Everything You Should Know About Logistics Mobile App Development

November 29, 2019

Reading time about 6 minutes

The battle to generate higher profits while maintaining efficiency has intensified in the logistics and transport industry. With continuous evolving consumer demands, a logistics company needs to manage processes more efficiently than ever before. To simplify the operations and address the evolving needs, Logistics Mobile App Development comes into existence. From inventory management to vehicle tracking, a custom mobile app is a smart solution that helps industrialists to reduce manual efforts, save time, and optimize business processes.

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Other reasons for developing a tailor-made mobile app for your logistics business are:

  • Monitor the Location of Fleets

Using the geolocation feature is indeed pivotal in the logistics mobile app. With GPS technology you can track the location of your vehicles in real-time. Moreover, if there is no network the data gets stored in the memory and becomes available when the network is back.

As we know, the logistics business requires accuracy to execute on-time delivery. Tacking the vehicles helps you to notify the customers instantly about the status of goods and send apologies in case of delays in delivery, enabling improved customer satisfaction.

  • Effective Warehouse Management

Besides transportation and delivery of goods, managing inventories at the warehouse is also a significant yet tiresome task. But not anymore! With intuitive mobile app solutions, you can easily store goods, check inventory, and update status in real-time.

Scanning the goods arriving and going out of the warehouse, becomes easier and error-free through apps. Supervisors and managers get quick access to the database, enabling them to save money and time.

  • Reduce Manual Effort and Paper Work

Another biggest advantage of developing a mobile app for your logistics company is that you can go paperless and get rid of the complexities involved in the process. Automating every supply chain management process from generating e-bills to receiving payment online, a mobile app can help you do every task with a few clicks.

  • Offer Flexible Delivery Process

Leveraging the best of mobile solutions, customers can change the delivery address, reschedule deliveries, cancel or return an order, without a hitch. The flexible delivery model improves customer engagement and maximizes customer retention rates. It generates a new level of opportunities between logistics providers and customers.

To reap the maximum benefits of a logistics mobile app development, you can hire a dedicated software developer who can build reliable software that will help in cutting down the company’s costs whilst improving efficiency and encouraging better workflow.

Must-Have Modules of Logistics & Transportation Mobile Apps

Logistics mobile apps are divided into three modules – Customer Panel, Driver Panel, and Admin Panel.

Customer Panel Features

Registration – Simple and easy to fill sign up process attracts users. Registration should also be completed through e-mail or social media accounts.

Real-Time Alerts – Push notifications help customers to get alerts regarding delivery, tracking, delays, offers, etc. that ensure seamless communication between the service provider and users

Payment Gateway – The app must support secure and the most reputable payment gateways to make customers feel safe and easy while placing orders. Also, they should be able to generate e-bill whenever required.

Feedback – Using this functionalityusers can share their experiences about the product and delivery, offering you an opportunity to improve the services.

Driver Panel Features

This panel is useful for drivers who want to boost their productivity.

Request Management – The drivers get the service provider’s request to deliver the shipment and manage it until completing the order.

Shipment Detail – Drivers have complete access to users’ details through apps like name, address, contact details, etc.

Tracking – Thanks to GPS, drivers can easily determine the route and reach the location at the earliest.

Admin Panel Features

Any reliable logistics mobile app development company focuses on building a simplified and robust admin panel as it offers complete control over your logistics business.

Intuitive Dashboard – It includes end-to-end information related to supply chains, user activities, fleet management, and vehicle tracking. Admin has the right o view all completed and pending orders along with real-time information.

Alerts – It enables the admin to send information regarding different activities carried out in your system including order delivery, driver allotment, payment, and much more.

Vehicle Management – One of the most important features in the admin panel. With this functionality, admin is not only able to retrieve data about the current location of vehicles but also view fuel consumption and route taken by drivers. It helps admin to reduce performance gaps, increase agility, predict issues, and make data-driven decisions.

Additional Features that make your Logistics Mobile App More Successful

Considering the above-mentioned features, here is a list of some additional features that promote relaxed management and helps in earning better revenues.

Add Chatbots to Delight Customers

From the logistics & transportation point of view, there are two ways chatbots can prove beneficial to your company:

  • Customer-Facing Operations which includes delivery booking, shipment tracking, delivery-related issues, etc.
  • Supply Chain Operations that includes warehouse management, vehicle management, route tracking, etc.

Chatbots bring substantial advantages to your logistics businesses:

1. Reduction in Costs

Bots replace humans like support center operators and warehouse workers to perform repetitive tasks (tracking delivering, answer customer queries, and monitoring the warehouse conditions) automatically. This way, logistic businessmen can assign their resources to other positions and generate fruitful results.

2. Better Availability for Customers

With chatbots, you can keep your business operational 24*7. You can help with any issue and resolve it as soon as possible. Immediate assistance helps customers to quickly adjust according to the information provided which improves customer experience.

Logistics & Big Data Analytics: A Perfect Match

Integrating big data analytics in the mobile app helps you in analyzing the customer data and generate useful insights on cost & labor optimization, pricing strategy, product placement, operational risk management, and product delivery.

1. Improves Procurement

2. Optimize Transportation

3. Simplify Warehouse Operations

4. Analyze Marketing Activities

Advanced predictive analytics in your mobile app solutions promise to provide a new quality in capacity forecasts and resource control.

How much Logistics Mobile app development costs?

There are different platforms to build a logistics app. You can choose, either your business needs a native (iOS/ Android), cross-platform or progressive web app. Though different mobile app companies vary in charge, we can go through the approximate mobile app development cost.

Depending upon the complexity and features required, a basic logistics app can cost you around $10,000 and cost may reach up to $50,000. These prices are in line with considering the hourly rate which is between $25 to $30 per hour.

Besides development costs, you should keep a separate budget for app marketing, maintenance, other costs. Furthermore, if you operate the app on an international level then you may need legal permissions in case of few app features. To ease the process, we offer you a reliable and accurate app cost calculator that helps you figure out the approx. development cost within minutes.

Either you need apps to manage the fleet or on-demand apps, hiring the right logistics developers can help you reach your goals faster.