (1: automatic, 0: manually)

7. Save It, and you are good to go.

On-demand delivery businesses have become all the rage in the last couple of years. With the growing reliance on the internet and app-based services, most people prefer ordering things online including everything from food and groceries to medicines and laundry. 

The growing popularity of on-demand services has made delivery businesses a profit-making venture. All you need is strong delivery and delivery management software that can help you run the whole thing. 

When looking at different delivery business ideas, you need to consider your location, the demands and customer expectations in that location, your initial investment amount, and most importantly, the scope of your chosen delivery idea in your area/city. 

For instance, food delivery might be popular in a metro city where people would rather order in than cook every day but this might not be the case in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. 

To help you get started on your delivery business, we have put together a list of the top delivery business opportunities for 2021:

1. Food Delivery 

Arguably, one of the most popular delivery business ideas, food delivery has even overtaken e-commerce in certain markets. 

The appeal behind a food delivery business is quite simple; no one likes cooking every day and the convenience of getting food from their favorite restaurants delivered to their doorstep is hard to match up to. 

There are many ways you can jump into a food delivery business. 

You can either aggregate restaurants and get them to list their offerings on your online ordering app or sell food that you make yourself. 

While the former is more about managing a food marketplace, the latter is more about your involvement in the actual food preparation. With the right on-demand delivery app, you can get your food delivery business up and running in no time. 

2. Grocery Delivery 

Like food, grocery is another popular delivery vertical that has become quite popular in the last couple of years. 

The year 2020, in particular, saw an exponential increase in the demand for grocery delivery because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the prevalence of social distancing. 

You can start a grocery delivery business without much effort as long as you’re equipped with the right tools and software. 

All you need is a reliable grocery supplier, a dedicated customer ordering app, a delivery agent app to help your delivery deliver orders on time and track their earnings, and a powerful admin dashboard that allows you to track the status of each order amongst other things. 

Unlike e-commerce where the delivery time can be more than a day, your grocery delivery business needs to be able to finish deliveries within the same day. 

This means a well-organized delivery system and better coordination while assigning orders to delivery agents.

3. Pickup and Delivery 

Convenience is the name of the game in today’s economy and most people are more than happy to pay a fee for pickup and delivery services. 

From items you need picking up from a particular store to getting a cake delivered to your friend’s house on their birthday, pickup and delivery services have become a robust business vertical. 

With their busy lives, most people lead today, getting their pickup and delivery tasks handled by a reliable third-party agent is a definite plus. You can tap into this thriving business vertical and provide exceptional pickup and delivery services to earn great profits. 

Unlike a food or grocery delivery business where you need physical objects to deliver to customers, a pickup and delivery business requires just a well-oiled delivery with agents that are reliable and professional.

4. Courier 

Courier remains a viable delivery business idea especially in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. 

Unlike a pickup and delivery business that operates within city limits, a courier delivery business needs to be equipped to deliver goods between different states and cities. 

Given the large-scale operations of a courier delivery business, you’ll need to spend a considerable amount of money to get going. Instead of bikes and 2-wheelers, you’ll need to invest in big vehicles that can store large quantities of goods like mini-vans and trucks. 

But with the bigger investment comes greater profit margins, especially if you expand your service area considerably and start dealing in multiple orders.

5. Logistics 

Logistics is a vast business vertical that includes everything from inbound and outbound transportation to management, warehousing, and order fulfillment. 

In the broadest of terms, your logistics business includes the delivery of raw materials, supplies, and finished products to other businesses. 

As you can imagine, the scale of a logistics business is much larger than the delivery business ideas listed above. 

You need a proper team of support staff, the right delivery management software, and trucks and other large vehicles to do the actual delivery. 

While a logistics business does require a lot more investment and export on your part, the amount of money you could potentially earn is also much higher than some of the other delivery business ideas listed here.

6. Pharmacy 

Another delivery business idea that has picked up pace during the COVID-19 pandemic is online pharmacy and medicine delivery. 

Just like food delivery, there are two ways you can go about setting up your medicine delivery business. The first involves tying up with online pharmacies and listing their products on your app and website. 

When an order comes through, you forward it to the nearest partner pharmacy and deploy your delivery to complete the order. The second method involves typing up with a medicine supplier, maintaining a solid medicine inventory, and fulfilling each order yourself. 

No matter the way you choose to go about setting up your medicine delivery business, you’ll need a powerful marketplace builder to launch your website and app.

7. E-Commerce and Retail 

Amongst the earliest and most popular delivery business ideas are e-commerce and retail businesses. 

The idea is simple. You either sell your products and deliver them to your customers or you partner with multiple vendors and handle just the delivery part of the business. 

There are many decisions you need to take when setting up an e-commerce or retail delivery business including the kind of products you sell, the delivery process, the prices, delivery guarantee if any, and more. 

When starting, you can opt for a particular category of products, and once you start getting the regular business, venture out and add more categories to the list. 

A slow-burn approach doesn’t just minimize the risk but also allows you to be more methodical with the process and plan out your expansion strategy more carefully.

