Complete Guide to Logistics App Development

Suppose you are halfway through your shipment and realize that you have run out of space in your truck, or you are out of inventory, and some of your trucks are traveling half empty. This can impact the productivity & efficiency of your logistics business while simultaneously costing you more than estimated.

Therefore, logistics mobile apps are widespread to manage the supply-chain process more effectively. With these apps, you can monitor and ensure transparency in the functions like warehouse status, truck space, location tracking, etc.

So, if you own a logistics business, you can implement an app solution into your workflow to achieve more controlled processes and efficient outcomes.

This blog will guide you through the process of logistics app development, including its types, key features, costs, tech stack, and more.

Top Benefits to Create Logistics App 

• Manage Fleet Effortlessly

With a logistics app, you can easily track and manage the data of commercial vehicle data in one place. You can also monitor the technical condition of your trucks and handle the issues via obligatory inspections to detect any problems with brakes, engines, etc.

The data-driven approach of this app will help you handle your business more effectively through tracking data of drivers, the allocated trucks, vehicles’ routes, vehicle capacity, and various other management tasks. 

• Minimize Paperwork

The logistics app development process will eliminate the traditional paper forms and service order methods with business automation. You can send e-bills, make online payments, confirm electronic proof of delivery, and track delivery. 

Thus, you can access the data faster, save time, and waste less money & paper.

• Reduce Delivery Time and Cost

Your business will become more transparent and controllable due to easy tracking of vehicles and real-time data updates. 

You can optimize the routes, schedule freight delivery, and predict fuel expenses with accurate data. Thus, not only will logistics apps make your workflow more transparent, but they will also cut down the cost.

• Streamline Supply Chain Process

Logistics apps will help cut down the unnecessary steps in the supply-chain process and optimize it, providing a more effective workflow.

Moreover, integrating Blockchain technology for logistics apps revolutionizes this industry by facilitating an end-to-end, transparent, secure, and robust supply chain infrastructure. 

Also read: How Can Blockchain Technology Transform the Logistics Industry?

• Manage Warehouse More Efficiently

In the logistics industry, one of the essential areas of function is managing the warehouse inventory. 

Keep track of inventory to know how many goods are shipped and have remained in the warehouse. You need to ensure that any trucks should not leave half-empty or overloaded and the inventory does not run out of supplies. 

AI-based logistics mobile apps can streamline your warehouse management process by optimizing the inventory space and giving alerts of its statuses. 

Types of Logistics Apps

Supply Chain Management 

The supply chain app developer builds logistics apps to provide better control over inventory and operational processes. You can find the problem areas of your supply-chain process with precise monitoring of the operations and increase the efficiency and productivity of your supply-chain process. 

Example: Iota by Logistimo.

Fleet Management

You can manage transportation data and commercial coordinate vehicles with fleet management apps. These apps will help you optimize the overall fleet operations and ensure that it executes smoothly. 

Example: GasBuddy

Driver Management 

These mobile apps are built to manage drivers’ data and meet their needs to ensure optimal operations of logistics processes. You can maintain the driver’s profile, track their location, and monitor the stock they are carrying through driver management app types.

Examples: Driver’s Daily Log, Hawk-Eye Trucking Log Book

On-Demand Courier Delivery

With on-demand courier delivery app development, you can have apps that will offer a well-connecting logistics infrastructure with the dispatching company, drivers, and shippers who need to receive the goods. Thus, this app will simplify the tasks like sending, tracking, and managing courier deliveries. 

Example: Uber Freight

Warehouse Management

Updating, tracking, and managing thousands of shipments can be challenging. Logistics apps for warehouse management can digitize all the processes, reducing human-made errors and updating information in real time. 

Example: Warehouse Management by Microsoft. 

Delivery Management 

The delivery management app will ensure a centralized delivery architecture for logistics business owners to easily access the information. They can monitor the delivery status, order location, drivers’ information, and other necessary details to ensure smooth delivery. 

Example: Link Bollore Logistics

Logistics App Development: Features to Integrate

Once you have selected the type of logistics app, it is time to choose the relevant features to integrate into the app. Each app type has its own set of features. Thus, selecting the app functionality more wisely without going overboard with the first release is necessary. 

The logistics mobile app development can be divided into two major parts— Dispatcher and Driver Panel.

Dispatcher Features

1. Sign Up- A necessary step to create your profile on the logistics app and secure it with the two-step authentication.
2. Dashboard- A control panel for dispatchers to view and manage all the logistics processes.
3. Orders Management- See the order details and manage the supply process accordingly.
4. Driver & Freight Tracking- A dispatcher should be able to track their drivers and the orders to be aware of the accurate delivery status.
5. Fleet Management- Enable dispatchers to calculate expenses like fuel, taxation, etc., and optimize the route accordingly.
6. Driver Management- Dispatchers should be able to view drivers’ details and the route, vehicles, and freight they have been granted.
7. Revenue and Expense Management- View payment history, billing & invoice details, and calculate the revenue and expense accordingly.
8. Push Notifications- Get notified of the order status, inventory level, and other essential information via push notifications.

