The logistics drive businesses globally. Whenever entrepreneurs think of widening their footprints across geographies, the transportation and logistics sector lends a helping hand. This is the reason why this sector is thriving by leaps and bounds these days. The survey conducted on the logistics and transportation industry in the US has revealed that the spending in this industry is around 8 percent of the US GDP.
Logistics can manage the transportation of the goods and materials and involve various processes including warehousing, material handling, supply chain management, and the like. To smoothen the operations and address the ever-changing needs, the logistics domain needs a technology support. There, logistics mobile app development comes into the picture. Here we will see the features and benefits of logistics app for your business.
But, before moving to features and benefits let’s have a glimpse of the types of logistics and transportation app solutions:
- Apps to manage fleet- These apps can record all the data related to fleet management. You can assign the app to the driver of the vehicle and manage the fleet with an end-to-end mobile solution.
- On-demand apps- On-demand apps are in vogue and businesses can leverage their benefits. When it comes to the logistics business, the logistics on-demand app can help you deliver the goods as per the user’s requirements. It also helps you connect with the client.
- Apps for warehouse- Warehousing management is also a part of the logistics business. A dedicated app for storing and accessing the warehouse data remains handy to keep the management process simple and effective.
- Apps for tracking- Such apps help you track the location of your driver. You can get real-time updates about delivery and the route of your fleet.
You can also opt for a complex transportation mobile app that includes all the features to meet the diverse requirements of your logistics business.
Top Features of Logistics App
We can classify the customized logistics app in three parts. Features can be integrated into the app on the basis of this classification.
- Customer Panel
This is a customer-side app that includes the following common features:
- Registration- Simple and straightforward registration process includes the sign-up process through an email or a social network account
- List of Vehicles- After registering, the user can go to the list of vehicles. The user can select the vehicles as per their needs, so your company can deliver the goods in a single trip
- Vehicle Booking- Users can select the vehicle and book it as per their convenient date and time
- Real-time Alerts- Notification and alerts related to delivery, tracking, offering, and other services are sent to the users on a regular basis. The real-time alert is sent when the vehicle left the warehouse and reach the user’s place
- Payment Gateway- Users can pay online through an app with a payment gateway integration. They can also get the bill and its receipt in the app
- Track Consignment- The user can track the consignment as it goes out for the delivery. The tracking feature also shows the track on the real-time basis
- Rate and Review- After getting delivery of goods, the users can share their experience and give the rating to your service.
A few logistics app also enables the users to see the estimated fare charges depending on the choice of vehicle and a quote as per the user’s requirements.
2. Driver Panel
This part of the app is useful for the drivers and helps them increase their productivity. It contains the following features:
- Registration- The driver registers in the app using either social media credentials or email address
- Request management- The drivers get the user’s request to deliver the shipment and manage it till completing the order
- Shipper details- Drivers can get the complete detail of the user or shipper like name, address, contact number, and destination
- Route tracking- Thanks to GPS technology, drivers can find and determine the route to reach the destination
Approval of bills and payment receipt are other features that can be integrated into the driver-side transportation and logistics app.
- Admin Panel
The logistics mobile app development company focuses on developing the admin panel as it is the core of the entire logistics app and gives their transportation-related clients a complete control. Here are some necessary features of the admin panel:
- Dashboard- It includes every information related to the users and drivers. The admin can see the pending and completed orders along with the real-time information
- Driver monitoring- It enables the admin to monitor the driver’s on-road activities and managing all the pending orders
- Push notification- It enables the admin to send notifications regarding order completion, payment, and driver allotment
- Billing- The admin can access, analyze, and approve all the bills and invoices with ease by using this feature
- Vehicle management- This is one of the most important features for the admin. It is easy to track the vehicles and their fuel consumption along with performing other management-related activities
In brief, the admin panel contains all the features to provide seamless services.
Additional Features to Give Edge to Your Logistics App
In a competitive business scenario when your transportation and logistics business comes across challenges every now and then, you should opt for an advanced app. The customized logistics and transportation mobile app with the cutting-edge features and a seamless performance can give your business an edge over peers.
Here is a list of such additional features:
Chat- It is always better to stay connected with your drivers and customers online. The in-app chat features enable you to communicate with drivers, stakeholders, and other people as and when necessary.