8. Furniture Delivery and Assembly 

Want to focus on an essential vertical with your delivery business? A furniture is a great option not only because everyone needs furniture but also because of the port margins at play. 

When you start a furniture delivery business, you can enter a market that doesn’t have a lot of competition and reap substantial rewards. The easiest way to start a furniture delivery business is by partnering with a talented and reliable furniture supplier. 

Finding the right partner is crucial to be successful since when it comes to furniture, the quality matters more than the delivery timeliness. Once you have a furniture vendor you trust, put your delivery together, and launch an online furniture marketplace where customers can buy the products. 

To make your business stand out amongst the rest, you can also add furniture assembly to your delivery services

9. Alcohol Delivery 

Alcohol delivery has become a robust delivery business opportunity, particularly in metropolitan cities. 

People enjoy the comfort and convenience of having their preferred alcohol delivered to their doorstep. Like most other delivery businesses, your alcohol delivery business needs reliable suppliers you can count on or a good selection of liquor stores your delivery agents can pick up the alcohol from. 

Another way to go about running an alcohol delivery business is by putting together a reliable delivery and getting them to buy and deliver alcohol according to the orders received. 

An important consideration when setting up an alcohol delivery business is the licensing involved. 

Many states don’t allow alcohol delivery so keep that in mind if you’re considering starting an alcohol delivery business.

10. Laundry 

Like cooking food, doing laundry is something most people like to avoid, and there lies the final entry in our list of top delivery business ideas. 

A laundry delivery business involves a delivery partner collecting your customers’ laundry, bringing it to either your laundromat or your partner store. 

Once the clothes are washed, the delivery agent will deliver them back to your customers. The process is fairly simple and the only potential pain point can be figuring out where to get the clothes washed. 

If you don’t want to invest in a laundry station, the best option is to partner with already existing laundromats. Make use of a feature-packed delivery management software and get your laundry delivery business up and running.

Conclusion

And that rounds up our list of the 10 best delivery business ideas. Have questions about how to start a delivery business? Worried about managing your delivery? We have all the answers you seek.

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way healthcare services are administered. In fact, the demand for remote patient monitoring (RPM) is at an all-time high with an increasing number of companies actively investing in developing RPM software. According to a 2021 survey, almost 20% of hospitals and clinics in the US had adopted RPM in one form or the other while 23% were planning to integrate it soon. Curious about how you can develop a RPM software to make your telemedicine business more impactful? Read on to find out.

What is Remote Patient Monitoring?

Remote Patient Monitoring, more commonly known as RPM, is a method of healthcare delivery that uses technology to monitor patients. Moreover, it also gather data outside traditional healthcare settings. With RPM, the confines of a physical healthcare setting are removed and patients can get the care they need in an environment they are comfortable in. RPM doesn’t just increase access to healthcare in remote areas but also decreases the cost of healthcare delivery.

Above all, RPM allows you to monitor patients in their homes, at work, in transit, or even on vacation. Some of the monitoring devices used in RPM include blood pressure cuffs to measure blood pressure, glucose meters for diabetes management, heart rate monitors. As a result, it helps to manage congestive heart failure, oximeters to measure blood oxygen levels, and many others.

The Benefits of Remote Patient Monitoring

• Easy access to information: Since remote monitoring solutions can be easily integrated into beds in homes and clinics, data collection and analysis becomes much easier. The collection happens in the background and automatically get uploads to the Electronic Health Record systems. Therefore, with easy access to real-time patient data, doctors can make more well-informed decisions and enhance the quality of treatment.
• Better health: Since remote patient monitoring devices such as trackers, sensors, and wearable gadgets track a patients’ blood pressure, blood glucose, oxygen saturation, and other vital signs at all times, the patient is more aware and conscious of their condition. This is particularly helpful for seniors and people with chronic conditions.
• Cost-saving: According to the 2019 Trends in Remote Patient Monitoring report, one of the biggest advantages of investing in an RPM system is the lowered costs on hospital readmissions and emergency departments. Since all vitals of a patient are monitored round the clock, doctors can more easily identify vague symptoms and more serious health ailments. According to the report, healthcare providers can save up to 65% on running a practice by offering remote monitoring solutions.
• Reduced readmissions: RPM devices can drastically decrease hospital readmission rates. Many patients who are discharged often return to the hospital complaining of dizziness, increased blood pressure, and more. But these symptoms very rarely require an in-depth examination. But with an RPM system, doctors can constantly evaluate the patient’s vitals without having to call them to the hospital for an examination.

Essential Features of an RPM software

1. Medical data tracking

Constant monitoring of vital signs is a common medical practice. But with an RPM system, this process can be automated to give doctors a better picture of the patients’ health. Some of the metrics you can track with remote patient monitoring systems include pulse, blood glucose levels, blood pressure, oxygen saturation (SpO2), and body temperature.

2. Data exchange

Since RPM devices collect medical data through sensors, this data is sharable with healthcare providers without any hassle using the cloud server. To make the transfer possible, the device will need to have a WiFi or LTE adapter. Cost-effective RPM devices also allow the transfer of medical data to the mobile app via Bluetooth

3. Decision support module

The integration of RPM solutions and computing systems allow advanced data management and analytics. Once the patient data from an RPM device is there in the database, the hospital software can automatically turn it into actionable insights and decide the next course of action.

