The app market for food delivery has seen rapid growth over the last decade, driven by changing eating habits, widespread use of smartphones, and the growing demand of consumers for convenience. Ordering meals through mobile apps from restaurants is now a routine for many, resulting in substantial growth in the food delivery industry around the globe.
An app like JustEat can be seen as an excellent example of this shift. This JustEat success story shows how a well-designed platform, coupled with a vast restaurant network, can revolutionize the way that people order food. With its easy navigation and secure payment methods, live tracking, and a wide range of dishes, JustEat has set a standard for customer experience and operational efficiency in the industry.
Market conditions present an opportunity for fresh players. Growing urbanization, busy lives, and an increasing acceptance of digital transactions are predicted to keep the market for food delivery apps growing. Businesses and entrepreneurs who can duplicate and improve upon the successful features of app like JustEat will gain an advantage in the market.
If you have the right mix of solid technology, scalable architecture, and a well-planned marketing strategy, the launch of app like JustEat now can make a company stand out to gain increasing market share and meet ever-changing expectations of customers. It’s time to join this lucrative sector by launching a platform that provides the best value in terms of convenience, ease of use, and user engagement right from the start.
Market Size, Trends, and Future Potential
It is estimated that the UK marketplace for food delivery apps is growing at a steady pace, with an estimated value of around 14.3 billion by 2025. Growing at a moderate rate of around 3.1 percent. This is a result of the growing demand from consumers for convenience, as well as the development of online ordering habits following the pandemic.
Since 2019, the market has almost doubled in size, increasing by 87%, which is a sign of the significant growth of the industry. London is the most dominant market, with more than 21% of the delivery shares, fueled by a rise in digital usage and the affluent segment of consumers. Market drivers that are key to success include increasing mobile penetration, urban lifestyles, and the growing popularity of kitchens with delivery only.
Furthermore, mobile apps with innovative features driven by AI, along with a real-time tracker, improve the customer experience and make it more convenient, which will help to support market growth. The industry faces issues like the rising cost of labor and inflation. However, technological advances aid operators in maintaining scalability and efficiency.
Overview of Competitors (JustEat, Uber Eats, DoorDash, Zomato)
The UK market is extremely competitive, with several prominent rivals to JustEat, such as Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and local delivery services.
In the year 2024, Uber Eats overtook JustEat to hold the top spot of delivery, taking 27.2 percent of all delivery times in the UK. JustEat has approximately 25.2 percent, which is a slight decrease compared to previous years.
Deliveroo makes up around 16.2 percent, while white-label and other brands take the rest. Uber Eats leverages its existing global logistics network, which allows speedy delivery, particularly in cities.
Deliveroo is focused on features that are top of the line and a tailor-made partnership with restaurants. JustEat is a success thanks to its vast restaurant network and its simplicity.
Zomato is more popular within South Asia, but it also contributes to the competition landscape. The wide range of service models, which range from aggregator platforms to company-owned delivery, expands market dynamics within the UK.
Key Success Factors for an App Like JustEat
Understanding how consumers use food delivery is crucial to the success of food delivery. UK customers value speed, convenience, and dependable service. Important factors are:
- The user-friendly interface of the app is intuitive and easy to use, making ordering seamless
- A wide range of partners in restaurants with a variety of cuisines
- Transparent pricing and a variety of secure payment options
- Reliable and speedy delivery made possible by real-time tracking
- Sustainable initiatives, such as green packaging, carbon-neutral delivery, and eco-friendly packaging
- Continuous innovation through AI-driven personalization and loyalty programs
Platforms that blend technological advancement, strong relationships with restaurants, and a responsiveness to customer preferences are likely to flourish in the rapidly changing UK marketplace for food delivery apps.
Steps to Develop an App Like JustEat
Making an app like JustEat requires meticulous planning, market research, feature selection, innovative design, reliable development, rigorous testing, a strategic launch, and consistent maintenance to build an efficient food delivery system.
Conduct Market Research & Validate Your Idea
A thorough app, such as Justas’s analysis of market trends, is the base for creating a highly competitive food delivery service. It helps ensure that the model is in line with consumer expectations, increasing the likelihood of a long-term successful business.
