When we mention the word ‘logistics,’ it often conjures images of complex processes, extensive paperwork, manual labor, and constant vigilance. However, thanks to recent technological advancements, the logistics industry has undergone a remarkable transformation.
Tasks that once meant standing in long queues for hours to send a courier can now be effortlessly managed with a simple tap on a mobile phone screen. The market size of the logistics industry scale is projected to exceed 14.08 trillion U.S. dollars. Hence Logistics mobile app development is the most wise thing that a business owner must opt for.
The advent of logistics mobile apps has revolutionized communication between shippers and drivers, streamlining operations. These apps not only optimize routes and reduce costs but also offer convenience, enhancing business growth and individual efficiency.
In today’s tech-driven world, an increasing number of entrepreneurs are eager to embrace this technology, recognizing its myriad benefits for success in the logistics industry. If you’re one of those aspiring to make a mark in this field, this article is your comprehensive guide to creating a logistics mobile app.
What is a logistics app?
A logistics app is a software application designed to help manage and optimize various aspects of logistics and supply chain operations. It is typically used in industries involved in the movement and distribution of goods, such as shipping, transportation, and warehousing.
These apps are installed on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets and provide a range of features and tools to assist logistics professionals. They help in tasks like order processing, route planning, inventory management, real-time tracking of shipments, and communication between different parties involved in the logistics process.
In essence, a logistics app simplifies and automates many of the tasks that were traditionally done manually or required multiple software systems. It improves efficiency, reduces costs, and enhances the overall effectiveness of logistics operations, making it an invaluable tool in today’s fast-paced and highly competitive logistics industry.
Why is there a need for a logistics management app?
Logistics mobile app development is the real need of the hour for every business owner in the logistics industry. Staying ahead of the curve is one thing and staying in the loop with technology is another. Below are the reasons that will make it clear that why do you need a logistics management app-
Effortless Fleet Management
A logistics app offers seamless fleet management, consolidating all your commercial vehicle data into one accessible platform. This includes the ability to monitor the technical condition of your trucks and promptly address any issues through mandatory inspections, whether related to brakes, engines, or other critical components.
The app’s data-driven approach empowers you to operate your business more efficiently. You can effortlessly track driver data, manage assigned trucks, optimize vehicle routes, monitor capacity utilization, and handle various other management tasks with precision.
Paperwork Reduction
Logistics app development brings an end to the era of traditional paper forms and manual service order processes through comprehensive business automation. This translates into the convenience of sending electronic bills, conducting online payments, confirming electronic proof of delivery, and closely tracking deliveries.
This not only accelerates data accessibility but also conserves time and resources, contributing to both efficiency and cost-effectiveness while reducing paper waste.
Enhanced Efficiency and Cost Reduction
The adoption of logistics apps transforms your business into a transparent and controllable operation, thanks to simplified vehicle tracking and real-time data updates. This newfound transparency enables route optimization, precise freight delivery scheduling, and accurate fuel expense predictions. Consequently, logistics apps not only enhance workflow transparency but also yield substantial cost savings.
Streamlined Supply Chain
Logistics apps excel at eliminating unnecessary steps within the supply chain process, making it markedly more efficient. Furthermore, the integration of Blockchain technology into logistics apps is revolutionizing the industry, creating an end-to-end, transparent, secure, and robust supply chain infrastructure. This innovation leads to an even more effective workflow.
Efficient Warehouse Management
Effective warehouse management stands as a cornerstone in the logistics industry. It entails meticulous inventory tracking to monitor shipped goods and remaining items within the warehouse. Crucially, it ensures that trucks neither depart half-empty nor overloaded and prevents inventory shortages.
What are the must-have features of the logistics app?
Logistics mobile app development entails the creation of two pivotal components: the Dispatcher Panel and the Driver Panel. These elements are instrumental in facilitating efficient coordination between dispatchers and drivers, enhancing the overall logistics process. Therefore, the must-have features in a logistic application are-
Dispatcher Features:
Sign Up: Commencing the journey with the logistics app, dispatchers are prompted to create their profiles, bolstered by a robust two-step authentication process, ensuring the security of their accounts.
Dashboard: Dispatchers gain access to a centralized control panel, which serves as the nerve center for overseeing and managing all logistics operations. This dashboard offers a holistic view of the logistics processes at play.