4. Communication

A remote patient monitoring software with audio and video conferencing features helps make communication easier between doctors and their patients. With the simple addition of a communication feature, you can turn a basic RPM system into a full-fledged telemedicine platform. Patients can opt for online consultations for their issues and also easily involve their caretaker or family if needed.

5. Notifications and alerts

Another important feature of an RPM app is reminders that help users improve treatment and medication adherence. Important alerts about changes in health parameters and medication alerts can be shared via in-app notifications, SMS, emails or voice calls to the patients and caretakers.

How to develop RPM software for your telemedicine business

With the advancement in technology, the physical location of patients isn’t a barrier to accessing quality healthcare. If you’re looking to develop RPM software for your telemedicine business, we have just the solution for you. Introducing Panther, a Telemedicine software development platform that can help you build an end-to-end telemedicine platform where doctors and patients can connect. Some features that make Panther the go-to solution for RPM software development include:

• Voice and video calling feature to ensure patients can connect with doctors without any hassle. Using the built-in call feature doctors can provide expert consultation on the app itself.
• A real-time chat feature that helps you stay connected to your patients. Moreover, with Panther’s telehealth app, patients can ask questions and get opinions at any time irrespective of their geographical location.
• Using Panther’s telemedicine software solutions, you can add an appointment booking feature for patients and doctors in your app. Patients will receive automated reminders to reduce no-shows. Doctors and admins can manage appointments through the web scheduler or mobile application.
• Panther’s telehealth app allows for easy access to patient medical history through patient history bots. You can also keep other team members in the loop via private notes.
• Take charge of your telemedicine marketplace listings with the approval mechanism of Panther’s medical consultation software.
• Make your telemedicine app your own and personalize it according to your needs. With Panther, you’re in complete control of your medical appointment software.

Excited about partnering with Panther and taking your telemedicine business to new heights? Get in touch with our team of experts and learn more about how we can help you scale your business for an increasingly online world. And below is an E-book curated just for to gain an in-depth understanding on how remote patient monitoring platforms work.

Do you love chicken or red meat? Often look for clean and fresh fish and seafood? Or crave mutton and prawns? Sometimes, these things may not be available in the market outside or around you. But Licious has always been, is, and will be there to provide the best non-vegetarian products to its customers. Read the Licious business model and success story below!

Licious business model explained:

• About Licious
• History of Licious
• How does Licious work: The Licious Business Model
• Licious: The most recognised D2C branding
• Licious and Covid-19: The many sides to the fishing ban in the times of 2020 lockdown
• Licious Revenue Model, Funding and Valuation
• Competitors of Licious
• Recent Updates of Licious in 2021
• Conclusion

About Licious

Licious delivers hand-cut, individually vacuum-sealed, packed fresh, marinated, or cold cut non-vegetarian products like meat, fish, chicken, eggs, and seafood. The company has 5 processing centers. One of each in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Gurugram, and 2 in Bangalore, with more than 90 delivery centers across all markets. Its applications are available on Android and iOS stores. A website is also present for the desktop convenience which is www.licious.in.

History of Licious

Licious, owned by Delightful Gourmet Pvt Ltd., is founded in July 2015 by Abhay Hanjura and Vivek Gupta. It was officially launched in October of the same year. The two were having lunch while discussing the business idea. The chicken they were having was of really bad quality. Vivek remarked that, if they have to build Licious they will have to put life in the dead chicken that they’re having! That was the moment they realized what they wanted to achieve through Licious. “To deliver an exceptional non-vegetarian experience to all the customers and introduce global quality standards & milestones”. Licious chose an easy-peasy mission statement- “We won’t sell what we won’t eat ourselves!”.

How does Licious work: The Licious Business Model

Licious works on a farm-to-fork model owning the entire back-end supply chain and the cold chain (zero inventory model). It also offers a subscription model that allows the customers to order products and schedule their online deliveries prior. An independent recipe section is also present on their customer platform. It helps the customers to cook delicious non-vegetarian dishes.

Starting from procurement, processing, storage to reach the consumer, everything is the responsibility of the company. With over 3500 employees, Licious business model claims to deliver the customer’s orders within 90-120 mins. And processes more than a million orders a month. Here, the transactions are known to be extremely safe and secured. The business model of the company is built to maintain the freshness, superiority, and value of every product. Every single product which is served is handpicked by a team of quality members. The team makes sure that the weight and age of the chicken or fish or any animal is according to their predefined conditions. For the meat to remain fresh and retain its natural juices, they store it at a temperature between 0-5 degrees throughout the processes of cleaning, cutting, storing, and even, till delivering. It does not contain any kind of antibiotics, chemicals, artificial preservatives, color, and flavoring.

Licious: The most recognised D2C branding

Using D2C as a direct marketing channel to reach out to consumers, has helped Licious achieve 90% repeat customers who account for 85% of its business.