Identifying Your Target Audience’s Needs
An in-depth analysis of the target audience’s food apps’ process includes looking at eating habits, demographics, as well as delivery frequency and the most popular cuisines. Understanding these patterns aids in the development of features that are in line with customer needs, whether it’s speedier delivery, more menu choices, or a price-based pricing strategy.
Tools and Methods for Research (Surveys, MVP Testing)
Food delivery apps that are reliable and have solid idea validation can be accomplished via focus groups, surveys, and analyzing competitor reviews. The creation of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), as well as conducting MVP testing for food delivery app trials, gives real-world feedback, which allows businesses to improve features and fix problems with usability before launch.
Finding a niche or USP that makes you stand out from JustEat
Maps of competitors help you identify opportunities to distinguish. This might be focusing on locally sourced menus, eco-friendly deliveries, and loyalty programmes. A clearly defined USP will ensure that the app differentiates itself from other major competitors like JustEat, while also addressing the needs of customers that are not being met.
Define Business and Delivery Models
Making the right choice for your food delivery app’s business model is essential to building an efficient app like JustEat. It affects operational efficiency, as well as customer experience and monetization strategies. Understanding different revenue and delivery models lets businesses tailor their approach to market requirements and to scale efficiently.
Marketplace Model in comparison to. Own Delivery Fleet vs. Hybrid
This JustEat business model is based on the marketplace model and acts as an intermediary to connect customers to restaurants, but does not manage delivery directly. The model relies on restaurants to process orders, which permits scaling with less delivery cost.
The self-delivery fleet model ensures that the app operator is responsible for delivery logistics and order processing, giving more control over the quality of service and delivery speed, while incurring more operational expenses.
A hybrid model blends these two strategies, employing an in-house fleet in certain areas and partnering with third-party couriers, restaurants, or other establishments in other areas. This allows for a better balance of costs and service delivery across different markets.
Revenue Models: Commission, Delivery Fees, Ads, Subscriptions
Different revenue streams for food delivery are utilized based on the business model chosen. The most common methods are commissions paid at the time of order by restaurants, service charges collected by customers, and in-app advertisements. Subscription-based services that provide benefits such as free delivery or discounts.
Choosing revenue streams that align with user expectations and operational capabilities is essential for sustainability and profit.
Choosing a Model That Aligns With Your Target Market
The decision between the marketplace and fleet delivery model is based on a variety of factors, including regional logistics, budgets, and customer expectations. The marketplace model is ideal for the early-stage platforms that focus on the ability to scale and reduce overheads, while the hybrid or own fleet models are suitable for companies focused on delivering top-quality services and control.
The alignment of the revenue and delivery model to the preferences of customers and operational strengths positions the app to succeed in a highly competitive market.
Identify Essential and Advanced Features
The development of an effective food delivery application requires the integration of both key elements for food delivery app functionality, as well as sophisticated food delivery features that boost growth and increase user engagement. Knowing the essential capabilities required to launch the app, along with a scalable expansion, will ensure the app is up to date with current requirements and anticipates future needs.
Core Features for MVP: Ordering, Payments, Tracking, Reviews
The core of every food delivery application is seamless ordering with secure payment methods, real-time order tracking, and an effective review system. These vital features of a food delivery app enable customers to browse menus, create a custom order, and pay using various payment options securely. Real-time tracking increases trust and transparency by providing information from order confirmation to delivery completion.
The integration of a rating and review system lets customers share their opinions about the quality of the food and the delivery service, which can improve overall user experience and reliability. These are essential elements found in popular platforms, such as the JustEat application features.
Advanced Features for Growth
For a distinct appearance and to increase trust among customers, integrating modern food delivery features into your app is essential. AI-driven meal suggestions, as well as personalized promotions, increase engagement with customers through AI-driven food apps to provide suggestions that are tailored to your customers’ preferences and history of orders.
Multilingual support increases the app’s reach in different markets and increases accessibility. Programs to reward loyal customers and encourage orders to boost the value of their lifetime. Other new features include regular deliveries, chatbots to provide customer service, and the integration of voice assistants. These capabilities increase the app’s competition and increase customer satisfaction above the MVP level.
The balance between essential and advanced features strategically creates a user-friendly, scalable food delivery application that can compete with established brands and adjust to changing market needs.
