In a world where we get most of our things done online, from travel tickets to heavy buying, it was only time before someone had the idea of having the same system for your day to day groceries. After online shopping carts became a huge game changer, many people have turned to this idea. Here we will be talking about Instacart, an online grocery shopping app and what it takes to create such an app using the Instacart clone.
We will be looking into the intricacies of the functioning of an online e-commerce app like Instacart, what are the features that apps like this use in order to make them user-friendly and how, as a beginner in the game, an individual can go about creating their own grocery shopping app.
About Instacart
Developed in 2012 by Apoorva Mehta, Instacart currently is spread and used across the entire United States of America. After looking at a massive success in the States, the company is planning to expand into Canada, starting with Toronto.
The Instacart platform is accessible via smartphones with an app which is supported by both iOS and Android, however, the online site can also be used to place your orders.
What makes Instacart from all its competitors is the absence of a storage unit. Rather than purchasing and maintaining a warehouse full of the products, the buyers have an option of choosing the store from which you would like Instacart to purchase a product from. In this manner, the developers have given further control to the consumers.
Once the order has been placed, a member of Instacart will go the particular store and complete the purchase for you, making the delivery at your doorstep within an hour.
The users can opt for a yearly membership at the time of registration, which is priced at $99. The benefit of the yearly plan is that there is no extra charge on delivery, whereas otherwise, you will have to pay extra on every purchase, depending on whether it is higher than or less than $35.
Instacart Business Model
A platform like Instacart is what is known as an e-commerce grocery cart. As the name suggests, it is an online platform whose purpose is to provide customers the ease of doing their day to day shopping while sitting in the comfort of their homes.
Instacart has made it their goal to form positive and beneficial relationships with major brand supermarkets in order to provide the customers with fresh products. What is integral to their business model is the hiring of individual shoppers. This eliminates the companies need for transportation, as the shoppers take care of it themselves. As the products are purchased directly from a store of the customers choosing, there is no need to have a warehouse of their own.
Features Required to Start a Business Like Instacart
In order to get in the game of e-commerce grocery cart, you first need to build a platform for yourself. Lucky for us, some have made our lives easy by copying and creating platforms which can be customized as per the requirement of the admin.
In order to build a platform, the developers looked to the heavy hitters, like Instacart, and used their design. The Instacart clone utilises the script taken from Instacart and uses to create an ideal marketplace.
The developers, for a price of course, will set up for you a server, install a robust dashboard, set up the users’ Web App, change and create logos and develop smartphone apps, supported by both iOS and Android.
Cost to Develop a Website and App Like Instacart from Scratch
The pricing of the development of the platform may vary depending on which developer you hire to set up your Instacart clone script and the personalised changes you ask them to implement for you. However, the general consensus is that the development of an Instacart like platform using Instacart clone script could cost you both in terms of money as the hourly rate of app developers is about $50-$100 and the time taken by them to develop such a customized app is anywhere between 5 and 6 months. The cumulative cost stands at $25000.
Comparing to Turnkey Solution Cost (Gencart)
When you factor in both the overhead costs and the amount of time taken by developers to produce an app similar to Instacart, it might not seem worth your while to invest. But we have an alternative solution which can provide you the solution you are looking for both in terms of cost and time.
The following are a few characteristics that must be offered by an e-commerce grocery cart:
- Quick product / services delivery
- Comparison of real-time prices
- Responsive Admin Panel
- Dispute Management System
- Part-time working independent contractors
- Mobile-first user experience
- Quick, easy and safe payment systems
- Well thought rating systems
Gencart offers all of these features integrated into it and that has caused it to be an extremely popular option among entrepreneurs who want to get into this market.
Conclusion
The market for e-commerce grocery cart platforms is fairly good, with Instacart having started only 6 years ago. Even though it is young, this platform has shown significant growth and popularity among the consumers and the service providers. In the past few years, e-shopping has been able to make significant stride. Investing in an e-commerce grocery cart platform would surely be a good bet right now and Gencart makes this quite easy especially for beginners!
I am a professional blogger, guest writer, Influencer & an eCommerce expert. Currently associated with ShopyGen as a content marketing strategist. I also report on the latest happenings and trends associated with the eCommerce industry. Follow me on Twitter, Google Plus, and Quora.
