Ultimate Guide to Building a 10-Minute Instant Delivery App like Blinkit

Last Updated on August 27, 2022

Grocery shopping used to be a tedious and time-consuming job! Go to your local store, and you may not find all the necessary items. Go to supermarkets, find and pick up the products, stand in a long queue to pay, and carry them home every day, week, or month! Online grocery delivery apps transformed how people buy groceries. The ability to purchase all required items with a single click and delivered to your doorsteps has altered consumer behavior and increased the opportunity for online retailers. According to Statista, the market value of online grocery across India was Rs. 396 billion in 2022, but it only accounts for 1% of the overall grocery shopping for Indians.

Online grocery shopping is evolving further with the introduction of quick commerce (Q-commerce), where companies like Blinkit promise instant grocery delivery within 10-min or even less. Based on your location, the delivery time can vary between 10-30 mins, and there are cases where the orders are delivered in just 7-8 mins. Consumers who have traditionally been subscribers of neighborhood Kirana stores have turned to on-demand apps for buying groceries and other convenience items. According to a study by RedSeer consulting, as of 2020, the potential addressable market for local e-grocery players was estimated at 130 million online transacting households.

What is the need for 10-min Instant Grocery Delivery Services?

Businesses are focusing on quick commerce due to a shift in customer purchasing habits and preferences, from value-seeking to convenience-seeking, resulting in small-sized purchases rather than larger, monthly purchases. Companies have realized that Q-Commerce is the way forward in the FMCG space due to its regular usage, heavy consumption, and user demand, primarily targeting middle and upper-class consumers. Instant grocery delivery can be beneficial, for example, when you are hosting a party at home, missing some essential items, or returning home after a tiring day but have to cook food for your family and don’t have all items at home. In these cases, ordering on the go while you travel helps.

How is 10-min Instant Grocery Delivery made possible?

Companies have dark stores every 2-3 km of targeted regions. Dark stores do not have storefronts and are used by companies as fulfillment centers to store their inventory. The online delivery firms generally partner with local merchants to run and manage these stores. These small-sized stores contain all the groceries you see on the app before ordering based on your locality. When you place the order, the fulfillment team quickly prepares your order and hands it over to the delivery person for delivery. Blinkit claims to have a network of 300 dark stores.

About Blinkit?

Grofers, an online delivery app, rebranded itself as Blinkit when it pivoted to launch its quick-commerce service to deliver groceries and other necessities within 10 minutes of a customer’s order. Blinkit helps customers shop on the go for groceries, fresh fruits and vegetables, bakery items, meats and seafood, cosmetics, electronics, baby care products, and an extensive range of household items through its website or mobile app and delivered to their door quickly and safely. The company claims to have more than 2 lakh customers and offers 10-minute delivery service in 12 cities.

What are the benefits of using Blinkit?

User-friendly app: the Blinkit app comes with a simple interface that makes it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for and check out speedily

Fast and convenient delivery: Blinkit’s delivery service is extremely fast and convenient, making it an excellent option for busy people who need to get their groceries delivered quickly.

Wide range of products: The Company offers a wide range of items, from fresh produce to household essentials and other products, so customers can find everything they need in one place.

Competitive prices: Blinkit offers competitive prices on its products, making it a great option for budget-conscious shoppers. 

Blinkit’s Business Model – How it Works

The Blinkit business model is based on a simple concept of delivering products in less than 10 minutes. Blinkit has collaborated with local businesses and brands, logistics, warehouses, and payment partners, to provide groceries and daily necessities in the surrounding communities.

Blinkit has partnered with local mom-and-pop shops to display and sell items from their stores via Blinkit’s app. These stores don’t need to invest in logistics or packaging to sell via the app. Blinkit provides last-mile delivery services to these stores, resulting in increased sales and earnings for the store from nearby neighborhoods. Partner stores receive more orders due to the increased visibility, while Blinkit profits by charging a percentage-based commission for these transactions. For orders below Rs 700, Blinkit’s commission to the merchant ranges from 8% to 15%, while the fee ranges from 12% to 15% when orders are less than Rs 1000. If the order is less than Rs 250, Blinkit also charges a delivery fee to the customer.

Blinkit also provides targeted placement on marketing materials and logistics support that could help new brands attract and connect with customers from a wide range of demographics, which could assist brands in gaining popularity.

Delivery partners are independent contractors who work with Blinkit to pick up grocery items requested by customers via the Blinkit app and deliver them to the customer’s residence using their own vehicles. Blinkit pays the delivery partner on each delivery made. A delivery partner is expected to deliver 8-10 orders per day based on the delivery distance and weight of ordered items. A delivery partner could earn up to Rs 30,000 per month with incentives and other benefits.

Another way that Blinkit makes money is through advertising. The platform sells ad space to businesses who want to reach Blinkit’s large user base. These ads can be in the form of banner ads, product recommendations, or even video ads. Finally, Blinkit also makes money through partnerships with banks, credit card companies, e-Wallets, etc.