Focus on UI/UX Design and Prototyping
An effective food delivery app’s UX/UI design is essential in attracting and keeping customers by offering a user-friendly, smooth experience. A well-designed app allows for easy navigation, fast ordering, and improves customer satisfaction. The early prototyping process can help visualize the workflow of the app, which allows iterative improvement before full-scale development.
Creating an Intuitive, Easy-to-Use Design
The key to a great customer experience for food delivery app design is its simplicity and clarity. Customers must be able to easily find restaurants and menus, make custom orders, and make payments with no hassle. A clear call-to-action, a consistent layout, and a user-friendly design across all devices are vital.
Making it easier to complete an order improves efficiency and reduces user drop-offs. Visual elements like icons, images, and colors are essential to reinforce your brand’s image and create an enjoyable environment.
Restaurant Dashboard Considerations
An important aspect that is often neglected is the design of the dashboards for restaurants, enabling partner restaurants to efficiently manage orders. Dashboards should display incoming orders, update statuses in real time, and provide the tools to manage menus and analysis.
The user interface must be easy to use, allowing eateries of any size to function without technology issues that directly impact the quality of service and customer satisfaction.
Usability Testing is a must, using real users.
Making a working prototype of a food delivery application allows for early testing of usability. This is vital to revealing design flaws and understanding the behavior of users. Testing with real-world users uncovers issues that might not be obvious to developers, providing practical feedback to improve navigation, accessibility to features, and general satisfaction. The cycles of testing iteratively help enhance the user interface and ensure that your final design is useful and fun to use.
The investment in top-quality UX/UI design and a thorough prototyping process creates a solid base for building a highly competitive food delivery service that connects with both restaurant and user alike.
Development Process
The selection of the right tech stack for an app like JustEat is vital to ensure that food delivery is efficient, and app development aligns with customer expectations and the business’s goals. The decisions made during development affect the app’s performance and security, scalability, and maintainability, which makes this stage crucial to the success of the app.
Choosing the Right Tech Stack for an App Like JustEat
The tech stack consists of frameworks, programming languages, databases, tools, and languages that create the frontend, backend, and the infrastructure supporting it. The most popular choices for creating app like JustEat usually use React Native or Flutter to support cross-platform mobile frontend development, as well as frameworks like Node.js, Django, or Ruby on Rails for backend services. Cloud platforms such as AWS and Google Cloud provide reliable hosting and scalability. Databases such as PostgreSQL or MongoDB provide efficient management of data.
Backend & Frontend Development Essentials
The frontend and backend components of the food app must be in sync to provide instant updates and ordering processing, user authentication, and payment integration. Backend development is focused on server logic, APIs, and database interaction, while frontend development provides an appealing and receptive user interface.
The synchronization of these layers ensures smooth ordering, tracking, and user account management. The emphasis on modular, clean code makes maintenance easier and allows for future improvements.
Ensuring Scalability and Data Security
The creation of a flexible food delivery app’s architecture guarantees the app can cope with the fluctuating demand of users and increasing transactions without compromising speed. Techniques like microservices, load balancing, and auto-scaling aid in maintaining responsiveness during high demand. Additionally, protecting customer data and information about payments via encryption, secure APIs, and ensuring compliance with regulations like GDPR builds trust among users and guards against cyber-attacks.
When you carefully select the technology stack, balance front-end and back-end priorities, and prepare for scalability and security, the process of development will help build an app that is reliable and high-performance, such as JustEat.
Testing and Quality Assurance
A thorough food delivery app test and a meticulous quality inspection for food apps are crucial in ensuring a seamless, safe, and secure user experience. Tests rigorously ensure that the app works well under various conditions, secures the user’s data, and meets the requirements of businesses, which in turn increases confidence and satisfaction.
Functional, Performance, and Security Testing
Functional testing confirms that the features in the app, such as placing orders, payment processing, order placement, and real-time tracking, work correctly across different devices. Performance testing tests the app’s stability and responsiveness in various load conditions, ensuring an efficient operation during peak usage. Security testing protects sensitive data by identifying weaknesses related to security breaches, unauthorized access to data, and secure payment processing. Together, these test types provide a vital quality assurance framework that validates the app’s security and readiness for public use.