Drivers Features

1. Sign Up- Similar to the dispatcher’s panel, drivers have to register on the app via email ids or social media accounts.
2. Driver’s Profile- Drivers will get to manage their profiles with relevant documents like driving license, id proof, qualifications, and bank account number.
3. Shipment Details- Drivers can fetch the shipment details, such as pick-up address, drop-off address, contact details, etc.
4. Map Screen & Route Navigation- Drivers can locate the customer’s address on the map and find the best possible routes.
5. Electronic Proof of Delivery (ePOD)- With this feature, drivers can quickly take the order confirmation through Photo capture, Signature capture, or Barcode scanning.
6. Communication Tools- Drivers might need to contact the dispatcher and the customers to ensure the order reaches the right destination on time.
7. Push Notifications- You can inform your drivers of the newly assigned shipping orders or any changes in the shipment orders via push notifications.

Selecting the Technology Stack for Logistics App Development 

After determining the core features to incorporate into your logistics mobile app, select the technologies to implement those features successfully. Since the logistics app requires many features at different levels, choosing a well-thought-on technology framework is essential to building a high-quality application.

The logistics app development company needs to integrate high-grade technology into the app to ensure a seamless functioning and interactive user interface.

Based on the features mentioned above, the following technology stack will be suitable for building the logistics app.

• Payments: PayPal, Stripe, Braintree, Amazon Pay.
• Database Management: MongoDB, MySQL, Hbase, Cassandra.
• Cloud Computing: AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud.
• Navigation: Google Maps API.
• Push Notifications: Push.io or Twilio.
• Backend Development: Ruby, Python, or PHP.
• Front-end Development: BootStrap, CSS, Swift, JavaScript.
• Real-Time Analytics: Cisco, Apache, IBM, BigData.

Step-by-Step Process of Developing a Logistics App

• App Discovery

The first step is understanding your project scope and defining the app development requirements accordingly. A thorough project analysis will give you a clear idea of the types of logistics apps, their features, and the technology to be used, establishing the foundation of your app development. 

• MVP Development

After discovering your app idea, if you want to validate that idea in the market, hiring an MVP app development company and creating a minimum viable product is best. This method will help you test your app idea and launch it in the market in less time and money.

Also read: How Much Does it Cost to Develop MVP in 2022?

• UI/UX Designing

Now that you are clear about your app idea, and its feature requirement, it is time to build a high-class and intuitive design of your app that appeals to the end-user needs. An interactive UI/UX design will ensure your logistics app developers follow the right path of app development.

• App Development

After the app design, the actual coding part of the app development process begins. Integrate all the features and screen transitions through the right set of technology and third-party integrations. 

• App Testing and Maintenance

Your work doesn’t end after the app development; you need to ensure your app is free of any bugs and functions as per your expectations. Therefore, mobile app testing is a necessary process.

Furthermore, you must maintain your app as per the latest technology and ensure it keeps working without glitches.

How Much Does it Cost to Develop a Logistics App?

There is no fixed method to measure the cost of developing a logistics app as it depends on several parameters. Typically, we can breakdown the estimation of building an app into the following categories:

1. Platform choice
2. Feature complexity
3. UI/UX design cost
4. Cost technology integration
5. App Maintenance Cost
6. Development time

In complex mobile apps, the app development process will cost you higher. Your client might require custom features built in from scratch and multiple screen transitions & navigation. Thus, the level of customization and designed user experience as per the platform will also be the primary cost-affecting factors.

The transport and logistics app development company you hire divides the app’s development into two panels — the driver’s features and the dispatcher’s panel. This division can also give you the rough idea estimation needed to build a logistics app.

Panel Distribution	Minimum Cost	Maximum Cost
Driver Panel Estimation	$20,000	$45,000
Dispatcher Panel Estimation	$25,250	$50,000

Note: The cost estimation given in the above table is based on the feature integration on both the Driver and Dispatcher panels. This estimation might change as per your project scope, developer cost, the technology used, and other cost-driving factors of building an app. 

Based on the area affecting the app development estimation, the logistics app development cost will range between $150,000 – $250,000 (or more with advanced features).

Conclusion

Logistics apps can improve the overall process of the supply chain, from warehouse management to vehicle maintenance. With such apps, you can attain automation in your logistics operations while improving the efficiency of your business. 

If you want to develop a quality logistics mobile app, you can hire a company offering high-end logistics app development services.

Whether you want to build a warehouse management system, fleet management, or on-demand logistics app, you must be clear of business needs, feature requirements, the tech stack, etc. Being clear of your project scope will help you be ready for challenges. 

However, you can hire a logistics app designing company to streamline your app development process.