A quick look at the D2C operations to justify what Licious business model is doing. For example, this is how a traditional meat supply chain had worked before D2C days:

Farmers → Middlemen → Wholesalers → Butchers →  Retailers

But in the D2C space where Licious and a few other startups are operating, the supply chain only involves:

Farmers → Butchers → Startups

This ensures that the companies have a 30-40% profit margin.

Licious and Covid-19: The many sides to the fishing ban in the times of 2020 lockdown

In a regular year, the fishing ban is usually imposed in the monsoon season for two months (usually in phases), across the east and west coast of India. Last year, the situation was tricky. In an order released on April 10, 2020, by the Home Ministry, all fishing, including marine fishing, was permitted during the lockdown since they were essentials. But an order by the Fisheries Ministry on April 14, 2020, announced the implementation of the Fishing Ban till June 15, 2020. But it seems like the order was revoked considering the lockdown. The ground reality is that an unannounced ban was in place on the east coast with some fishing allowed at intermittent periods. On the west coast, there was no decision from the respective state governments. Fishermen from all coasts had requested their respective state governments to permit fishing as their livelihoods had been severely impacted due to the Covid-19 lockdowns. Another thing to consider is that the lockdown had led to a quick and robust decline in human activities across shores, thus providing marine life with ample rest and non-interference.

Licious is committed to responsible fish and seafood sourcing, whether it is cultured or captured, by abiding by the government rules and regulations and adopting best sourcing practices. The business partners are encouraged to use best practices that avoid the capture of immature and undersized fishes and also without jeopardizing the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems. They tried to work closely with the authorities and to abide by the orders issued by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying, and Fisheries as and when it was issued. In the meantime, they made freshwater fish like Rohu and Catla, and freshwater prawns available while seafood availability was scarce!

Licious Revenue Model, Funding and Valuation

• Licious business model has got a customer base of more than 1 million unique customers till date. The average cart size is around INR 700. In the first year of their operations in 2015, the company collected revenue of INR 1.47 crores. In FY 2019-20, the revenue collected was INR 180 Crores.
• Licious has raised a total amount of USD 286.5 million in funding. It includes the recent Series F round of funding in June, done by Multiples Alternate Asset Management, Brunei Investment Agency, Vertex Ventures ($192 million).
• Since its inception, Licious claims to have grown at a CAGR of 300% year on year, delivering 300+ SKUs to customers in 90-120 minutes and clocks around 1 Mn orders every month. Its overall revenue grew six times between May and December 2020, when doorstep delivery became the new normal due to coronavirus shutdowns. The startup claims that an average customer buys Licious products two-three times a month and spends close to INR 22,000 on a monthly basis. The company also reduced its net losses by 66% to INR 146.3 Cr in FY2019-20 from INR 438.7 Cr in the year before.
• According to sources, the company is now valued at $650 million.

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Competitors of Licious

• FreshtoHome: Freshtohome is a Bangalore based vertically focused E-grocery company dealing in fish, meat and vegetable products.
• Zappfresh: Zappfresh is an online fresh meat brand run by Gurugram-based DSM Fresh Foods Pvt Ltd which ensures that the meat reaching customers’ doorstep, is hygienic and free.
• BBdaily: BigBasket has branded the milk delivery service as BB Daily, a subscription service that allows customers to order milk and other daily essentials the previous night and have them delivered the following morning.

Recent Updates of Licious in 2021

• Licious pledges to be ESG compliant in the next 12 months. Announced their commitment to be compliant with the global ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) norms during the current financial year. A focus on quality, sustainability & traceability has been a constant for Licious business model since inception. Taking a step further, the company is working towards a robust integration of sustainable development practices in their operations.
• Licious celebrated its 6th birthday on July 5, 2021.
• Licious grew its expansion to 16 cities from 14 markets and is planning for more 10+ cities in India and then global launch too, in the coming years.

Conclusion

If you are thinking of getting into a business just like Licious, then Yelo can be your ultimate solution! Yelo can help you create an online D2C platform. With the aid of its all-encompassing range of features, Yelo can help you cater to your wide and varied customers in the easiest and most efficient manner possible.

Start your own online meat delivery business and cater to the hunger of your customers with exotic delicacies!
What if I tell you that you can even jump on a Free trial plan first to try Yelo out? Yes, you heard it right. Hop on a Free trial to check out the platform, today!

The demand for online consulting software is growing in sectors like education, finance, health, agriculture, etc. As the internet is reaching more remote parts of the world, the consulting business is further booming, and several new startups have emerged. Enterprises are trying to make the most of this opportunity by creating a global platform for themselves.
Consultancy business owners are continually looking for opportunities to expand and grow. The online presence of a consultancy firm plays a significant role in its success and survival.

Developing an Online Consulting Software from Scratch

Most entrepreneurs find themselves in a clueless position when planning and launching their online consultation marketplace. Choosing the right development method becomes tricky if one does not know the diverse aspects of online consultation. There are two popular methods for the development of online consultation platform:

• Scratch Development
• Predefined solution

Business owners should understand which method will suit their approach. Developing a consultation platform from scratch is suitable for complex business processes. It also requires more time and investment during the development phase.

