How To Create A Food Sharing App Like Olio?

Last Updated on November 25, 2023

Apps like OLIO play a vital role in the success of the sharing economy, which has gained traction in recent years as a result of the booming rental market. To create a circular economy, the facilitation of lifestyle shifts is essential, especially with waste levels reaching exorbitant levels.

According to a 2021 report by WRAP, UK households waste 4.5 million tonnes of food that could have been eaten every year, amounting to £14 billion (£700 for an average family with children) in wasted food. 

To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of 2015, we must drastically alter our lifestyles. Change has never been more urgent as we emerge from a post-pandemic world. Extinction; The Facts, a recent BBC documentary with David Attenborough, shows how our consumer-driven society is destroying biodiversity and making us more vulnerable to pandemics such as COVID-19.

Create a food sharing app like OLIO to actively contribute to sustainable living, combat food waste, and build resilient communities.

Information about food waste can be found on the OLIO website. Across the globe, we use an area larger than China to grow food that will never be eaten by humans. When it comes to greenhouse gases, if food waste were a country, it would rank third. Despite the fact that the problem is global, we can make a dent in it at the local level.

OLIO — An Introduction

There is a growing awareness of these issues, and more action is beginning to be taken, despite the fact that it may seem like an insurmountable crisis that we as individuals cannot solve on our own. 

When it comes to food sharing, OLIO has seen an increase in users and a change in its user base. Listings have grown at the same rate in the last five months as they had in the first five years of the company’s existence. 

Tessa Clarke and Saasha Celestial-One founded the app in 2015 in response to a personal experience Clarke had after returning to the UK from Switzerland.

They asked her to get rid of the food in her fridge on moving day. She didn’t want to waste perfectly good food, so she set out to find someone in her community to give it to. 

An epiphany occurred when she realised it was awkward to knock on the doors of strangers, sparking the idea to create a food-sharing facility that would transform neighbourhoods around the world.

It’s a free community-based app that relies on local neighbourhoods working together to make it work. Using an image of the food, a basic description, and the desired collection time, it can be collected and distributed to the intended recipient.

Additionally, the team relies on volunteers and “Food Waste Heroes” to raise awareness of OLIO in local communities, as well as local businesses to collect unsold or surplus food from supermarkets, restaurants and local cafes.

The app’s ripple effect is changing not only the economy but also the lives of those who are in need of food and supplies on a short-term basis.

While the app was originally designed to share only food, users can now also share unwanted gifts, clothing, toys, and books.

OLIO’s Success

There are now more than 2,350,000 active users of the app, which is promoting a thriftier lifestyle by encouraging consumers to buy locally. 

App users have shared more than 6.5 million food portions since its launch, saving 19.3 million miles and over 1 billion litres in water that would otherwise be used in food production.

With plans to expand it beyond the 54 countries where it is currently being used, the impact is already phenomenal.

How Does OLIO Work?

Just download the free app and create an account to get started. Creating an eBay or Amazon account is far more complicated. OLIO is a trust-based system, which is refreshing. You don’t have to go through a vetting process, pay a fee, or prove that you have the financial means to participate. A little bit of either.

Once you’ve signed up, the app will connect you with other users in your local area. In addition to being able to see what is available, you can specify a pick-up radius (in increments of 0.6 miles to 16 miles).

You can get free food and household items.

And What All Can You List On The Application?

There are two major categories:

1. Food 
2. Non-Food Items

As a general rule, any food that you list must be “good enough for you to eat”. The end. Around me at the moment, people are giving away items such as fennel and milk as well as bags of coffee and bread.

Then you can help someone else out by getting rid of some of your extra vegetables or soup tins in the back of your cupboard.

The same is true for household items that may be sitting unused in your home. Other non-food items for sale include books, clothes, appliances, bric-a-brac, and kitchenware.

• Supermarket vs Restaurant Food

Some local businesses may list unsold food at the end of the day. Tesco and Pret a Manger participate in my area, which means that there is often bread and cakes, sandwiches and salads to be found there.

