How Businesses Can Leverage On-Demand Apps During Coronavirus Outbreak

COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world as we knew it. It’s been close to six months since the first case was reported in China.  The number of coronavirus cases is still rising in the major part of the world. Nobody knows how long it will take this pandemic to subside so we have to learn to live with it now. The role of tech in fighting the pandemic crisis is nothing short of a blessing. One area that has particularly been of great help is on-demand services apps during the coronavirus outbreak.

For instance, there is a massive reduction in the search queries for restaurants as users are instead looking for food delivery options now.

Why On-Demand Apps Are Flourishing During Coronavirus Outbreak

Coronavirus has forced us to stay locked in our homes for our own good. Human beings have collectively adopted a new lifestyle wherein we are compelled to minimize our purchases.

Considering how vital lockdowns are to maintain social distancing, a large number of businesses have shut their operations. The most affected businesses are the ones that required people to visit their outlets for making purchases or consuming services.

These are unusual, unprecedented times but being problem-solvers by nature, many businessmen have found a way out. The way businesses run now has drastically evolved and that too in a shockingly short span.

So what if customers can’t go to the shops to buy things? Businesses will get them delivered at home. So what if people can’t afford to interact with delivery professionals while collecting their orders? Businesses will facilitate contactless delivery.

Certain essential categories of on-demand apps like grocery and food delivery, doctor on-demand, on-demand laundry services, and medical supplies delivery have particularly become more popular now. You can read more about types of essential on-demand apps in the next section.

On-demand apps have found a solution to every operational issue posed by this pandemic. Following are the reasons behind the rise of on-demand apps during the coronavirus outbreak:

Compliant with social distancing

With lockdowns being extended and the fears of COVID-19 rising, on-demand apps are the best solution for providing goods while maintaining social distancing.

The reason behind the rise in on-demand apps during the coronavirus outbreak is they enable users to avail services without stepping out of their homes. People are turning to on-demand apps as these apps provide quick delivery and doorstep services with facilities like no-contact delivery.

Choices from the comfort of home

People don’t want to travel far to buy the things they need. They mostly visit the nearest store or facility to get their desired services.

However, there might not be many businesses open around us all the time. Moreover, one or two shops do not give us a wide range of options for the things we want to buy.

On-demand apps overcome this limitation by offering choices for different goods and services. By partnering with multiple vendors and enabling various modes of payments, on-demand apps can provide a holistic shopping experience even during the coronavirus outbreak.

Different Types of On-Demand Apps Essential During COVID-19 Pandemic

Although some on-demand apps like travel and hotel booking apps have been negatively impacted due to the lockdowns, there is a silver lining as the demand for many other on-demand app categories sees unusually high growth during this pandemic.

On-demand food delivery apps

Food delivery is a business that hardly gets affected in any kind of situation. On-demand food delivery app development isn’t a recent phenomenon. Even though these apps have been around for long, their demand has seen a surge during the coronavirus outbreak,

The restaurants, as well as the delivery partners, are compliant with the precautionary guidelines issued by the W.H.O. This gives an assurance to the users that it’s safe for them to order food through on-demand food delivery apps.

On-demand grocery delivery apps

No matter how bad the circumstances are or how strict the lockdown is, people cannot survive without getting fresh groceries every once in a while.

On-demand grocery delivery apps are a safer alternative to traditional grocery shopping. It is all the more effective in avoiding panic buying and thus prevents crowds at brick and mortar stores.

As a result, the on-demand grocery industry has emerged as a huge market you can tap during this coronavirus outbreak.

On-demand doctors’ appointment app

During the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors and hospitals are understandably a lot more engaged than how they were earlier.

While it’s true that only select healthcare facilities are attending to coronavirus cases, patients with other diseases need to be tended with extra caution too. Due to these reasons, it is not possible now to just go and see a doctor when you are sick.

Doctor on-demand app development is a powerful medium that connects users with doctors virtually. Various on-demand healthcare apps let you book an appointment with a  doctor and some of them have online consultation options as well.

On-demand medicines delivery app

The world is dealing with one of the worst pandemics in recent times. It is natural that people are concerned about it and are largely talking only about COVID-19 live updates.

However, we cannot ignore the fact that there is a massive number of other health issues that people are facing. With lockdowns and fears of COVID-19 transmission, it’s difficult for people to get their medicines from pharmacies. It is but natural then that on-demand medicines delivery apps are no less than a boon in these testing times.