Using Beta Testers and Feedback Loops
Participating in beta testing of customers of the food delivery app before launch provides real-world insight and exposes usability problems that internal teams might overlook. Beta testers offer immediate feedback on interface design, feature functionality, and general satisfaction. The continuous feedback loops enable developers to rapidly iterate, fixing bugs and enhancing the user experience. This method of proactive development reduces post-launch issues and increases the probability of retention.
App Performance Testing
Continuously testing the performance of apps throughout the development process and following launch uncovers issues like delays in loading, crashes, and battery drain, which can cause negative perceptions of users. Monitoring performance metrics can help maintain high standards and promote continuous improvement. Automation of testing and analytics in real time allows for rapid identification and elimination of performance issues.
With a structured approach that combines extensive testing of food delivery apps with robust quality assurance for food-related apps and continuous beta testing, you can be sure of the highest-quality, user-friendly, and secure food delivery system prepared to compete in the ever-changing market.
Launching Your App and Marketing Strategies
The successful execution of the launch stage of the food delivery app requires careful preparation, efficient marketing, and strategic collaborations. The right actions will guarantee maximum exposure in user acquisition and solid cooperation with restaurant partners to increase growth and build loyalty.
Optimizing for App Store Listings (ASO)
Optimization of the App Store (ASO) catering to customers is essential to increase organic traffic and downloads on platforms such as Google Play and Apple App Store. This means including relevant keywords like “food delivery app” and “app like JustEat” in the app’s title, description, and metadata. Visually appealing icons, captivating screenshots, and positive reviews by users can also increase the appeal. The app is regularly updated in response to feedback from users, keeping the listings up-to-date and boosting ranking.
Pre-launch and Post-launch Marketing Campaigns
In the lead-up to launch, building anticipation with teasers on social media, promotion, and email promotions helps generate buzz. Using online ads to target particular demographics within the area increases awareness. After launch, continual promotions for engagement, as well as push notifications and promotions, keep users engaged. The referral program for a food delivery app encourages users to invite their friends to join, resulting in organic growth and bolstering the community of users.
Partnership Strategies for Restaurants
Strong partnerships with restaurants are crucial for the app’s success. Promoting offers, featured listings, or a reduction in commission rates at launch can help attract top-quality partners. Collaboration on exclusive menus or special deals boosts user engagement and app usage. Making sure that communication is open and accessible, as well as using tools such as a streamlined dashboard, increases the satisfaction of partners as well as operational efficiency, which can lead to a long-term relationship.
Combining the most comprehensive ASO methods, specialized marketing campaigns, and solid relationships with restaurants in the launch phase, it is possible to effectively ensure that the app is positioned for long-term expansion and gain a competitive edge in the ever-changing food delivery industry.
Maintenance, Support, and Future Updates
A well-maintained food delivery app is vital to ensure smooth operation, customer satisfaction, and competitiveness in a fast-changing market. Regular updates and active assistance ensure that the platform remains flexible and responsive to user requirements while adjusting to the latest technological advances.
Continuous Bug Fixing and Server Maintenance
Continuous monitoring and quick solutions to technical difficulties are essential elements of maintaining the food delivery app. Regularly scheduled maintenance on servers reduces downtime, increases stability, and guards against data loss and breaches. Regular bug fixes boost the overall performance of apps as well as user satisfaction, decreasing the possibility of negative feedback and churn. An efficient infrastructure allows for scalability as the number of users grows.
Adding New Features Based on User Feedback
Regular updates to food delivery app features based on user feedback to ensure relevance and engagement. The analysis of customer feedback and usage patterns guides the development of new features such as improved search capabilities and payment options, as well as changes to the interface. The priority of feature updates according to real-world user requirements increases loyalty and improves the app’s standing in the marketplace.
Staying Ahead of Tech Trends (AI, Chatbots, Voice Ordering)
Integrating new technologies, such as AI, for food delivery applications can be a strategic advantage. AI-powered chatbots enhance customer support and experience with food delivery apps by offering instant help, order updates, and efficiently answering questions. Voice ordering options provide the convenience of hands-free ordering and appeal to an even larger audience. Being aware of the latest technologies can lead to continuous improvement, operational efficiency, and ultimately satisfaction.
Through dedicated maintenance, frequent user-driven updates, and the use of the latest technologies, food delivery apps can keep growing, increase the quality of service, and remain competitive in the ever-changing UK market. This ensures that both patrons and restaurant partners have access to an efficient, flexible, and enjoyable service.
