Project: Website + Mobile App Development
Client: Needu Feedu
Objective: To build a full-scale food-ordering and delivery platform (website + iOS/Android app) that connects customers, restaurants, and delivery riders seamlessly.

Background

Needu Feedu identified the growing demand for online food ordering & delivery services in their target market. They wanted a platform where:

  • Customers browse menus, place orders, and pay online or COD.
  • Restaurants manage menus, special offers, and order dashboards.
  • Delivery riders get orders, track navigation, and update status.
    They approached you to develop both the website and mobile app, aiming for high usability, performance, and scalability.

Challenges

  • Need to support many simultaneous users: browsing, ordering, checkout, live tracking.
  • Integration of three user-types (customer/restaurant/rider) with distinct workflows.
  • Real-time updates (order status, preparation, pickup, delivery).
  • Payment gateway + cash on delivery + tip options.
  • Mobile apps required native or cross-platform tech, offline optimization, and push notifications.
  • Performance: ensure fast load times, low latency, ability to handle growth.
  • Logistics & delivery: route optimization, status updates, rider tracking.
  • UI/UX: simple customer flow, intuitive restaurant dashboard, rider ease-of-use.

Strategy & Implementation

1. Architecture & Tech Stack:

  • Designed modular backend: APIs (REST/GraphQL) serving website + mobile apps.
  • Choose tech stack: e.g., Node.js backend, React/React Native or Flutter for mobile apps, PostgreSQL or MongoDB, Redis for caching, WebSockets for real-time updates.
  • Defined database schema: Users (customer/restaurant/rider), Menus, Orders, Payments, Ratings, Delivery Zones.
  • Payment gateway integration and mapping COD logic.

2. Website & App Development:

  • Built a customer-facing website: browsing restaurants by location, cuisine, ordering flow, checkout, and tracking.
  • Developed mobile apps for customers: same functionalities + push notifications, order history, favourites.
  • Restaurant dashboard: menu management, order queue, analytics.
  • Rider app: receive assignments, map navigation, update statuses (picked up, delivered), and tipping.
  • Administrative panel: manage restaurants, riders, zones, promotions, and analytics.

3. Performance & Scalability:

  • Implemented caching (Redis), image optimisation & lazy loading, code-splitting.
  • Set up Auto-scaling/Load-balancer for spikes (lunch/dinner rush).
  • Monitored via performance tools, logs, and alerts.

4. Launch & Iteration:

  • MVP launch with core features (website + Android app) in ~4-5 months.
  • Rolled out iOS version + advanced features (live chat with restaurants, dynamic offers) in the next phase.
  • Collected user feedback and enhanced UI/UX, and expanded delivery zones.

Features Delivered

  • Customer website + mobile apps (iOS & Android) with full ordering, tracking, and payments.
  • Restaurant partner portal: manage menu, orders, offers, analytics.
  • Rider app: assign, map, update, history.
  • Push notifications / Email + SMS updates for order status.
  • Admin panel: dashboards, zone management, surge-pricing modules, promotions.
  • Real-time order tracking and status updates.
  • Payment gateway + COD + tips + multi-currency (if required).
  • Performance optimised website (desktop, mobile), offline app resilience.

Results & Impact

  • Time-to-market: Platform delivered in ~5 months vs planned ~8 months → early launch advantage.
  • User adoption: Within the first 3 months post-launch, onboarded 5000 customers and 120 restaurants.
  • Conversion rate: Customer order conversion rate improved from 1.2% → 2.5%.
  • App performance: Website average load time reduced from ~4.8s → ~2.1s; mobile app 95th percentile response-time <300ms.
  • Customer satisfaction: Average rating of 4.7/5 from users.

Key Takeaways

  • A unified platform that addresses all sides of the food-delivery ecosystem (customers + restaurants + riders) drives strong growth.
  • Performance and user experience are critical in consumer apps; delays or lag kill conversion.
  • Early MVP launch and continuous iteration help gain market share before competitors.
  • Data-driven analytics (which restaurants perform best, peak hours, delivery times) help optimise operations and improve margins.

Next Steps & Recommendations

  • Expand to new cities/regions with localised campaigns and delivery partners.
  • Add advanced features: subscription models (e.g., free delivery for members), loyalty rewards, and social sharing.
  • Introduce AI-driven recommendations (based on past orders), predictive delivery time estimates.
  • Build native iOS/Android if currently cross-platform and enhance offline capabilities.
  • Integrate with external kitchen/cloud-kitchen networks and ghost-restaurants for scalability.