How to Make an App Like DoorDash? A Complete Guide to Build

With mobile apps becoming more customized and valuable investments, more businesses are opting to invest in building them. Two of the most popular apps customers prefer are food delivery and online shopping apps. This has pushed the market upward, especially the food delivery app market. According to one report, the food delivery app industry is set to reach $213 billion by 2030. 

There are thousands of food delivery apps, and if you are in the US, you must have come across the most popular one—DoorDash, which has more than 50% market share. However, many apps like DoorDash have platform-to-consumer models.

If you are planning to enter the trillion-dollar business of app delivery services and build delivery apps like DoorDash, then you need to understand certain factors and steps to create an app. Keep reading this blog to gain complete insight into steps to make apps like DoorDash to make money, key points to consider, and technology aspects.

What is DoorDash?

DoorDash is an online food delivery app. Customers can order food on-demand from their preferred restaurants and have it delivered to their house, workplace, or any other location at the mentioned address. Alternatively, they can select the self-pickup option and pick up their ordered meals themselves. Consider it as a single, centralized platform where patrons may peruse and observe menu selections, special offers, and current promotions from several eateries.

DoorDash is a widely used food delivery app and is ahead of highly celebrated apps like GrubHub and Uber Eats, which is why many new entrants are trying to build apps like DoorDash.

Features to Implement while Developing Delivery Apps like DoorDash

When you plan to develop apps like DoorDash to make money and reach the target audience, there are certain features you need to consider implementing:

Quick Orders Supply

Customers look for apps that deliver their food orders before or on time. Customers can now purchase their favorite delicacies more efficiently, thanks to apps like DoorDash. There is a simple solution, regardless of how exhausted they are from work or how late it is to cook: With an app similar to DoorDash, you can play on people’s emotions and let your clients place orders and arrange deliveries right to their houses. Having a solid connection with restaurants, you can help deliver food in a quick time.

Real-Time Tracking

One of the essential features that apps like Temu and other food delivery apps add is real-time tracking, which allows customers to track their orders in real-time and be prepared to collect them. Moreover, if there is a geolocation feature, it will be easier for users to follow orders and for you, the controller.

Multiple Payment Gateways

From credit/debit cards to COD, customers look for multiple payment options. Therefore, if you want to build delivery apps like DoorDash, then offer a customized payment gateway option. A few examples are PayPal, ApplePay, Stripe, and other reputable sites that are best for payment gateway. When it comes to completing transactions or making purchases online, consumers demand a secure and identifiable identity. 

When creating your food delivery app, choose a reliable mobile payment interface to gain their trust and ensure that you never experience a payment-related issue.

How to Make an App Like DoorDash?

If you check out other apps like DoorDash or Temu, you will have carefully they have built the app. To develop a food delivery app, it is essential to consider development strategies, market research, the right tech, and budget considerations. All of these can help achieve a profitable outcome. Let us check some of the essential steps:

1. Market Research and Analysis

To make an app like DoorDash, conducting market research and analysis is a vital stage. Examine DoorDash, Temu, Uber Eats, and other apps to determine what makes customers use their apps. The goal is to include both organizational and financial expansion. If your investigation turns up different options in the food delivery sector, you should modify your app development strategy. Moreover, conducting meticulous research will help get a deeper understanding of the existing app market.

2. Choose the Food Delivery Model

There are different food delivery models for building an app. You can choose one that fits your business model and the target audience. Some of these are-

• Order Only Model

In this model of food delivery apps like DoorDash, your business will get an application that is only equipped to allow delivery orders. This implies that you will get orders through your meal delivery app, which you will then send to the restaurant for preparation and delivery.

• Order-and-Delivery Model

Under this model, your company will be able to process, send, and transport orders with this kind of food delivery app model. Restaurants only need to prepare orders for consumers; the delivery app platform will take care of the delivery logistics.

• Restaurant-Specific Model

The primary beneficiary of the restaurant-specific business model is the restaurant owners themselves. With this food app concept, restaurant owners may accept delivery and package orders straight from the app, prepare them, and send them out on their own, adding their branding and personalization as needed.

3. Selecting App Monetizing Models

Your step is to choose the monetization model. Some of the preferred models used for the delivery app development are-

• Commission-based

There are two things for which consumers are charged in commission-based. These are-

Delivery price: Under this, you can consider the distance covered between the restaurants and the delivery destinations, allowing you to set an appropriate delivery price. However, to employ this model effectively, you will need to establish a strong user base over the first six months after implementation.

Service Fee: If restaurants use your meal delivery app, such as DoorDash, you can charge them a nominal service fee. This will minimize early expenses and encourage restaurants to choose your new app over industry giants like UberEats and GrubHub.

Advertising Fees: Charging advertising costs to advertisers who wish to display their adverts on your meal delivery app platform is one of the most popular monetization techniques. You can include a wide range of ad formats in your meal delivery app, including banners and playable advertising. You can check other apps like DoorDash, where you can see what kind of advertising they display on the app.

4. Hiring the Best App Development Company/Team

Apps like DoorDash are built by a highly professional team with insight and knowledge about the market, development process, and tools. Therefore, you need to research and hire a professional app development company that has experience in building food delivery apps and is backed by a solid technical team.

5. Choosing a Technology Stack

Apps like DoorDash and Temu are built using modern technology stacks. Some of the options you can choose are-

• For Application and Data- JavaScript, Python, React, NGINX, CloudFlare, TypeScript,
• For DevOps- GitHub, Docker, Jenkins, WebPack, New Relic,
• Business Tools: Jira, GSuite, and AdRoll

6. Choosing Essential Features

Next in line is to choose the right features. There are three different areas to consider here-

• Customer App Features

When building a food delivery app, it is essential to make it user-friendly and feature-driven. From the sign-up page to placement and the payment gateway, every area should be customer-oriented. You can even add a review and ratings feature so that customers can write about their service experience, which can be helpful for rating purposes.

• Restaurant App Features

The restaurant app feature should have options for accepting, rejecting, and confirming orders. Additionally, adding features like delivery tracking, replying to reviews, and push notifications can make your app more engaging.

• Delivery Agent App Features

The delivery agent app requires features such as creating a profile, order information, accepting/rejecting an order, and push notifications.

7. Testing the App

Now comes the most crucial part of developing apps like DoorDash to make money. Testing an application is essential to ensure there are bugs or technical failures once the app goes live. The best you can do is take time throughout the testing phase if you want your service, like DoorDash, to rival or even approach market leaders like UberEats and Temu. From User-Acceptance Testing to Automated Testing and Security Testing, the testing team should follow these steps. An mobile app development service would take care of this while developing an app, ensuring you get the best product. 

8. Post-Live Support

It is critical to plan for post-launch maintenance and support for your food delivery service. Users may face issues during order placement or payment while using it, but they will offer feedback accordingly. With post-launch support, you can respond to user comments, improve the application, and quickly fix any faults or errors. Quickly addressing user problems enhances the overall user experience for consumers of your food delivery app.

Summing it Up

Following these food delivery app development guides can help entrepreneurs and developers build apps like DoorDash. However, it is important to have the right approach and the right team. Hiring a professional mobile app development company like Lucenta Solutions can give the process a new dimension. 

Lucenta’s team has years of experience developing delivery apps like DoorDash using a modern tech stack and long-term maintenance. Therefore, consider outsourcing food delivery app development to a leading mobile app development service so you can concentrate on your business growth.