Cost to Develop an App Like JustEat
Understanding the cost of developing an app such as JustEat is vital to planning an effective project within the food delivery business. Many factors affect the total development costs for food delivery apps, including the complexity of the feature, the choice of technology, the location of the development team, and the scope of the project. A well-planned budget and cost optimization assure quality while maintaining the viability of finances.
Factors That Influence Development Cost
Certain key aspects impact the development of apps that price food delivery services:
- Features Set as well as Complexity: The more advanced capabilities, such as AI-driven suggestions, the support of multiple languages, live-streamed tracking, and loyalty programs, need additional time to develop and expertise, which can result in higher costs. An easy MVP with basic ordering, payments, tracking, and payment capabilities is less expensive.
- Platform choice: Developing for iOS, Android, or both can impact the cost. Frameworks for cross-platform development like React Native or Flutter can reduce cost by sharing codebases; however, native apps typically provide superior performance and user experience.
- Designs and UX: Design and UX that is Custom-made, intuitive UX/UI design designed for seamless ordering and management of restaurants. Requires design sophistication that impacts pricing.
- Backend Infrastructure: Secure, scalable backend that includes cloud hosting and API integrations. Databases and payment gateways require substantial investment, particularly to handle the increasing volume of demand.
- Development Team Size and Location: Hourly rates differ depending on the region. UK and US-based designers are typically more expensive than those based in Eastern Europe or Asia; however, they may provide higher quality or better communication. The size of the team, their experience, and the project management method also impact the budget.
- Tests and Quality Control: A comprehensive food delivery app test and Quality Assurance can add to the cost, but also ensure quality and reliability, as well as customer satisfaction.
- Maintenance and updates: Support after launch, bugs, bug fixes, and feature enhancements must be planned for to ensure ongoing success.
Average Price Ranges for Various Regions
The development costs vary based on the location and approach to development:
- In the UK, a basic app, such as JustEat, could cost between £40,000 and £80,000 in MVP development. The more complex platforms with sophisticated features can cost from upwards of £100,000 to £200,000.
- The price of a product in North America tends to be more expensive, ranging between £60,000 and £150,000 for a minimum-value product. Prices can increase substantially with the addition of sophisticated capabilities.
- Outsourcing development to regions such as Eastern Europe or South Asia could reduce costs by 30-50% with MVPs from £25,000 to £50,000. However, it is a careful selection of the right vendor to ensure high-end quality.
How to Optimize Costs Without Compromising Quality
The balance between quality and cost requires the use of strategic planning
- Beginning with MVP: Concentrate on the most important elements for app food delivery capabilities: core ordering, payment reviews, tracking, and ordering–testing the market before adding more advanced features.
- Utilize Cross-Platform Frameworks: Utilize technologies such as React Native to develop for several platforms simultaneously, thus reducing development time and costs.
- Outsource judiciously: Partner with reputable offshore or nearshore teams that can provide an appropriate balance between cost effectiveness and quality control. Create clear communication and set milestones to limit the risks.
- Make use of existing solutions: Use third-party payment gateways, map APIs, and cloud-based services instead of creating everything completely from scratch.
- Iterative Development: Use agile methodologies to make incremental updates based on feedback from users, optimizing resource allocation and minimizing unnecessary costs.
- Invest in testing early: Early app performance testing can reduce the need for expensive post-launch fixes and improve satisfaction with the app.
A careful budgeting process and selecting the appropriate development method will enable the creation of apps like JustEat that are tailored to the needs of the market while ensuring that budget costs for food delivery apps are efficiently managed.
Monetization Strategies for an App Like JustEat
Effective monetization of food delivery app strategies is crucial to increase revenue and guarantee the long-term viability of platforms such as JustEat. Understanding the various revenue streams and maximizing the business model allows you to ensure that the user is satisfied and profitable, and establishes a financially sustainable service.
Commission Structure Best Practices
The commission structure of food apps is the main source of revenue for various food delivery applications. Typically, these platforms charge restaurants a portion of the total value of orders in commission fees. The most successful apps, such as JustEat, use an adjustable or tiered commission structure, which allows for adjusting rates according to order volume and exclusivity or partnership duration. This model encourages large volume orders as well as long-term collaboration. Transparency of commissions creates trust among the partners in the restaurant industry, and the competitive rates can help draw and keep the best ones.