On-demand apps for other miscellaneous purposes in coronavirus outbreak

In addition to the major on-demand app categories, businesses across the world are leveraging the on-demand app technology to offer different kinds of essential and non-essential services.

For example, the demand for video conferencing apps like Zoom and Google Hangout has skyrocketed as organizations had an abrupt switch to remote working.

Video streaming apps have seen unprecedented growth too as people are forced to spend the whole day at home.

Many businesses have joined the bandwagon and launched apps for household chores. On-demand laundry service and on-demand house services apps are two prominent examples of the same.

How To Build An On-Demand App For Your Business

As the nationwide lockdowns keep extending in many countries, it’s vital for you to adopt an on-demand business model to survive in the industry.

Whether you are starting out a business from scratch or want to digitize your existing business, here is how you can navigate the path of on-demand apps development:

1. Extensive market and consumer research

We understand these times call for quick decision making and even quicker execution. However, you cannot make the right application unless you know who is going to use it and why they are going to use it.

If you have a basic on-demand app idea in mind, you must not start with the app development process unless you have validated your idea with market and consumer research.

To develop successful on-demand apps during the coronavirus outbreak, you must get insights into the new needs of the users in these unusual times. Make an accurate buyer persona and define what needs you are going to meet through your on-demand application.

2. List the essential features for your on-demand app

On the basis of who your user will be and why they will use the app, you need to make a list of must-have features for your on-demand app. The features and functionalities will largely depend on the user demographics, your industry, and the purpose of your app.

For example, an on-demand healthcare app must be equipped with features like the medical history of the patients, consultation fees of the doctors, etc.

A grocery delivery app or any eCommerce app must have sorting and filtering features for the products listed on them.

Features like saved addresses and favorite restaurants etc. make it easier for users to order the kind of food they like so these are essential for every food delivery app.

However, there are certain basic features to consider for on-demand app development for every industry like:

• Registration for users, service providers, and admin dashboard.
• Notifications
• Geolocation
• Item listing with prices
• Placement of order
• Order summary and history
• Acceptance/rejection of orders
• Multiple modes of payments
• Feedback systems
• Analytics and reports

3. Select the right platform

The application platform can make or break the success of any application, not just on-demand apps.

As we mentioned above, you must identify your potential users’ preferences and define the desired media experience for them. This will help you select the right platform to publish your app on.

You can create a web application, a native application, or a cross-platform application depending upon the kind of user experience you want to deliver..

4. Hire a top app development company for quick execution of your app idea

It’s already been close to three months since the businesses have stopped their operations. To cover up for the losses and to ensure the survival of your business, you must take the leap now.

Hire dedicated developers for the quick execution of your idea so that you don’t have to stay closed even longer. Whether you want to make a mobile app or a web app, you need insights from expert tech leaders. A top mobile app development or a web app development company can maximize your ROI as they develop an app that provides your users with a seamless experience.

Special Strategies For On-Demand Businesses During Pandemic Crisis

As long as the world is required to follow social distancing, businesses that thrive using on-demand apps will have to follow these measures if they want to retain their users’ trust:

No-contact delivery options

Since COVID-19 is highly contagious, it is necessary that you provide delivery services that don’t require your users and delivery professionals to interact with each other. As a business, you must ensure that your services do not lead to coronavirus transmission due to any kind of negligence.

Masks and sanitization products for employees

You must provide your delivery professionals with masks, alcohol-based sanitizers, and a disinfectant spray to clean surfaces around them. This is necessary to ensure the safety of both your employees and your customers.

Regular updates to the users about precautionary measures

Your users may be worried or doubtful about how safe it is for them to order goods and services through your on-demand apps. Thus, make sure you share regular updates with them about the precautionary and safety measures your business is taking for its operations.

How You Can Leverage On-Demand Apps For Your Business During COVID-19 Crisis

A pandemic of this magnitude isn’t just a health crisis, it has massive economic implications too. We don’t see the world getting back to how it was anytime soon.

Even when the curves have flattened, countries across the globe will be following social distancing. People won’t prefer to go out much unless absolutely necessary. Considering these factors, it’s important that every business takes the digitalization journey. It’s time to keep your business afloat by reaching out to your customers using on-demand apps.

If you have an idea for on-demand apps during the coronavirus outbreak, we'd love to help you understand the viability of the project. We have a diverse team of highly skilled mobile app development programmers who can build your dream app within the least possible time and minimum possible cost.
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