OLIO’s “Food Waste Heroes” collect the food from the shops and distribute it. To become a Food Waste Hero, you must fill out an application. In addition to leafleting and promoting, volunteers can also sign up local businesses to donate unsold food.

How Does The Listing Process Work On OLIO?

To list an item, simply take a picture, write a brief description, and upload it to the site. Immediately, it will show up on the listings page of the site.

The “Request this” button will allow you to send a message to the person who listed the item you’re interested in. There may be a set time when you can pick it up. If they accept your request, you set up a meeting time and place.

You may not get lucky every time if it’s a popular item because the waiter may get more than one request, but food and household items are always available.

Steps To Create A Food Sharing App Like OLIO

1. Pick The Features

“How do you create a mobile app?” is usually followed by a shortlist of features. Before you can figure out how to help someone, you must first know who you’re trying to reach. Default features do not exist because every application is different.

Finding out which features on your current website are the most popular can help you get started. Always pay attention to what mobile visitors are doing because context can make a big difference in the user experience.

2. Wireframing

As far as mobile application development for business is concerned, this is arguably the most important step. Design and development teams can use wireframes to give them an idea of how the app will look.

They can also be shared with content teams to let them know what type of content will be needed.

Any potential problems can be identified if the wireframes are worked on early on. Early refinement allows for everyone to get on board with the final design, saving time and resources. Inexperienced developers are the only ones who attempt to create a mobile application without first finalising the wireframing.

3. Competitor Analysis

In the business world, competitor research is always a good idea, which explains why it’s used so widely. Why?

They’ll have their finger on the pulse of the market, sales teams will know what makes people buy, and business owners will be able to plan for the future more easily.

Your performance against your competitors can be compared by setting benchmarks and tracking metrics.

4. Finalize Your Mobile App Platform

Most people who want to learn how to make mobile apps want to know: “Which is the best platform to create an app?” 

React is one of the most popular platforms. Xamarin, Ionic, and Swift are just a few of the available technologies. 

Considering that each platform has its own pros and cons, you or your developers should do some research before deciding on which one makes the most sense for you.

5. Hire Your Design & Development Team

The best way to build a mobile is to hire a team with years of experience and expertise like OyeLabs. As well as helping you choose the best platform for your app, we’ll be able to guide you through the entire process. Therefore, if you’re still stuck with your application’s design & development stage —  feel free to get in touch with us for top-notch food delivery app development services.

We’ll be more than happy to help!

6. Release Your Mobile Application

Start thinking about releasing your app once it’s finished. Prior to the general launch, test the app as thoroughly as possible. Having said that, you don’t need to launch with every feature, and it’s actually a good idea to hold back so that you have room to further develop your app and launch version 2.0.

Ideally, you should launch your app on as many different marketplaces as possible, but this will also depend on the platform you choose and the operating system(s) on which it’s available for download and installation. It is important to have a wide distribution network to reach as many customers as possible, but pay special attention to the big players such as Apple Store and Android Play.

Technology Stack To Create A Food Sharing App Like Olio

• Display & Programmatic Advertising– Facebook Ads, Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads and Moat, 
• Payment Processing– Stripe
• Popup & Form Builders– poptin
•  Product Analytics – Heap Inc 
•  Project Management – jQuery 
•  Social Media Management– Facebook Ads, Google Ads, and LinkedIn Ads, AddThis, Google Tag Manager, YouTube
• Web & Mobile Analytics – Google Analytics and Moat 
• Other technologies – Cloudflare, Google, HelpScout, and WordPress.

Wrapping Up

For one of the world’s biggest problems, a food waste delivery application is a perfect solution for the world’s biggest challenge. Both business owners and investors, as well as non-profit organisations and consumers, have a lot to gain from it.

As a waste food delivery app developer, it’s only natural to be concerned about competition. Fear and scepticism are common reactions to the idea of market competition; on the other hand, improvements can be made to the food waste problem.

Frequently Asked Questions To Create A Food Sharing App Like OLIO (FAQs)