Readymade solutions are commonly known as clones/scripts that give users a platform for running the business with very little investment. These platforms are built as per the requirements of a specific industry or business. They come with all the necessary features for managing the same. Moreover, the users get to customise the solution according to their requirements

Read Also: 7 Steps to Start an Online Business as a Coach or Consultant

Must-Have Features of Online Consultation Platform

Chat Text Messaging
It is one of the most common modes of communicating online. According to statistics, almost 70% of internet users prefer texting to communicate with businesses. The chat feature also allows professionals to interact with their clients efficiently. It facilitates faster redressal of queries and questions from the client.

Consultation Scheduling Feature
This feature allows users to check experts’ availability to help them schedule appointments as per their preferred day and timing. Likewise, professionals can also update their availability as per schedule.

Multiple Payment Options
Businesses willing to have a global presence must integrate multiple payment processing systems in their online platform. It helps in attracting more users without interrupting online transactions

Video Chat

It is an essential feature for an online consultancy platform that will help professionals and businesses connect with clients effectively. This feature will help clients and professionals communicate seamlessly with one another in real-time. Currently, the majority of companies prefer video communication as their primary mode of communication. It offers greater flexibility than other modes of communication.

Challenges Faced While Managing Online Consulting Software

One of the most significant concerns for online consultancy firms is the need for new skills and also the management
capabilities. The emergence of new techniques and technologies has put consultancy businesses under tremendous pressure of incorporating latest technology. If they fail to sustain the changing market trends, competitors will soon take over. Having the right set of people with proper knowledge and skills is essential for adapting to new technologies.

The online consultancy marketplace is changing rapidly and is giving a tough time to businesses of all sizes. While emerging platforms do not have adequate investment, established businesses lack active business models to stay afloat in the competitive market. Implementation of new technologies is further threatening the existence of popular, yet conventional service-based organisations. Consultancy firms with no new techniques are anxious about their sustainability in the online marketplace.

Future Perspectives of Online Consultancy Business

The online consultancy marketplace is valued at $250 billion globally. Currently, the consultancy marketplace comprises businesses of all types and sizes from various domains. However, it is essential to understand the factors that can potentially affect consultancy firms in the coming days.

The consultancy marketplace has evolved significantly over the last few years. It has become a medium of interaction between clients and their respective service providers. Now clients are looking for more valuable services online. Digitisation will completely transform the way common people interact with businesses. Strategic technologies allow consultancy platforms to help their clients make the most of technical tools and resources.

Consultancy services help businesses integrate modern technologies to improve operational efficiency and resource channeling. Besides, they enable enterprises to bridge the gap between their strategies and technologies.

Consulting software marketplaces should have sufficient room for the introduction of clients and businesses. Currently, numerous niches are waiting to be explored in the online consultancy marketplace. It is the perfect time to start your journey in the online consultancy marketplace, as it will grow by several folds in the coming years. To start your Online Consulting Software click here

Everything about Rezoy: One among India’s premier restaurant-based meal delivery applications

An online food delivery app no longer needs an introduction. Post pandemic, millions of customers have relied on on-demand delivery apps to satisfy their hunger pangs. 

The Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHRA) has launched a food aggregator smartphone app after being displeased with Zomato and Swiggy.

“Rezoy”,- an Indian-based online meal delivery service app, is in the limelight for all the right reasons.

Let us dive deep to know more about the business model, the growth timeline, and the futuristic opportunities floating. 

Rezoy: An Overview

Rezoy is exclusive; therein, it is one of the country’s primary restaurant-owned meal delivery applications. 

It is an Indian restaurant operator and food delivery start-up founded in 2020.

Rezoy, a new online delivery program from the state’s industry authority, was recently created to serve the needs of restaurants, small eateries, cafés, and local clients.

The Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association’s Rezoy will commence entire operations in other regions of the state, commencing in Kochi.

According to Azees Moosa, KHRA’s Ernakulam district president, the goal was to promote restaurateurs and customers.

KHRA has been the umbrella group for approximately 65,000 eateries in Kerala since its formation in 1964. Also, major hotel chains, boutique hotels, heritage hotels, large, medium-sized, and smaller hotels, restaurants, tourist houses, lodges, bakeries, tea shops, and coffee shops are among its member outlets.

Rezoy’s service is currently offering its service in Kochi’s MG Road to Kaloor stretch. A total of 43 eateries have joined the effort, which restaurant owners themselves began.

Rezoy App: Eases food worries!

Undoubtedly, the revenue in the Online Food Delivery market will reach US$151,526 million in 2021 approximately, according to Statista, and also the revenue growth for Online Food Delivery in 2022 will be about 16.6%.

The ‘Rezoy’ mobile app was just released on the Google Play Store and App Store, and also its services are currently available in some regions of Kochi.

When compared to its more well-known equivalents, the main characteristic of this platform is the inexpensive cost of the food.

However, the other food delivery apps paid eateries a high commission, often as much as 25% to 30%.

