Logistics App Development: An Ultimate Guide to Develop an App Like Uber Freight While Saving Cost

The global logistics industry has had a rough time in the past few years. The pandemic and other hiccups resulted in supply chain disruptions, fierce competition, a huge change in consumer demand, and confusing new rules and restrictions.

But, time and again, software and mobile apps came to the rescue by solving The Biggest Challenges of the Logistics Industry effectively. With the use of technology and logistics software development, the supply chain and related businesses have come a long way.

Logistics mobile applications introduced a high level of transparency between freight forwarders and other stakeholders to make supply chain processes reliable. That’s the reason why the number of companies switching to logistics software development has increased, resulting in a global logistic market size of $71.96 billion, according to reports.

Yes, that’s right, the worldwide logistics market size will reach a whopping $71.96 billion by the year 2026. The market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 1.39% between 2022 to 2026 and will be occupied by several players majorly from the APAC region.

However, despite the need and huge market potential, there are just a few on-demand logistic mobile apps in the market as compared to apps in other domains like Food or Grocery Delivery. Several business owners in the logistics and transportation industry are afraid of investing in technology and are still suffering from challenges.

That means if you are planning to develop an on-demand logistics mobile app like Uber Freight, you have a great opportunity to launch a successful startup in the market without dealing with fierce competition. This blog lists the roadmap and details about how you can do that. So, read on.

Why Develop a Logistics Mobile Application – Reasons and Benefits

Whether you are a logistics business planning to develop a mobile app to manage your own fleet or you want to develop an On-Demand Mobile App, there are several benefits of having the right software in place. It helps you deal with challenges associated with managing a logistics business and provides a good revenue stream.

1. High Demand and Revenue Potential

The growth of the global on-demand logistics market is propelling, due to the expansion of the eCommerce industry globally, and the increase in demand for the fast delivery of packages. In addition, the trucking market is crucial to the U.S.A’s economy, because every convenience and necessity relies on this industry in one way or the other.

According to reports, the trucking industry of the USA alone earned $875.5 billion in revenue in 2021. However, despite huge potential, the industry is not yet fully digital. If you plan to build a robust and feature-rich on-demand trucking application that fulfills the needs of the target audience, there will be no bar to how much money you can make in this sector.

2. Efficient Fleet Management

Managing a logistics business without any software or app is troublesome. By building your own fleet management application, you will be able to monitor all fleet-related data in one place to make data-driven and informed decisions.

This will let you maintain all your vehicles on time and avoid many problems like technical issues or any type of problem with the engine, brakes, vehicle inspection, etc. This app/software will also keep track of all drivers, their trucks, routes, location, type of cargo, availability, payload capacity, and other information, resulting in a more controlled and profitable business.

3. No Paperwork Formalities

A logistics tracking application results in business automation which reduces the paperwork required, drastically. It helps you go paperless for everything – from tracking delivery to sending e-bills, getting paid, and accounting.

Therefore, you waste less money, save time, and your employees get access to the data faster. Automation also helps them focus on other important decisions.

Also Read: 7 Must-Haves to Consider While Developing Apps for Logistics

How to Develop a Logistics Mobile App – 6 Steps to Save Cost & Win

Developing and launching a mobile application is not an easy feat. It requires hours of planning and plotting to develop a roadmap itself that leads you to success. After that, you have to invest in designing and developing. In addition, all of this needs to be carefully done to not burn cash in the process. Here is how you can get started:

1. Define Your App Idea

When you plan to develop a mobile app, your first consideration should be your idea. It should be clear for successful implementation and overall project success. Logistics mobile applications are of several types – fleet management, on-demand logistics app, warehouse management application, and others.

You might even have an idea or business that requires a solution that doesn’t fall into any of these categories. That’s why it is important that you clearly define your app idea first. There can be two scenarios if you are planning to develop a logistics mobile app:

• You may plan to develop an application that connects carriers with shippers. It may be for a country or city.
• You may have a logistics business and have your own fleet. So, you may plan to develop an app that helps you streamline or scale your operations.

Or, you may have an entirely different model. However, in each case, it is important to first define what you want your app to do so that you can be clear about its business model and features before beginning development. If we talk about Uber Freight, it is just an app or you can say marketplace that connects shippers with carriers nearby. They do not have their own fleet.

2. Conduct Market Analysis

Building a mobile application without doing proper market research is like constructing a house without a map. It won’t last long or may fail to deliver expected outcomes.

And it has happened with many mobile app startups, for example, Hailo – an On-demand Taxi Application. The app was launched in Great Britain and got immense success there. Then, they expanded their operations to the USA without properly researching the market and had to face failure. We don’t want you to make the same mistake.