The future of instant delivery apps like Blinkit

In FY2021, quick-commerce in India was valued at $0.3 billion and is projected to reach approximately $5 billion and 20 million Indian households by 2025. According to industry experts, q-commerce is emerging as one of the fastest growing e-commerce platforms, meeting customers’ desire for faster delivery and replacing traditional kiranas with q-commerce platforms. Blinkit has received approximately $800 million in funding, and in June 2022, Zomato acquired Blinkit in a $568.1 million all-stock deal. With the rapid growth of q-commerce, more and more businesses are looking to adopt this type of technology. This means that entrepreneurs will have a golden opportunity to build their own delivery apps and get into the on-demand grocery delivery business.

Why Should You Consider Building an Instant Delivery App?

1) Amplified demand for instant delivery: There is a growing demand for instant delivery services as customers become more accustomed to the convenience and speed of such services.

2) Potential to tap into new markets: A 10-minute grocery delivery app like Blinkit can allow you to tap into new markets that are not accessible to traditional delivery methods.

3) Improved customer retention: An instant delivery app like Blinkit can help you to improve customer retention by providing a superior service that is convenient and fast.

4) Increased efficiency: An instant grocery delivery app like Blinkit can help you increase your business’s efficiency by reducing the time and cost associated with traditional delivery methods.

How can you build a Quick Delivery app like Blinkit?

Building an app like Blinkit is not difficult, but it requires the right resources and knowledge. With this step-by-step guide, you will be able to build a 10-minute grocery delivery app that is just as good, if not better, than Blinkit. We will cover everything from choosing the right platform to building the app and deploying it. By the end of this guide, you will have all the knowledge you need to create your own instant delivery app and take your business to the next level. Let’s get started!

Step 1: Discover and Plan Phase

1) First, you will need to identify a market for your app. What type of products or services do you want to offer? What needs does this market have that are not being met by existing businesses? What are other businesses in this space doing well? This research will be crucial as you begin to build your own app.

2) Next, you will need to create a business model for your app. How will you make money? There are a few different options here, but choosing one that will be sustainable long-term is important.

3) Find the right partner: Creating an on-demand delivery app is a complex and expensive process. It would be best to find the right partner to help you with the app development. They should have experience in developing similar apps and be able to provide you with a competitive price.

Once the discovery phase is over, you need to plan and decide on certain important factors:

Step 2: Choose the right platform:

The first and most important factor is choosing the right platform. You can either develop a native app or a hybrid app. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to evaluate which one would be best for your business. Native apps are generally developed for one platform, such as iOS or Android. On the other hand, cross-platform apps are developed using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and can be used on multiple platforms. Native app development is generally more expensive than platform-independent but delivers apps with better performance. Cross-platform app development, on average, is more cost-effective but is slightly slower than the former.

Step 3: Features List

Once you have decided which business model you will use, you need to consider what features to include in the app. One of the best ways to do this is to research the competitors, improve their existing features and add some unique features unavailable on other delivery apps to make your app stand out from the crowd.

Here are a few things to consider: –

A user-friendly interface: The app’s interface should be such that even first-time users can understand and use it without difficulty.

Simple Registration: Simplify the registration process, make it quick and easy for users to sign up for your app, and use clear and concise language; avoid jargon or technical terms.

Use high-quality images to make your app more visually appealing and easy to navigate.

Use an intuitive design: your app should be easy to use, with a clear and straightforward design.

GPS Tracking: GPS tracking is one of the essential features of any delivery app. It allows customers to track the location of their order in real-time and gives them an estimated arrival time. It also allows drivers to see where they need to go next and helps dispatchers track all the orders being delivered.

Order management: The order management system is the heart of any delivery app. It needs to track all the orders being placed, assign them to drivers, and keep track of their status.

Payment gateway integration: This would allow users to pay for their orders online or through the app using a variety of payment methods such as credit/debit cards, net banking, and e-wallets.

Real-time order tracking: Customers should be able to track their order in real-time so they can see how close it is to being delivered.

Push notifications: Push notifications helps notify customers about important updates of their order, such as when it has been picked up, is out for delivery, or has been delivered. You can also use them to promote special offers or discounts.

Multi-language support: The app should be available in multiple languages so people can use it in the language they are more comfortable with.

Compatibility: The app should be compatible with all devices so that as many people can use it as possible.  

In-app Chat: The app should have an in-built chat feature so that users can communicate with the delivery executive in case of any issue

Location-based tracking: This would allow users to see nearby drivers and track their progress as they make their way to the user’s location.

Rating and review system: This would give users the ability to rate and review

Social media integration: By allowing customers to share their experience with your app on social media, you can reach a wider audience and generate more word-of-mouth marketing.

Data analytics is critical in how on-demand grocery delivery apps work, from marketing outreach to app personalization, supply chain management, customer service, and reporting to insights.

Step 4: Design Phase (App interface design, U/X design, Database design)

The design of your app is fundamental as it will be one of the first things potential customers see. You need to ensure that the design is professional and easy to navigate. This means having a clean and intuitive user interface as well as clear and concise instructions on how to use the app. Decide on your app’s overall look and feel, including your app’s color scheme, font, and layout. It would be best if you considered hiring a team of designers with experience in creating mobile app designs.

