How much does it Cost to make a Courier or Logistics App Development

The logistics sector is one of the few domains that operate 24*7 with stringent timelines and dependencies. The boom in the eCommerce industry is one of the leading factors contributing to its growth. The global logistics market is expected to $12.25 trillion by the year 2025!

A delivery management app for a logistics company will help streamline operations for both the company and the app users. Logistics is an intricate department and involves minute details that strengthen the seamless flow between order placement to delivery process. If any of the moving pieces in this sector malfunction, the entire process can go for a toss. An app is a perfect medium to overlook fleet management, warehouse management, employee management and customer management- anywhere and anytime!

If you are a logistics company, you can definitely relate to scenarios when your driver calls midway to tell you that the vehicle has broken down or a customer repeatedly calls to ask about the courier's whereabouts. A logistics app will be a great helping hand to keep these situations in check.

This article will give you an overview of the features that make up a logistics application and the overall costs of developing a quality-centric app. Features of a Good Courier/Logistics Application

There are three major dimensions of a logistics application- user end, driver/ employee end and admin end. Let's take a quick look at all the three:

#1 User Side Features

1. Registration/Login: New users need to register to use the application. Log in is needed to track courier status.
2. Order Acceptance: If the user has already placed an order from an eCommerce website and your company is responsible for delivering the courier, the user needs to be notified of its acceptance from the company's end.
3. In-App Payments: Users should be able to make in-app payments securely with a 2-step authentication mechanism in case of international goods delivery, in-app purchases, etc.
4. Real-time tracking with ETA: Tracking the courier with estimates of when the parcel will reach the destination. Intermediate stops can also be highlighted to give the customer high-level details of the delivery process.
5. Delivery proof: App should support a digital signature mechanism when the parcel is delivered to the user.
6. Ratings and reviews: A user should be able to rate as well as view ratings of other users
7. Push Notifications: This will keep the users updated on the status of the package transit
8. History: This can be introduced as an additional feature. Good to have for users to track previously delivered parcels.

#2 Driver Side Features

1. Login: The driver can log in to the application to see parcels assigned for scheduled deliveries.
2. Accept/ Receive the Order: The driver can choose to accept or reject the delivery of goods
3. Status Availability through Profile Management: This can help the driver set his availability, and the data will be shown in the admin panel.
4. Delivery Details: This section can have information on vehicle fuel consumption details, the weight of goods, toll charges in the selected routes, and the distance to be covered.
5. Route Management: This feature will update the drivers on the best route to be taken for transit.
6. History: This will indicate the history of deliveries made to date.

#3 Admin Side Features

The admin should have a clean UI to manage the following processes:

1. Customer-related information: Orders and their respective statuses, along with payment information, customer details information, etc.
2. Employee Information: List of employees available, information of driver currently in parcel delivery, vehicle in use and its related information.
3. Fleet Information: Condition of the vehicles, information on vehicles requiring servicing, etc.
4. Warehouse Information: Parcels and their delivery destination along with transit status.
5. Analytics Dashboard: To manage in-app functioning, process management and detail integration.

How much does the development of a Logistics Mobile App Cost?

Considering the fact that your app will include individual panels for admin, end-users and drivers, here is a breakdown of the factors that add up to the total development cost:

#1 Backend and frontend development stack

The development tech stack that you consider should be inclusive of the front end, database, payment gateway, real-time analytics, push notifications, and server technology to be used. Additionally, if you opt for advanced features like an automated chatbot for personalization purposes, there will be a cost incurred for AI as well.

Here is a quick overview of languages that can be used-

• Front end- HTML, CSS, React, Kotlin, Bootstrap, Swift
• Back End- Python, Angular, JavaScript
• Cloud- Google, Azure, AWS
• Payment Gateways- PayPal, Stripe
• Analytics- IBM, CISCO, Hadoop
• Push Notifications- Firebase, Twilio

#2 Platform

Decide on whether the app will be developed for Android, iOS or cross-platform. Cross platform enables the same application to work on both Android as well as iOS platforms, thus allowing for much easier implementation and faster deployment.

#3 Development Team Size

Its an infamous saying in the development realm, "Effort equals cost". You can either choose a team of freelance developers or a well-established mobile app development company to create your application. Keep in mind that the number of team members will influence the cost of the project.

#4 Post Launch Support

Make sure to understand whether the cost of development covers post-launch support. You will need developers to fix security patches or provide support after the app goes live.

#5 Minimum Viable Product or Direct Output

A Minimum Viable Product (MVP) comprises all the basic functionalities of the application. It enables the stakeholders to decide which features to retain, drop or add, thereby saving on the app's total investment.

To summarize, app development with all the features mentioned above, a ballpark estimate would be around $30k USD-$70k USD. This number will solely depend on the features that are to be included in the app. If you want to integrate advanced features in your logistics app, the charges can go higher.

In Conclusion

A well-formulated application can revolutionize your business by maximizing delivery volumes in minimum time while tracking all the moving pieces in a standardized and organized manner. Biz4Group is a globally renowned eCommerce development agency with a seasoned team of expert developers, designers, and project managers. We deliver a fully-functional custom eCommerce business store within 4-6 weeks with top-notch quality deliverables.

Reach out to our experts to get a free consultation now!!