Multi-language Support- When it comes to coordinate with the drivers across different regions and countries, the multilingual app remains useful.
GPS- Apart from showing the driver’s route, the GPS technology enables you to get information about various locations where your drivers can go during the course of their journey. It has a role in sending the push notifications.
Analytics- It enables you to measure all the business activities. You can get real-time reports regarding order completion, fuel consumption, and the like precisely.
Driver-related feature- When you deliver the goods in a distant place, it is necessary to track the vehicle speed, driver’s halts and phone usage, etc. This feature assists the management to ensure the driver’s security.
Your logistics app is a kind of investment to expand your business. If you integrate more user-friendly and driver-focused features, chances for you to get a higher RoI.
Business Benefits of Logistics Mobile App Development
- Track your vehicle- Your logistics business requires accuracy to deliver the goods on time. With the geolocation functionality, you can track the vehicle and on getting the real-time location of your vehicle, you can notify the customer instantly. Also, you can track the vehicle through GPS technology and send the help quickly in case of emergency.
- Manage your fleet- You need to manage the fleet properly to thrive your business. Also, the efficient fleet management can enable you to improve the productivity. The app stores data of all your vehicles and their routes. You can also track the location of the drivers and manage the service schedule of the vehicles.
- Facilitate online booking- Businesses witness a paradigm shift from laptops and desktops to mobile apps. As entrepreneurs prefer to do business operations on the move, you can facilitate them to book their parcel and cargo with a dedicated logistics mobile app.
- Avoid paperwork- The conventional business model for transportation and logistics business involves a lot of paperwork. Thanks to a customized logistics app, you can get rid of paperwork and manage everything with ease by a few clicks.
- Get real-time information- The app can give you and your customers the real-time information about various important activities, which is necessary for the growth of your business.
- No room for errors- Custom logistics app brings automation in the business. Be it ERP or CRM, it is easy to take care of every aspect related to your employees and customers. It can save your business from any costly errors.
- Improve service- How about giving a real-time information to your customers about the delivery of goods and other aspects? A customized and feature-rich app can enable you to improve the customer services through establishing a 24/7 connection with the customers.
It is fair to state that a logistics and transportation mobile app can make your business more customer-friendly and result-oriented.
How much you need to pay for a logistics app
Courtesy: Fingent
Now, we will go through the cost of a logistics app. Though different Android app development companies vary in charging for developing a customized app, here, we will go through the estimated app development cost.
It is necessary to find the right Android app development services provider to get your project done on time. You can also hire Android app developers who take charge on hourly basis. But, here comes the twist of the tail. The hourly charge is different across various countries. For example, the US and Canada-based app developers take over $160 an hour. On the other hand, Indian Android app developers take anywhere between $25 to $40 an hour. If your app project is complex and requires many development hours, then you should opt for Indian developers.
Your app development team consists of a project manager, a couple of developers, a few designers, and a QA executive. You can get a native logistics app with basic features in India at around $10000. Whereas the complex app can cost way beyond $30000. These prices are in line with considering the hourly rate between $25 to $30 an hour.
Apart from the app development cost, it is better to keep the provision for miscellaneous expenses like app marketing, maintenance, and other costs. Your app needs a boost of ASO and other marketing techniques at the initial level. Therefore, you should spend some money on app promotion. It can give your app initial downloads that are necessary to grab people’s attention.
Also, it is necessary for you to come up with the updated version of your app with some new features and improved functionality on a regular basis. There, a mobile app development services provider can play a significant role through providing app maintenance and support services. Furthermore, if you operate the logistics business at the international level, you may need legal permissions related to a few app features.
The cost estimate does not include these additional expenses. You can discuss these aspects before assigning your app project to the Android app development company.
Here we have mentioned a brief introduction about the development cost of Android logistics app. Just click here if you want to know more about the factors affecting Android app development cost. However, it is better to contact Android app development company with your project requirements to get the exact quote. Many mobile application development companies provide a no-obligation quote that can help you compare the prices.
As a leading mobile app development company, we build on-demand apps for various industry sectors. You can also hire logistics app developers from our team of expert professionals to accomplish your project in a cost-effective way.