Step 5: Create a prototype

Once you have the design sorted, the next step is to create a prototype. This will help you get an idea of how the app will look and feel. It will also help you test out the features you want to include in the app. This will help you get feedback from potential users and ensure the app is feasible.

Step 6: Development Phase

After you have created a prototype, the next step is to start development. This is where you will need to code the app and ensure it works properly. Here’s a quick overview of the development process:  

App architecture:  The app architecture is a structural map of how your online grocery app will be assembled and how those applications interact to meet business or user requirements. The application architecture ensures that applications are scalable and reliable and assists in identifying gaps in functionality.

Develop the front-end: This is where the coders translate the vision and design concept in building the front-end portion of the app, such as buttons, links, and animations— the part that users see and interact with, also known as the “client side.” This is primarily done using languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, apart from Dart in Flutter, React, Python, etc.

Develop the back-end: The back-end of the app would need to be developed the behind-the-scenes portions of the 10-minute grocery app, such as data storage, security, site performance, or other server-side functions.

Step 7: Testing

Once the app is built, it needs to be tested thoroughly before launch to ensure there are no bugs or errors. This is important as it will allow you to iron out any bugs or glitches that may be present in the app. You can do this by using a simulator or testing it on a real device.

Step 8: Launch the app

After your app is tested and ready to go, you need to launch it on the App Store and Google Play Store. This is where people will be able to download and use your app.

Step 9: Promote the app

You’ll need to promote your app to create awareness. You will need to create a strong marketing strategy to get people to use your app. This can be done through marketing and PR campaigns, social media, paid ads, etc.

Step 10: Analyze Data

Once your app is up and running, tracking how people are using it and checking the conversion rates is important. This will help you improve your app over time.

Finally, you will need to continue to support and update your app. This means ensuring that bugs are fixed, and new features are added regularly.

Technology Stack for an Instant Demand App like Blinkit

To develop an instant delivery app like Blinkit, you will need to use the following technology stack:

• Programming Languages: Swift (for iOS apps) or Java (for Android apps)
• Database: MySQL, MongoDB, Couchbase, Cassandra
• Server-side Framework: Node.js or Laravel
• Client-side Framework: AngularJS or ReactJS
• Payment Gateway: Stripe or PayPal
• Cloud provider: Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure
• Maps and Navigation: Google Maps or Apple Maps
• API gateway: Kong, Express Gateway
• Message queue: Kafka, RabbitMQ
• Search engine: Elasticsearch
• Machine learning: TensorFlow, MXNet, Scikit-learn

How much does it cost to build an App like Blinkit?

The cost of building an app depends on various factors such as features, platform, development time, etc. Here is a rough estimate of how much it would cost to build an app like Blinkit. Basic app with essential features- $5000 to $10000Advanced app with more features- $15000 to $30000app with complex features- $40000 to $80000

The cost also varies depending on whether you want to develop an iOS or Android app. The cost of building an app also depends on the country you are outsourcing the development to. If you outsource the development to a country like India, the cost would be much lower than if you outsource it to a developed country like the United States.

Certain additional costs need to be considered when building an on-demand delivery app like Blinkit. These include:

1. The cost of hosting and maintaining the app on a server. This can range from $100 to $500 per month, depending on the size and complexity of the app.
2. The cost of purchasing a domain name for the app. This would typically cost around $10 per year.
3. The cost of acquiring customers through marketing and advertising campaigns. This can vary greatly depending on the budget and goals of the campaign.
4. The cost of paying the commission to the drivers for each delivery they make. This is usually around 10% of the total order value.

Considering all these factors, the cost to develop a 10-minute grocery delivery app like Blinkit would be somewhere between $30,000 to $60,000. However, please note that this is just a rough estimate. The actual cost could be higher or lower depending on the project’s specific requirements.

Stepwise Time Breakdown in Developing the App

The development of an on-demand delivery app can be broadly divided into three phases:

1. Design and planning phase: This is the initial phase where you finalize the features and architecture of the app. It usually takes 2-4 weeks.
2. Development phase: This is where the developer creates the app according to the design plans. It usually takes 4-8 weeks.
3. Testing and launch phase: Once the development is complete, the app needs to be tested for bugs and performance issues. This phase usually takes 2-4 weeks.

Why Build an App like Blinkit with Oyelabs?

Oyelabs is a leading on-demand mobile app development company with years of experience building successful on-demand apps. We have a team of experienced developers who are well versed in the latest technologies and trends. We also offer a wide range of services, including on-demand app development, app designing, and app marketing. We have built a number of successful on-demand delivery apps for our clients across the globe.

We understand the challenges in building an on-demand delivery app and have the necessary expertise to overcome those challenges. Building an app like Blinkit with Oyelabs is the best decision you can make for your business.

Contact us today to get started.

Conclusion

Building an app like Blinkit is a great way to tap into the growing q-commerce market in India. With the help of Oyelabs, you can have a custom app built that is reliable, scalable, and user-friendly. Contact us today to get started.