In the history of technology, time and time again, there are innovations that change the entire landscape of business. It creates a lot of positive repercussions and ripples that transcend time and space and start giving ideas for a lot of other businesses. One such business that popularized the on-demand service is the ride-hailing service Uber.
When Uber made its entry, it was not only a revolution in the field of transportation but also in the field of technology and services. The company had breached the massive gap that existed between supply and demand, especially in the case of services. With the combination of GPS and user profile, it was now possible for businesses and service providers to know where and when exactly the user needed a particular service.
This business model has mutated itself for any and every service, giving rise to the concept of Uber for X. The ‘X’ has found many services substituting its place, including but not limited to restaurant food, handyman, household services, grocery, medicine delivery, videos, and even dating.
Parallel to this, there has been a lot of service-agnostic Uber for Xs as well. One such service is Uber for courier services.
Why Uber for Couriers?
Rewinding life by a couple of decades, not many people had the need to transport packages within the city or between cities. Today, e-commerce has become more flexible and accessible. It is possible that any person can create their own e-commerce store. There has also been a considerable increase in the usage of digital payment and banking methods.
In addition, the comfort of doing business has improved quite a lot in the past 10 to 15 years, and it has led to people advertising their products on platforms like Facebook. This means the creators and producers are on the rise and have been creating fantastic products that are evident in the number of home businesses that have sprouted and flourished in recent years.
However, unlike e-commerce giants, home-based businesses cannot afford to have their own fleet of delivery executives. They will have to rely on third-party transportation services. This is where Uber for couriers comes into relevance.
Just like any other time-and-demand-driven business, Uber for Courier presents a lucrative business option for aspiring entrepreneurs who would like to ride on the on-demand wave of making huge profits.
Before you embark on your entrepreneurial journey of building an app like Uber for courier service, there are a few important aspects of the business that you will need to know. In the paragraphs below, we have detailed on all the finer elements of your Uber for Courier business and also the on-demand courier delivery app development process.
The different business models
Courier services, on the surface, might seem monotonous. However, there are different models of business giving enough choice for you to choose the mode in which your on-demand courier delivery app will be working.
- The first among them is the postal and courier services app. A lot of old-school companies have realized the importance of technology and being active in the mobile space. They have leveraged this technology and have smoothly incorporated it into their existing business landscape. Some of the most prominent names using such technology include brands like FedEx and DHL.
Some of them have gone to create specific mobile apps for specific niches. FedEx, for example, has a separate mobile app for same-day delivery. DPD has a proper customer admin panel that allows them to create shipments without printing out labels on packages.
- The second type of business is more like an information aggregator. Instead of performing the delivery, they gather data from all courier services and accumulate them at one point. Using that data, they can inform users about the status of the package that they have sent or expect to receive. As you can expect, the business is quite data-intense, and push notifications take care to update users regarding the status of the package.
- The third type of business is branded delivery and integrated solutions. Online courier retailers who employ this business model use mobile apps that are equipped with a tracking feature. There have been instances of retailers that have provided a complete scope with this business model, starting right from picking up of a parcel to the completion of successful delivery. This gives a wide spectrum of information for customers including updates like if the package is ready to be shipped out and if it has to be delivered on time.
Uber for courier services is another business model that has slowly been catching up with other business models, thanks to the millennial mindset that demands everything on demand! The business model basically works to provide courier services to someone who wants a specific pick up. However, instead of employing drivers, this business model uses either independent drivers or riders who are already in an engagement to pass through that route of delivery. This saves a lot of time and money for both parties involved.
On-Demand Courier Delivery App Development
It’s a fact that there are different business models to choose from. An aspiring entrepreneur might find it difficult to arrive at the best business model for their on-demand parcel delivery app. We have outlined below, a few steps that need to be taken to ensure that you are on track.
Choosing the right business model
This is, by a considerable distance, the most important step in determining the success of your business. It is important that you understand your market before you choose your business model. You should also consider factors like the business specifics, long-term goals, availability of resources, and the vision and experience that you have in mind.
Work on the requirements
The crux of your Uber for Courier remains in the mobile application. However, auxiliary to that fact, there are lots of other aspects that need to be considered. You will need to have a clear understanding of the geographic scope of your business, the type of delivery, the average parcel size that you can expect, and so on. Optimizing your business for these parameters enhances the chances of your success.
Figure out the features
As we are talking about an Uber model, your on-demand courier service has two different apps one for the customer and the other for the driver.
- The customer should be able to quickly create a profile, and if it is a mandatory requirement, they should be able to easily input the pick-up and drop locations.
- The customer can also have a feature where they can choose the vehicle that they would like to get their parcel.
- The customer should be able to communicate with the designated driver via chat or call.
- The customer should be able to make their payments using digital payment methods like credit cards and debit cards. For this purpose, your app should be tied up with versatile payment options.
- The app should provide real-time tracking of the consignment so both the user and the recipient can be aware of what is happening. In addition, the users should also be provided with a fare estimation based on factors like traffic, demand, supply, and distance.
- The customer should be able to rate their experience with the delivery executive and the business, once the package is delivered.
When you go for an Uber for courier services, more often than not, it is quite likely that you will have freelance or gig drivers.
- The driver should have the space to dictate their own work hours. They should also have the freedom to accept or reject delivery requests based on their convenience.
- The driver should be guided by the GPS/mapping/navigation combination, so they can reach the destination without any hassle. The navigation should also include dynamic routing, so the driver just won’t have to worry about making wrong turns occasionally.
- Just like the customer can, the driver should also be able to communicate with the customer.
- It should be remembered that every driver has stepped into this service only because they can earn an extra income. The driver should be able to view their weekly and monthly earnings on the app. In addition, they should also have the earnings processed to their bank account at the earliest, so they can look at such courier services as a source of steady income.
Conclusion
Although there is no replacement for the hardcore business process in setting up your app like Uber for courier service, you can still avail a massive advantage in the technical process. Instead of investing your time and resources on an on-demand courier delivery app development from scratch, you can use a white label Uber for the courier clone app.
These white label solutions are extremely easy to customize and do not have any bugs that might interfere with the basic features and functionalities. Most companies that specialize in Uber for Courier clone app development also take care to customize the app according to your requirements. This will ensure that you launch your business in the shortest possible time!