7 Stages of Mobile App Development for Logistics

7 Stages of Mobile App Development for Logistics
Owners of logistics companies devote an inordinate amount of time to reviewing the load board. Logistics firms are highly fragmented, with numerous divisions such as warehouses, fleets, and delivery management. Due to empty mileage, a lack of visibility across logistical divisions results in financial loss.

To run a profitable logistics firm, you must manage warehouses, ensure maximum truckloads, track driver positions, and give complete transparency across all departments.

The solution is to create a logistics mobile app that makes work across all departments transparent and predictable. A seasoned mobile app developer NYC, specializing in creating cutting-edge applications tailored to meet client needs. With expertise in diverse technologies and a keen eye for user experience, craft intuitive and robust solutions that resonate with audiences and drive business success in the dynamic digital landscape of New York City

After reading this post, you will learn the basic types of logistics apps, as well as how to design a logistics app for your firm.



There are important justifications for developing a mobile app for a logistics company.
For the following advantages, logistics companies must incorporate mobile application strategy into their workflow:

1. Reduces paperwork

Mobile logistics apps eliminate inconvenient paper order forms and service orders by providing instant access to a company's database with freight accompanying documents.

2. It decreases delivery costs and time.

Delivery of freight can be planned, fuel costs can be anticipated, and empty miles can be decreased with the help of fleet management mobile solutions.

3. Dispatches and routes are optimized.

With built-in databases and barcode scanning capabilities, mobile warehouse management solutions improve freight dispatching, and the delivery scheduling feature lets you choose the best route in advance.

4. Controlled vehicle tracking is provided.

An integrated GPS tracking feature into a driver's logistics app can help you achieve more coordinated shipping and accurately forecast the time the vehicle will be dispatched.

The bottom line is that you can use mobile technologies to automate repetitive tasks, manage dispatched inventory in real-time, and provide visibility across all departments, thereby lowering empty miles and raising profit.

Creating a mobile app for logistics in 7 steps.

We compiled the key stages of the logistics app development process to give you an idea of the process.



1. Choose the kind of logistics app

Since logistics involves many different departments, the apps' purposes, target audiences, and feature sets all differ. You must choose which type of app you will create at this point from the options listed below:

1. Mobile apps for fleet management
If your fleet is too large, you must keep track of each vehicle's information and perform timely maintenance. You can manage and store all the data about your trucks with the aid of a fleet management app. You can track vehicle maintenance history, service costs, fuel consumption trends, and more with such transport logistics software.


2. On-demand logistics apps on mobile
Automobiles are rarely fully filled, so if your drivers' vehicles have extra room, they may be more anxious when making deliveries. If you want to increase the revenue of your logistics firm, consider implementing a smartphone app for on-demand delivery.

Delivery on demand logistics applications connect shippers who need their goods delivered with drivers of company-owned vehicles. As a consequence, the program comprises a shipper app, a carrier app, and an administration panel. Let's look at how these apps work now.

3. Warehouse mobile apps
If your logistics company operates a warehouse, you must make sure that all goods will arrive at their intended destination on time. It is nearly impossible to simultaneously track, manage, and update the status of hundreds of deliveries in real-time. Consider developing barcode scanning software to digitize the operation of your warehouse.

These programs are equipped with third-party apis that enable them to read different types of barcodes and interface with your warehouse database to update data in real-time. Additionally, barcode scanning applications cut costs associated with barcode scanners, lower human error rates, and boost warehouse staff productivity through mass barcode scanning. Take a deeper look at the logistics plus mobile to learn more about the crucial warehouse management feature list.

2. Quote from logistic mobile app developers 

Your objective at this point is to take into account both technical know-how and team and client communication. Why does it matter, though? Despite the fact that there are millions of talented coders, the success of the project rests heavily on the team's ability to communicate effectively.

3. Sign an NDA and discuss your company's concept.

Following the completion of your request, a sales manager will arrange a call to further discuss the project. Those who are not yet your technology partners should not be given access to all the information about your logistic app. A sales manager will send you an nda as a result if they respect your company proposal (non-disclosure agreement). But before the first contact, request that an NDA be signed if you have a tight schedule. Inform the sales manager about the logistics app you want to create, along with its features and target market. Business analysts will use this data to make an educated guess as to your app's expenses after receiving it from the sales manager.

4. Get a ballpark app estimate.

Because there are several technical needs and specifics that need to be resolved, a rough cost estimate for the app is not the final cost of your project. Avoid firms that promise to provide thorough logistics software at absurdly low prices.

Choose the best estimate after comparing timeframes, technologies, team sizes, and hourly rates from mobile app developers. Learn more about how to find a mobile app developer here.



5. Launch the discovery (inception) phase.

It takes one to three months to complete the discovery or inception phase. Your development team will ask questions about the app's business logic, features, end users, and how they interact with it at this time in order to produce a project specification. Project goals, all potential user interactions (user stories), what the app will do in each scenario, the list of technologies, and architecture are all described in a project specification, also known as technical documentation.

6. Create and release the MVP of your logistical app.

The team will first construct an mvp for the feature-rich app (minimum variable product). The mvp is the version of the software that just has the functionality that is absolutely necessary to demonstrate your company's concept. The development team will carry out the following to create an mvp:

1. Create a plan for the MVP of your app.
The team prioritizes the app's functionality using the project definition and develops an MVP roadmap. All of the MVP user stories and the iterations for implementing them are listed in the project roadmap.

2. Starting the development stage
The team begins implementing user stories in accordance with the development plan. Each month, the team will give you a presentation to show you a completed component of the software, and they will supply you with a report at the end of each iteration.

3. Launch the app's MVP in shops.
After completing the MVP of your logistics app, the development team runs the last demo before distributing it for general usage on the App Store and Google Play. At this stage, you have total access to your app's code, database, and other project-related assets.


7. Provide innovative functionality to logistics apps.

You and your development team will determine what advanced features to implement next after receiving input from app users. Consider including advanced logistics software features such as:

  1. Integrated messaging
  2. Documentation has been digitized.
  3. Shipping order status can be changed.
  4. Images of freight in a digital gallery
  5. Completed shipment history
  6. Submissions for real-time inspection
  7. API integration for barcode scanning
  8. Gateway for third-party payments
  9. Software for logistics optimization

Conclusion

Because of the numerous benefits that a logistics application provides, the future growth of various types of on-demand logistics apps will help the logistics business thrive. The moment to invest in transportation app development services may be right now. Employ a dedicated team from a respected logistics application development company.

In summary, logistics management systems may improve performance across the board, from vehicle maintenance to warehouse operations. Make a wonderful mobile app for your logistics firm by following the steps mentioned in this article.

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