Upselling, Premium Listings, Sponsorships
In addition to commissions, the additional revenue is generated from promotional and upselling services. Food delivery with a premium listings app allows restaurants to achieve maximum exposure on this platform, which increases visibility and the possibility of sales. Banner ads, sponsored placements, and featured promotions provide additional monetization opportunities, while also providing benefits to restaurant partners. Upselling benefits like delivery priority or special discounts for customers can also contribute to revenue diversification.
Subscription-Based Models
Subscription plans are becoming increasingly sought-after as a reliable revenue source. With benefits for customers such as free delivery, discounts, or early access to promotions, subscription plans boost loyalty and provide lifetime value. Restaurants can also opt to subscribe to high-end analytics and marketing software or more advanced dashboard functions, creating multiple revenue streams. Combining subscription revenue with traditional advertising and commission models allows for predictability and flexibility in the app’s financial system.
Implementing diverse and well-structured apps, such as JustEat revenue models, will ensure that the platform earns consistent revenue while also supporting the growth of partners and ensuring customer satisfaction. This multi-faceted approach gives the flexibility to adjust to changes in the market and competition demands, positioning the app to be successful over the long term.
How Bestech Can Help in Developing an App Like JustEat?
Bestech provides a wealth of experience for building an app like JustEat using proven technologies with a client-centric focus to offer efficient food delivery solutions. With a wealth of experience in apps, Bestech focuses on creating reliable, secure, feature-rich platforms that are tailored to the needs of the market.
From the initial meeting to the time of deployment, Bestech emphasizes clear communication and alignment with the company’s goals. The team picks the right technology stack for apps such as JustEat to ensure a robust frontend and backend functionality that is responsive. This allows continuous order fulfillment, real-time tracking, secure payment processing, and intuitive user interfaces that help improve users’ experience with food delivery apps.
Bestech’s development methodology incorporates rigorous testing of food delivery apps as well as quality control to ensure an easy launch and long-term reliability. They also provide ongoing maintenance of the food delivery app and ensure that the app is constantly updated to keep up with developments in technology, like AI in apps for food delivery, and the expectations of customers.
The Key Takeaway
The app’s JustEat development process requires careful planning, strategic execution, expertise of a trustworthy restaurant app development agency and constant improvement to remain competitive in the fast-paced food delivery business. From conducting market research and developing an effective business model to integrating vital and innovative features, every step plays an important role in creating an app that will attract customers and restaurant partners alike. The importance of user experience, solid technology, and savvy marketing can ensure a solid market entry and sustainable expansion.
In light of the growing food delivery market in the UK, it is the ideal time to launch your food delivery app. By insisting on quality, scalability, and the ability to adapt to new developments like AI voice ordering, as well as sustainability, your brand-new application can stand out from its competition. A well-planned strategy, backed by dependable development and regular updates, can position your app for long-term success, loyal customers, and steady revenues in this lucrative market.
FAQs
What are the most important steps to create an app similar to JustEat?
Making an app like JustEat involves market research, concept validation, formulating delivery and business models, deciding on the most important and sophisticated features, UX/UI design, solid development, rigorous testing, a strategic launch, and continuous maintenance.
What is the cost to create an app that is similar to JustEat for the UK?
The price to create an app similar to JustEat in the UK generally is between £40,000 and £80,000 for a minimum viable product (MVP) and more complicated apps, ranging from £40,000 to £200,000, depending on the technology stack, features, and the development team.
What types of business models are utilized in apps for food delivery like JustEat?
The most common business model is the marketplace (connecting customers and restaurants, but not taking care of delivery), and owning a delivery fleet and hybrid models. JustEat is primarily a marketplace model to earn profits by commissions, delivery fees, advertisements, and premium subscriptions.
What are the most important features for an app that delivers food similar to JustEat?
The most important features are seamless ordering, secure payment integration, real-time tracking of orders, and customer feedback. Innovative features such as AI suggestions, loyalty programs, and support for multiple languages improve the user experience and increase engagement.
How do I market a food delivery application effectively?
Effective launches include optimizing the app list of stores (ASO) and creating post-launch and pre-launch marketing campaigns, using referral programs, and forming strong relationships with restaurants to improve visibility and acquisition.
