People crave convenience, and on-demand apps are taking care of that sensationally. The current generation is such that we need everything in our comfort. Smartphones have become an important part of our lives and we have reached a point where we can get things at our doorstep with the swipe of our fingers. Whether you need to call a cab, order food, or buy groceries, it is just one tap away. There are apps that can provide services on-demand, whenever and wherever we need them. With time, our needs and expectations to get instant services have certainly scaled-up, and that’s where on-demand service apps have captured the modern-day consumer.

Noticing consumer needs, many industries are coming forward with their on-demand apps and investing a lot in this platform. If you have an idea where you can add up to the people’s convenience, you should surely seek an on-demand app development company. There are firms that exhibit prowess in on-demand app development and would do the needful for you.

What is an On-demand App?

On-demand apps are apps that act as a connector between the businesses (service providers) and customers and provide the latter with instant access to different services. The services can be related to food delivery, vehicle rentals, household appliances repair, and more. Consumers can claim these services with a few taps on their smartphones. Uber and Airbnb are some of the popular on-demand service apps.

Let’s take a look at some stats revolving around on-demand services.

1. By the end of 2020, nearly 7.6 million Americans will act as providers in the on-demand economy.
2. Millennials make up to 50% of the on-demand consumers.
3. The on-demand food delivery market is expected to hit around $162 billion by 2023.
4. Consumers claiming on-demand services spend an average of $57.6 billion annually.

The numbers have attracted investors from all over the world in this domain. On-demand apps are getting better and popular and spreading in the online marketplace like wildfire.

Industries Leveraging On-demand apps

Many businesses are turning their heads towards on-demand apps due to their increased popularity and the recognition they tend to provide to a brand. Take a look at a few areas where on-demand apps are leaving their imprint.

1. Online Food Ordering

The online food order and delivery businesses have achieved great results in the past couple of years. Food ordering apps like Swiggy and Zomato have made a heavy customer base and receive tons of orders daily through their platform. Since food is our necessity, this segment of on-demand apps is never going down for sure. Craving something? Just browse through the app and search for your favorite dishes from the nearby restaurants and get it delivered hot and fresh to your doorstep within some time (possibly within an hour). How cool, isn’t it?

2. Cab booking

The first thing that strikes the mind while discussing online taxi booking services is Uber. The success of this ride-hailing company has boosted the demand for on-demand taxi businesses. It has sidelined the traditional taxi business, providing users the freedom and flexibility to opt for a taxi service at their convenience. Users can enter their pick-up and drop location, check the price up-front, and upon confirmation, the app will connect them to the nearby drivers. OlaCabs is another popular example of on-demand cab booking apps.

3. Healthcare

The healthcare industry is one of the fastest-growing industries and goes through regular updates and transformations. There have been technological advancements in this sector, however, it still possesses a challenge to make the services reach the needy. With the development of on-demand healthcare services, such issues are slowly getting eliminated. Businesses are showing a keen interest in healthcare app development to tackle the associated challenges and provide medical assistance whenever needed. On-demand healthcare solutions make it possible to get a quick consultation through expert medical professionals, get a home check-up, or even get the medicines delivered to a user’s place.

Benefits of On-demand apps

On-demand service apps offer various advantages to businesses as well as users. With smartphones’ usage getting extremely high, businesses are seeking a mobile app development company to launch their iOS and Android on-demand apps and to provide the best on-demand services to their customers.

A few benefits of on-demand apps for businesses are-

1. Flexibility

One of the major advantages on-demand apps bring for businesses is the flexibility in providing services to their customers. The businesses run 24×7 and fulfill customer needs whenever they want. All that is needed is a flawless app with no performance glitches.

2. Savings

On-demand apps have introduced the MVP model of business that help save cost. It allows businesses to effortlessly upgrade their apps with new features to cater to the users’ demands. It also serves as a great tool to market deals and discounts that is quite helpful to expand the customer base at a low expense.

3. Better Outreach

On-demand service apps have been aiding the service providers to reach a large audience. The services are highly secure as they assist the users to comfortably reach them and the service provider can help fulfill their needs.

Characteristics of an on-demand app

When it comes to on-demand app development, there are a few features it should include, such as-

1. GPS Tracking

GPS plays a crucial role in an on-demand service app as its integration allows users to track their order in real-time and also check the estimated time of arrival (ETA). During the development process, the app developers integrate Maps which can be made available to customers as well as service providers.

2. Push Notifications

Push notifications is amongst the most important features not just in an on-demand app but for any mobile app. It comes of great use to let your customers know about the ongoing deals and offers, or notify them about anything happening in your business. As far as for on-demand app development is concerned, push notifications help send real-time status to the users regarding their service requests and keeps them updated.

3. Multiple Payment Options

Today, users have their preferences for payment options. That’s where it becomes important to incorporate multiple payment options in your on-demand app so that they can choose the one with which they feel more secure and comfortable. The more the options, the higher the chances of conversions. Besides, it will make the app more acceptable among users. Ask the app development company to connect with different payment portals to allow users to pay and tip without any inconvenience.

4. Reviews and Ratings

Allow customers to share their experience with your services by adding the rating and reviews section in your app. This works as social proof for new users by building a sense of trust and as feedback for the brand to improve the quality of their services, and the overall app quality.

5. Cancellation

At times, there can arise situations when the user wants to cancel the order or the booking for some reason. Therefore, for this matter, include an option in your app where users can cancel their order or reschedule the booking as per their convenience.

Apart from the features, the on-demand should offer a rich user experience and quality should be maintained throughout the application. One of the key things to look after is the app’s User Interface (UI). Customers demand an easy-to-use interface. Any compromise in it can make you lose to your competitors. So, it is recommended to hire expert UI/UX designers who can design a perfect on-demand app. The backend should also be solid and constantly checked for quality assurance.

Final Thoughts

The ease and the flexibility to choose services within a few clicks is what makes these apps so popular among consumers. The associated benefits have pushed many companies to start thinking of investing in this niche.

The on-demand industry is growing fast and such apps will be a huge success in the upcoming years. They will capture a major part of the consumer’s daily lifestyle. With apps like Uber and Airbnb tasting tremendous success in this domain, the business models of such apps will be heavily adopted. Also with the continuously changing market trends, on-demand apps will definitely aid in enhancing or shaping the future of businesses, and we may witness the on-demand services setting foot into newer industries.