Orders Management: Dispatchers can delve into comprehensive order details and wield the power to orchestrate the supply process with precision, ensuring a smooth flow from initiation to delivery.
Driver & Freight Tracking: Dispatchers are equipped with the vital capability to track their drivers and the status of orders in real-time. This functionality provides accurate insights into the delivery progress.
Fleet Management: Dispatchers can leverage this feature to calculate and optimize expenses, including factors such as fuel costs, taxation, and more. Route optimization becomes a breeze, enhancing cost efficiency.
Driver Management: Dispatchers have visibility into vital driver details, routes, vehicle assignments, and the freight entrusted to each driver. This insight ensures effective allocation and management of resources.
Revenue and Expense Management: Dispatchers can delve into the financial aspects, accessing payment history, billing, and invoice details, and performing revenue and expense calculations with ease.
Push Notifications: Dispatchers are kept in the loop with timely push notifications, providing crucial updates on order statuses, inventory levels, and other pertinent information. This real-time communication ensures that dispatchers remain well-informed and responsive.
Drivers Features:
Sign Up: Much like their dispatcher counterparts, drivers initiate their app engagement with a registration process, using email IDs or social media accounts to establish their profiles.
Driver’s Profile: Drivers have the capability to manage their profiles, incorporating pertinent documents such as driving licenses, identification proofs, qualifications, and bank account details.
Shipment Details: Drivers can access critical shipment information, including pick-up and drop-off addresses, contact details, and other essential data required for seamless execution.
Map Screen & Route Navigation: Drivers benefit from map integration, enabling them to locate customer addresses and determine the most efficient routes for delivery.
Electronic Proof of Delivery (ePOD): Drivers can swiftly confirm orders through various methods such as photo capture, signature capture, or barcode scanning, facilitating a streamlined confirmation process.
Communication Tools: Effective communication is paramount for drivers. They can use the app to contact dispatchers and customers, ensuring that orders reach their intended destinations in a timely manner.
Push Notifications: Drivers receive instant notifications about newly assigned shipping orders or any alterations to existing orders. This ensures that drivers remain well-informed and responsive to changes in their delivery tasks.
Steps for logistics mobile app development
After having a clear glance at the must-have features in a logistics mobile app development, it becomes paramount to dive deep into the Steps for logistics mobile app development.
App Discovery:
The initial phase revolves around gaining a deep understanding of the project’s scope and meticulously defining the app development requisites. A comprehensive project analysis serves as the compass guiding you through the intricate landscape of logistics mobile app development.
It’s during this phase that you lay the foundation for your app by discerning the various types of logistics apps, specifying their features, and making informed decisions about the technological underpinnings.
MVP Development:
Once your app concept emerges from the realm of ideas, the imperative becomes validating its feasibility in the market. Engaging an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) app development company and crafting a lean version of your app proves to be a strategic move.
This approach allows you to put your app idea to the test, gauging its viability in the real world while conserving valuable time and resources.
UI/UX Designing:
With a crystallized app concept and a thorough feature set in place, the spotlight shifts to the realm of design. Now, it’s the opportune moment to fashion an exemplary, user-centric interface that resonates with the end-users’ expectations. An interactive UI/UX design becomes the compass for your logistics app developers, ensuring they tread the right path throughout the development journey.
App Development:
Having meticulously crafted the design, the next leg of the journey delves into the actual coding and development process. This phase involves the harmonious integration of all identified features, choreographing seamless screen transitions, and leveraging the appropriate technologies and third-party integrations to bring your logistics app to life.
App Testing and Maintenance:
However, the culmination of your efforts isn’t marked by the conclusion of the development phase. Your commitment extends further. You must embark on a rigorous app testing regimen to unearth and rectify any lurking bugs or inconsistencies, ensuring your app aligns with your lofty expectations.
Furthermore, the obligation to maintain your app in sync with the ever-evolving technology landscape is paramount. This entails ongoing updates and enhancements, ensuring that your app remains in pristine working condition, devoid of disruptive glitches. It’s this continuous commitment to refinement that ensures your logistics app thrives in the dynamic digital landscape.