Conducting proper market research helps you know about:

• Industry trends
• Pain points of your target audience
• Psychology of your potential consumers
• Competitors’ strengths and weaknesses

Thus, your next step should be proper market research. You should talk to the end-users, build personas, and do everything required to know about their needs, problems, and preferences. Furthermore, it is also important to check out your competition in the market. Here are some of the key players in the industry:

Once you know what or where your competitors lack, you can make that your USP and stand tall in the market. You may conduct surveys or direct interviews with your audience to know more about them.

3. Select Your App Features

Now, the next step is to utilize all the information that you collected in the previous step. Based on your research, list down the pain points your end-users are having and convert their solutions into the features of your app.

So, for example, if your end-users are facing problems in managing products in their warehouse, develop a feature that helps them do it easily using a barcode or number saved in the database. It will improve the productivity and efficiency of your employees, resulting in streamlined business operations.

Similarly, if you are planning to develop an on-demand trucking solution for a target market, find out what can make the process of finding a fleet as easy as possible for them. If you are still wondering what features you must consider, check out this blog on Must-Have Features of Mobile Apps For Logistic Industry. The blog also talks about how much it will cost you to develop them.

4. Partner with an Agile Development Team to Save Cost

Once you are clear about what type of app you want to build and its features, it is time to hire your logistics app development partner. For successful development, it is always recommended to partner with an experienced Agile Development agency.

Such a partnership will guarantee a top-notch solution within deadlines.

The mobile app development process you follow can make or break your app idea. When you follow agile development processes and hire a development team well-versed in all the required technologies, you get better results. Among other things, it guarantees:

• Faster Time to Market

An agile team can quickly adapt to changes and deliver features in a short time frame, which is essential in the rapidly evolving logistics industry. By following agile development practices, you can launch your logistics app sooner and start collecting insights from customers that immediately loops back into the iterations.

• Transparent Development Process

To have peace of mind as a business owner, it’s important to have a clear understanding of who is responsible for each task, the level of progress made, and what to expect in the next release, which can be achieved through frequent communication that is the first principle of agile.

• Adequate Budget

Agile development methods are cost-effective as they prevent resources from being wasted on features that may not be useful due to UX issues. Additionally, rapid prototyping ensures that developers only code verified features, and customer feedback helps improve the solution.

• Easy Maintenance

DevOps is the main part of agile methodology. DevOps automation processes ensure that code quickly becomes a functioning app, while DevOps tools provide critical insights into the app’s performance, making maintenance easier.

The agile software development methodology also enables optimal workflow by allowing multiple steps to occur simultaneously, such as design, development, testing, and deployment, which can all go side by side once the initial MVP version of the app is released.

For example, designers can work on future iterations, developers can add features, testers can look for issues, and DevOps engineers can monitor app performance.

5. Build a PoC and MVP

After hiring a competent mobile app development company for your business, the next important step is to validate your business idea. To begin with, you will need to create a PoC or Proof of Concept and then a Minimum Viable Product.

Here is a comprehensive guide on Building a PoC and MVP.

Basically, the process involves conducting in-depth research with your app development partners to determine whether your app can be built with the technologies you want and how it can be improved with small adjustments. This step is crucial to ensure that your investments and efforts do not go to waste.

Once you have PoC, you can create a minimum viable product (MVP) with the essential features of your app. You can then soft launch the MVP and gather feedback from users, both negative and positive. This feedback will help you make necessary changes and improvements, which will ultimately shape the final product.

6. Launch Your Logistics App

Now is the time to launch your logistics mobile app.

The process of launching a logistics app involves several steps that must be carefully planned and executed. After the app has been tested, it can be launched on the relevant app stores. It’s also essential to have a strong Mobile App Marketing Strategy in place to promote the app and increase visibility.

Ongoing user feedback should also be collected to improve the app’s features and functionalities and to ensure that it remains relevant and useful to users over time. By following these steps, a logistics app can be successfully launched and maintained.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, logistics mobile applications have revolutionized the logistics industry by bringing transparency, efficiency, and automation to logistics and supply chain processes. The market potential for logistics mobile applications is huge, and those willing to invest in logistics app development can benefit from this growing market.

To develop a logistics mobile application like Uber Freight, there are six steps that you can follow. These include defining your app idea, conducting market analysis, selecting your app features, hiring an agile development team, building a PoC and MVP, and launching your logistics app.

By following these steps, you can save costs and develop a successful logistics mobile application that meets the demands of carriers, shippers, and logistics business owners. Overall, logistics mobile applications are becoming essential for businesses in the logistics industry, and investing in this technology with the help of reliable Logistics App Development Partners can lead to growth and success.