Only a small commission, roughly 8% to 10%, would be levied in this app, and restaurateurs will be able to sell meals at lower prices.

Further, the KHRA has announced that the app’s service will be rolled out across Ernakulam district, followed by other Kerala districts.

The program expands to sections of Kalamassery and Kakkanad in March, including approximately 400 establishments. The service will begin in districts like Malappuram, Kottayam, and Palakkad in the coming months.

Even though the association cites the claimed excessive commission imposed by other big food aggregators as the impetus for launching this effort, officials also claim that it is futuristic. 

Rezoy: Future Aspirations of online food delivery app

The app’s ambitious goal is to onboard over 35,000 KHRA member eateries by the end of the year, up from the existing 3,000. The software will be rolled out across India as well as other countries. They are in talks with various adjacent states to expand their services, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.

Our goal is to “disrupt the disruptors,” thus we founded a Digital Empowerment Center.”

With operations progressively returning to normal following the Corona suspension and increasing the number of tourists, the application will outlast its established competitors.

Read more: KHRA’S Own Food Delivery App’ Rezoy” To Expand Across Kerala.

The whole food delivery route planning system seems to be an excellent solution for everyone. It is an integrated platform that connects restaurants, delivery employees, and customers.x

In addition, Rezoy provides information on restaurant menus, user reviews, and food delivery from partner restaurants in select cities. Mr. Jayapal claims, “The app is a unique and revolutionary online meal delivery effort created on a non-profit basis to end all degrees of exploitation in this area.”

Comparing to the other existing food aggregator applications, one of the primary characteristics highlighted by KHRA executives is the inexpensive cost of meals. Other existing food aggregators typically charge restaurants a high fee, ranging from 25 to 30 percent.

Furthermore, the price of food ordered online will be the same as the price charged at the restaurant. 

Rezoy: online food delivery app working through the pandemic

Clearly, Kochi’s exclusion zones and lockdown limits have thrown a wrench in KHRA’s expansion ambitions.

Rezoy charges restaurant owners a ten percent commission to cover the pay of delivery employees and delivery expenses.

All eyes are thereon because it is one among the primary within the country. “Because we are the first food delivery app created by an association like ours, we have been getting questions on how it works from peers in other states,” adds Azees.

We explore how the online food delivery app functions and why it is beneficial to the industry?

Outlined below are the essential elements for ensuring the success of online food delivery app: 

• Ordering and monitoring in real-time must be a top priority:

Certainly, an online food delivery app is designed to establish to provide food at any time and from any location.

Users should be able to place orders at any time. As a result, he will be able to keep track of how their orders are progressing.

• Restaurants should be able to filter and sort based on preferences in the search bar: 

People should be able to search for restaurants based on cuisine, area, ratings and reviews, and vegan/non-vegan preferences using the search bar, which should be robust enough to show restaurants based on geography.

• The user interface is simple, and the user experience is straightforward:  

 Users should check out restaurants, menus, food products, allocated delivery workers, order statuses, and delivery status through an appealing layout.

• Need Diverse and secure payment options: 

Payment Integration should support net banking, cards, UPI, wallets, cash on delivery (COD), and also other payment methods.

• Order history should make it feasible to track previous orders: 

 Order History should allow restaurants to track previous orders to have a good notion of what sells. Customers may also keep note of what they have ordered, so they do not have to go through the entire search process again if they want to order the same thing.

• More accessible Offers and discounts:   

Offers and values calculations must be automatic. Neither customers nor restaurants are burdened with the work of figuring if the order is large enough.

• Order & push notifications information:

Push notifications must bring delivery personnel up to date on order specifics and where the pick-up and drop should occur. It also has to keep restaurants updated on where the delivery persons are. It also keeps an eye on whether or not the order has been fulfilled.

• Within an app, mobility should be consistent and reliable:

Whether it is a consumer, restaurant, or delivery worker that signs up for the app, the limit app displays to a bare minimum so that users can navigate the app back and forth with ease.

Wrapping Up!

It is good to start launching a food delivery service app to help local restaurants. In addition, one can learn more about what exactly they need to create a meal delivery business in our other piece. 

Learn how KHRA is teaming with Yelo to revolutionize the meal delivery app business by removing commissions.

However, in case of any remaining questions about why a business requires a mobile app, please contact us. Finally, to learn more about the future of online meal ordering, visit Yelo and sign up for a 14-days free trial

Further, continue reading to learn more about the newest online food delivery app: On-Demand Food Delivery Apps are Making the Life Easier 

Mental health, over time, has become as crucial as physical health for a lot of reasons. People now work actively towards improving their mental health and dealing with lifelong traumas to better their lives. With the pandemic and continued emphasis on social distancing, most people haven’t been able to physically visit a mental health counselor or therapist. But the evolving technology has made online counseling much easier. Furthermore, there are many great mental health software available out there for you to choose from. Wondering how to identify which option is best for your online counseling practice? We have got you covered.

What to look for in a mental health software

Like any other business, there’s a specific set of features you need in your mental health software to make your practice work in the online mode. Here’s a look at some of the most crucial ones.