Cost incurred to develop a logistics app
The cost of embarking on the journey of logistics app development is a multifaceted endeavor, one that defies a one-size-fits-all approach. Its magnitude is contingent upon an array of variables. To navigate this complex terrain of estimation, consider the following categories:
1. Platform Choice:
The choice of platform on which your logistics app will flourish plays a pivotal role. The nuances of iOS and Android development, for instance, entail distinct cost implications.
2. Feature Complexity:
The intricate tapestry of features woven into your app design significantly impacts the cost. Custom-built features, intricate screen transitions, and navigation structures can elevate development expenses.
3. UI/UX Design Cost:
A paramount aspect is the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design. Crafting an engaging, user-centric design necessitates a thoughtful investment.
4. Technology Integration:
The integration of technology, whether it’s third-party tools or advanced functionalities, contributes to the development costs. Seamless incorporation is key.
5. App Maintenance Cost:
Beyond the initial development, app maintenance is an ongoing expense. Keeping your app up-to-date and free of glitches is an essential investment.
6. Development Time:
Time is indeed money in app development. The complexity of your app design and the intricacy of features can elongate the development timeline, thereby affecting costs.
The logistics app development process is often divided into two distinct panels: the driver’s features and the dispatcher’s panel. This division can provide a rough estimation of the resources required for your logistics app:
Driver Panel Estimation: $12,000 – $35,000
Dispatcher Panel Estimation: $20,200 – $40,000
It’s important to note that these estimations are rooted in the integration of features across both panels. However, the final cost projection is subject to variations based on your unique project scope, developer costs, the technologies employed, and other factors inherent to app development.
Considering the spectrum of factors influencing the estimation, logistics app development costs typically range between $120,000 to $200,000, and this range can expand further with the introduction of advanced features and functionalities tailored to your specific needs. It’s an investment that aligns your logistics operations with the digital age, ensuring efficiency and competitiveness in the modern landscape.
What tech stack do we use to develop a logistics app?
For the best logistics mobile app development, the infusion of high-caliber technology stands as a non-negotiable cornerstone. It serves as the linchpin for achieving not only seamless functionality but also the creation of an engaging and user-centric interface.
Here’s a glimpse of the tech components that align precisely with these essential features:
Payments: The backbone of financial transactions, payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, Braintree, and Amazon Pay form the bedrock of secure and efficient monetary interactions within the app.
Database Management: The robust foundation for data management rests on options like MongoDB, MySQL, Hbase, and Cassandra. These databases empower your app to handle, organize, and retrieve data seamlessly.
Cloud Computing: Embrace the scalability and reliability offered by cloud computing giants such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. They provide the digital infrastructure necessary for robust and flexible logistics operations.
Navigation: The integration of Google Maps API ensures accurate and intuitive navigation features, enhancing user experience and enabling precise tracking of shipments.
Push Notifications: Communicate vital information swiftly through push notifications, facilitated by platforms like Push.io or Twilio. This feature keeps users informed and engaged in real-time.
Backend Development: The bedrock of app functionality, the choice of backend development languages is pivotal. Opt for versatile languages such as Ruby, Python, or PHP to ensure efficient data processing and server-side operations.
Front-end Development: Crafting an appealing and user-friendly interface relies on front-end technologies like Bootstrap, CSS, Swift, and JavaScript. These elements work in concert to provide a visually engaging experience.
Real-Time Analytics: For invaluable insights into logistics operations, real-time analytics tools such as Cisco, Apache, IBM, and BigData bring data-driven decision-making to the forefront.
Each facet of this carefully curated technology stack plays a pivotal role in elevating the logistics mobile app development process. Their synergy ensures that your app not only functions seamlessly but also engages users with an intuitive interface.
How can you hire mobile app development partner?
Since we presented you with a complete logistic mobile app development guide, and helped you understand the intricacies of the same, not suggesting the best mobile app development company won’t be fair. So, to quote a company, Netweb Technologies will be the best solution for your logistics mobile app development needs.
It is one of the outstanding outsourcing mobile app development companies. They offer a well-rounded solution for businesses seeking exceptional mobile app development services with a focus on understanding and meeting client needs while remaining budget-conscious.
You can visit their official website and get closer to your desired app development, they are available 24/7, so you can connect with them easily.
Article and permission to publish here provided by NetWeb Technologies. Originally written for Supply Chain Game Changer and published on August 24, 2023.
Cover image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay