Logistics App Development: Expense, Process, and Everything to Know About It in 2023

Logistics apps are business optimization tools that have recently gained immense popularity. Their potential is vast for both company owners and their clients. In this article, we will examine how logistics software helps solve the industry’s current problems, the essential functions of such software, and many other development details.

Logistics Apps in Business

Logistics apps are designed to facilitate business administration, and here are some essential solutions for logistics organizations:

Fleet administration. Applications for centralized management of vehicle and movement data help speed up delivery processes.

Warehouse solutions. Such applications store massive amounts of product information and allow quick admission to the database.

Logistics services. Such software provides the delivery of products to call. This is an excellent solution for boosting.

Tracking and dispatching. Permits you to track drivers’ location and track data about routes or delivery.

There are two possible options for creating such apps: a native app for one specific platform or a cross-platform app that can be integrated into several operating systems.

Challenges That Logistics Apps Overcome

Changing requirements

The competition is enormous, and everyone strives to meet rapidly changing standards. Customers need translucent and user-friendly logistics applications that can fully automate the process and substitute consultants.

Tight deadlines

Logistics is permanently restricted in terms. You may face many delays, but despite this, all requirements for dispatch and delivery must be met. To minimize time costs, you can use route optimization, robotized document completion, and real-time reports.

Extended scalability

To calculate optimal capacity need to constantly analyze the market about: supply chain, purchasing, production, and transport. Having up-to-date information will make it easier to determine whether it is time to boost output.

Solid Security

The cargo passes through many people during transportation, so it is best to keep a close eye on it. The app should provide such functions as tracking the goods, storage conditions, and much more. Security ensures you profit and customer loyalty.

Pros and Cons of Logistics Apps

To decide whether to buy a ready-made solution or create an app from scratch, you should view the benefits and drawbacks of each option.

So let’s start with existing systems.

Pros:

• Time-saving by buying a ready product
• The high-quality solution has lots of fundamental features
• All tests are completed, so there are no bugs or crashes

Cons:

• The system is not optimized for you and needs additional features
• A long-term subscription to the finished product may be more expensive than developing your own

Next, let’s discuss the development of your app.

Pros:

• You can immediately add all the necessary functions
• You can easily update your app and add new features at any time
• Independence from another company or its changes in pricing policy
• No need to pay extra for each additional user; you can add as many people as you like

Cons:

• It takes a little more time to create your product
• In a raw application, some bugs are possible, but they can be fixed quickly

Basic Features of Logistics Apps

First, it is worth determining the main features of the future app to start with the creation of an MVP (minimum viable product). More may be added later. And so, to understand how to make an MVP app, let’s look at the initial functions for each user, depending on his role.

Thus, an admin needs to use such features as managing services, orders, and fleet, access to customers and drivers’ databases, and payment services. A client should have access to: tracking shipping and orders, supplying addresses, scheduled pickup, payments, and feedback. Dispatchers’ side needs user authentication, customer support, navigation, mark delivery, and receive notifications.

These are not all the features that may be needed but the necessary base to start.

Logistics Apps Trends

Don’t forget to observe the latest trends in logistics apps, such as:

• Blockchain. Allows you to manage and supervise the entire supply chain.
• Big Data. Combined with GPS features, this technology can significantly improve product tracking.
• RFID and NFC. With built-in RFID/NFC microchips, the logistics phase that parcels go through can be tracked easily.
• Chatbot. Gives support for drivers and customers.

Such trends are constantly updated and changing, and you can add any feature that seems appropriate to your application.

Logistics App Creation Pipeline

And so, let’s take a look at the main steps of creating an application in sequence.

1. Planning. Every project starts with this stage to determine all the delivery vectors of a future app.
2. Specifying demands. The phase is when the app’s purpose and the tasks it will perform are committed.
3. UI/UX Design. A step of designing a future app’s interface screen-by-screen.
4. Software development. The stage when your programmers build your app according to your requirements.
5. Quality assurance. The finished app should be tested to discover and fix possible bugs in advance.
6. Release. Developers deploy your app to markets.
7. Maintenance. Logistic corporations succeed by constantly updating and adding features to increase the user experience.

You may be interested in the estimate of creating an app so we can discuss it further.

Cost of a Logistics App

You can choose from three standard recruitment types: freelancers, in-house teams, or outsourcing companies. Today the last option is regarded as the most beneficial. In such a case, you pay only for the performed work, and all responsibility lies with the developers. To choose a region to search for a firm to hire, let’s check worldwide average hourly rates.

It’s crucial to recognize that the development cost depends on what OS you want to cover, what features you want to include, and so on. You should contact a business analyst to get exact estimates based on your needs.

Withdrawal

The logistics industry includes many solutions such as LMS, TMS, Supply Management System, ERP, and more. A good logistics app increases revenue, improves total customers and relationships, and enhances productivity and efficiency.