Accessibility everywhere

The location of a client shouldn’t be a factor when it comes to online counseling practice. Ideally, they should be able to access your platform anytime anywhere and book a counseling session without any hassle. With cloud-based mental health software available in both app and website form, your software should be easily accessible on any device. The flexibility offered by a mental health software that’s easily accessible goes both ways. Since both doctors and patients can access the app wherever they are without their location being a constraint.

Client Management

As an online counselling practice, you would require a mental health software that allows you to manage your client seamlessly. From auto accepting new bookings based on your calendar availability to notifying your clients of a change in schedule, there’s a lot the right mental health software can help you accomplish. You can also track every individual patient’s track record and progress using the right mental health software. Another important feature to consider when looking for a mental health software is to send customers push notifications and SMSs. It can be about their upcoming appointments, daily motivational quotes, and anything else that is required for their treatment.

Seamless Billing

When it comes to an online counselling practice, a streamlined billing process isn’t just convenient for the owner but for the patients as well. Often, getting insurance details sent to the healthcare provider becomes a challenge for patients and causes them undue stress. The best mental health software, ideally, should have a robust billing process that displays the due amount to patients after every appointment and gives them plenty of payment methods to choose from. The option of bulk payment at the end of all their required counselling sessions is also something many online practices offer.

Hassle-Free Design

For a mental health software to be considered good, it doesn’t just need to be packed with features appropriate for online counseling software. But also, it should be easy to use with a user-friendly interface. An app featuring unnecessarily difficult design isn’t just a pain for doctors and admins but also for the patient who might have trouble navigating the app to book an appointment. A clean, minimalistic design and intuitive interface are some of the things you should look for in a mental health software.

24/7 Support

When it comes to mental health, round-the-clock availability is a must for any online counselling practice. Even if you’re running your own practice or managing a platform where other doctors offer their services, you need to ensure there’s someone on-call at all times to help patients whenever they require. A good customer support feature is also an added benefit in case prospective patients have questions about how to work the app.

Features you need for your software

Now that you know the importance of a mental health software, let’s discuss the how’s. If you’re looking for the best mental health software for your counseling practice, give Panther a try. Panther is a unique SaaS telemedicine software development platform that allows you to create your own online counseling platform from scratch. And it does so without any massive financial or time-based investment. Here are some features that make Panther a great mental health software for your counselling practice.

Consultation Options

With Panther, you can offer patients you on-board different types of consultations including text, voice, and video. Each patient is different and might be comfortable with different styles of consultations and Panther allows you to cater to them with finesse. The real-time chat feature, in particular, is a blessing for patients who don’t feel comfortable expressing themselves audibly.

Simplified Payments

Make your online counselling practice a success with Panther’s simplified payment options. You decide how you are going to charge your patients, i.e. per session or monthly. Panther also offers secure integration with multiple payment gateways to ensure your customers have plenty of options to choose from.

Easy Communication

Using Panther’s mental health software development platform, you can send appointment reminders, care plan reviews updates, and much straight to patients through SMS, emails, and push notifications.

Appointment Booking

An easy appointment booking process is crucial to the success of online counselling practice and that’s exactly what you get with Panther. The platform offers appointment booking features for both patients and doctors where patients get automated reminders for upcoming appointments and doctors can manage the appointments through the web scheduler or mobile app.

Chatbots

With Panther, you don’t need to invest in a large customer support team. We offer a robust chatbot feature that doesn’t just help patients with basic queries but does a whole lot more. Our advanced chatbot also stores and provides the patient’s medical history along with adding private notes for the doctor’s benefit.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has finally changed how people engage with businesses, particularly on-demand operations and those that involve the delivery of goods. With social distancing becoming the new normal, on-demand businesses have quickly adapted to the changing times and introduced contactless delivery as an alternative. Read on to learn more about contactless delivery and everything it detail.

What is contactless delivery?

As the name suggests, contactless delivery, also known as no contact delivery or contact-free delivery, is when the delivery executive leaves your order in a safe space either in front of your door/gate or with the security guard. Given the pandemic, most people prefer avoiding any physical contact. In fact, according to a Technomic survey, almost 32% of consumers are leaving their houses less often than before.

A contactless delivery allows them to order food and any other product home without having to worry about any physical contact with the delivery executive.

Why is contactless delivery necessary for your business

Contactless delivery is the way ahead and there are various reasons why delivery businesses need to jump in on the bandwagon. Here’s why contactless delivery is necessary for your business:

• Sustainability: Businesses need to adapt to changing times by modifying their offerings. The only way to attain longevity in the competitive world of business is to constantly evolve and change with the times. While the need for contactless delivery arose due to the pandemic, the demand for this type of delivery isn’t going away anytime soon. By introducing contactless delivery as an option, businesses can sustain their operations for longer and offer customers exactly what they need.

• Stopping the Spread: As things stand, the virus is still amongst us and as a delivery business, it becomes your ethical responsibility to do your part in stopping the spread. Since delivery executives travel around all day, there’s a possibility of them inadvertently spreading the virus. But if a no-contact delivery option is available, they can leave the package at the door or gate and complete the delivery without physically contacting anyone. Contactless delivery is actually safer for delivery executives themselves since they can avoid being in touch with people and potentially getting infected.

• Brand Image: A business’ image as a brand is crucial, particularly during testing times like these. Customers appreciate a business offering contactless delivery to make both the delivery executives and customers feel safe and that helps boost their brand loyalty and value. If a business, for instance, doesn’t change with the times and continues offering regular delivery, customers might start to avoid engaging with them.

• Digital Payments Boost: Most businesses prefer dealing with digital payment since there’s a lower risk of bad orders than cash on delivery. With contactless delivery, digital payments become the only mode of payment available since delivery executives cannot collect cash or accept card payments from customers. This push towards digital payments works great for businesses as they immediately get the money and don’t have to deal in cash.

How contactless delivery works

Most businesses offer contactless delivery as an option at the checkout page. If a customer selects this when making the purchase, the delivery will be contactless. At the time of delivery, instead of physically handing over the parcel to the customer, the delivery executive will leave it at the customer’s doorstep. If there’s no visible place to safely keep the parcel, the executive can call the customer to ask for a place where they can keep the parcel.

Once the delivery is complete, the executive will inform the customer by sending them a picture of the delivered package via the mobile app. Post this, the customer may receive a notification or alert to remind them to collect their package.

If payment is pending, the customer will be asked to transfer the money through digital wallets or OTP-based transactions. Another important element of contactless delivery is sharing the delivery executive’s health status in the order tracking screen.

Contactless delivery after the pandemic

As previously mentioned, the pandemic has left a lasting impact on how businesses function. While things will eventually go back to normal in most ways, there are certain aspects of a business that have changed for good. Contactless delivery is one of these aspects. 

This mode of delivery is generally of no inconvenience to customers since they can just collect the order from their door and avoid physical contact with the delivery executive. 

This extra layer of safety on offer is what will push customers to opt for contactless delivery even after the pandemic is over. 

The pandemic is expected to also alter customer behavior in major ways and make them more cautious of physically receiving packages when there’s a safer alternative available. 

It’s widely believed that viruses, in general, spread mostly through physical contact. If there’s an option that helps prevent that, it’s safe to assume that customers would gravitate towards it.

For businesses, it’s important to train delivery partners in the ways of no-contact delivery. Also important is defining a clear process and flow for contactless deliveries and contingencies that protect the interests of both the customers and the delivery executives.

How will Tookan make Contactless delivery possible?

Tookan is an enterprise delivery management software that helps businesses run super smooth delivery operations with a suite of powerful end-to-end business solutions. Some features that make Tookan the best delivery management software out there include:

• Powerful dashboard for single or bulk (CSV) task creation, smooth third-party order creation, web booking form compatibility, and more.
• Excellent delivery executive dispatching mechanism based on a suitable allocation algorithm.
• Top-notch route optimization to save your delivery executives time and enable them to complete more deliveries.
• Simplified task assignment process courtesy geofencing capabilities that help categorize delivery executives based on their location.
• Robust order tracking mechanism where customers receive SMS tracking links and in-app tracking to keep track of the driver and the expected time of arrival.

This is just the tip of the barrel when it comes to how Tookan can help a delivery business scale new heights. With Tookan, you can also easily add a contactless delivery option to the checkout page of your customer app. The drivers will also receive suitable intimation on their app when contactless delivery has been selected for a particular order.

How can you start contactless delivery for your business?

There are quite a few things you need to do to make your business ready for contactless delivery, including:

• Checkout page preparedness: The checkout page in the customer app should have a clearly highlighted section where customers can opt-in for contactless delivery. Since you can’t force no-contact delivery on customers, adding it as an option during the checkout page is the only way of going about it. If the delivery is food or grocery-related, you can add a message in the track screen mentioning the fact that the delivery will be contactless.

• Notifying customers: Training delivery executives on how to handle contactless deliveries is crucial. When a delivery executive arrives at a customer’s location, they should give the customer a call or send them a message via the app informing them of their arrival. Another way to go about informing customers of the executive’s arrival is through notifications. This option is preferred over calling or texting customers since many don’t like to be disturbed.

• Number masking: To maintain both customers’ and delivery executives’ privacy, it’s crucial to invest in robust number masking technology. This ensures the customer and delivery executive’s numbers don’t fall into the wrong hands.

• Handling tips: Like everything else, tips for delivery executives need to be digitized and paid out to the executives on a weekly or monthly basis. An option to add tips should be available on the checkout page and the post-delivery rating page. Sending customers notifications to add a tip for a great delivery experience is also recommended.

• Managing proof of delivery digitally: With contactless deliveries, getting a customer to physically sign the proof of delivery is not possible. The way out? Digital, of course. With Tookan, you can empower your agents to scan barcodes, add notes, images and collect digital signatures from customers.

Conclusion

Contactless delivery is the way ahead as the world comes to grips with the new normal of social distancing and limited physical contact. If your delivery business is in need of smart delivery management solutions to ride the pandemic wave and adapt to the changing times, get in touch with the experts at Tookan.