With people becoming more health-conscious, there has been a significant increase in the number of individuals who strictly plan their meals weekly. In fact, research says that 29 percent of people in the US plan their meals weekly to gain health benefits. With this increasing demand for healthy meal planning, meal planning apps have emerged as a popular solution for those looking to streamline their meal planning process. 

But with countless meal-planning apps flooding the market, how do you pick the perfect one? Here, we’ll explore the top features that set highly profitable meal-planning apps apart from the rest. Let’s begin.

What are Meal Planning Apps & Why are they Important?

Meal planning apps are designed to provide personalized meal plans and recipes to users, based on their individual preferences, dietary needs, and lifestyle choices. With the help of these apps, users can create grocery lists, track their calorie intake, and even receive reminders for meals and snacks throughout the day.

The importance of meal-planning apps lies in the fact that they simplify the planning process and make it more accessible to a broader audience. Restaurant app development services are an essential component of the meal-planning app industry. These apps are designed to cater to specific dietary requirements and food preferences, making the meal-planning process even more tailor-made.

As our lives become more hectic, it can be challenging to devote time and energy to planning healthy and nutritious meals for ourselves and our families. Meal planning apps offer a hassle-free solution to meal planning that can save users both time and money.

The statistics speak for themselves. According to recent studies, the overall valuation of meal-planning apps increased at a CAGR of 21.40 percent. Last year, the valuation of these apps reached an impressive USD 2,187.63 million. And that’s not all! The overall market value of these apps is expected to surpass $15,017.42 million in upcoming years, making it one of the fastest-growing segments.

A Brief Overview of Meal Planning App Features

If you love to plan meals but hate the stress and uncertainty that comes with it, then meal-planning apps are the way to go. However, the rise in demand for these apps has led to a surge in mobile app development services with expertise in meal-planning apps.  We’ve listed a few popular features you should consider in such apps.

1. Recipe Collection 

The Recipe Collection feature is one of the primary functions you will find in most meal-planning apps. Essentially, this feature allows you to collect and organize recipes in one location. It is an excellent tool for keeping track of your favorite recipes, trying out new ones, and planning future meals. It allows you to create a virtual cookbook tailored to your needs. Some apps use this feature to provide users with healthy, well-rounded meal options and nutrition information.

The Recipe Collection feature is crucial because it allows users to organize their recipes easily. Rather than digging through a pile of cookbooks, users can access their entire collection with a few clicks. This feature also allows for customization and flexibility when planning meals. It can also be an excellent tool for those who want to meet specific dietary needs.

2. Grocery List Building 

The Grocery List Building feature is another essential component of meal-planning apps. It allows you to compile a list of the food items you must purchase for your meals. Only a few meal-planning apps allow users to scan barcodes, set reminders, and categorize items.

This feature is essential because it helps users save time and money. By creating a list of items to purchase beforehand, users can cut back on unnecessary purchases and prevent food waste. Additionally, this feature can help users stick to a budget and ensures that users have all the necessary ingredients to reduce last-minute grocery store trips.

3. Precisely Planned Meals

This feature allows users to plan their meals according to dietary restrictions, food preferences, and personal goals. Users can select from various meal plans that cater to specific lifestyle choices such as keto, vegetarian, or paleo. Additionally, the feature allows for the customization of meals based on calorie intake and nutritional value.

Knowing what to eat beforehand helps individuals avoid unhealthy food choices when hungry and pressed for time. It takes the guesswork out of meal planning, giving users the tools needed to create delicious and healthy meals that align with their goals.

4. Add Your Meals or Skip by Choice

This feature allows users to manually add meals to their plans or skip meals. For instance, if users have a special event or prefer to eat out, they can skip a meal in their plan without disrupting the rest of their meal schedule.

It lets users stay on top of their meal plans while accommodating their busy lifestyles. This feature also allows for more personalization of meal plans, allowing users to choose what and when they want to eat.

5. Options for Dietary Restrictions

Many meal-planning apps offer options for dietary restrictions, such as gluten-free, vegetarian, or vegan. This feature ensures you can still enjoy delicious, nutritious meals that align with your dietary needs.

For individuals with dietary restrictions, meal planning can be a daunting task. Having a meal planning app that offers customized options for dietary restrictions makes the process much easier, empowering individuals to take control of their eating habits and make healthy choices.

6. User-Friendly Interface

Finally, user-friendly interfaces make meal-planning apps accessible and enjoyable to use. With a focus on user experience, an app development company can implement design strategies that make the app visually engaging and easy on the eyes.

A user-friendly interface is crucial to the success of any app. Meal planning apps that prioritize design and ease of use make users more likely to stick to their meal plans, achieving their health and fitness goals.

7. Diet-Compatibility

Meal planning apps often include information on diet compatibility, making it easier to adhere to specific diet plans, such as the keto diet, paleo diet, or Whole30. This feature ensures that you stay on track with your eating goals by providing meal options that align with your diet plan.

Maintaining a specific diet plan can be challenging, particularly regarding meal planning. With diet-compatibility options, meal-planning apps simplify the process, making it easier to stay on track with your diet goals.

8. Monitoring Your Fitness and Health Goals

Many meal planning apps offer fitness and health tracking options, allowing users to monitor their progress towards their goals. These apps may include features such as calorie tracking, step tracking, and exercise tracking, making it easier to see the impact of diet and exercise on overall health.

Tracking progress toward fitness and health goals is essential to staying motivated and achieving success. Meal planning apps that include tracking features help users stay on track with their goals, providing motivation and actionable data.

What To Look For While Choosing the Best Meal Planner App?

A great way to ensure the right meal planner app is to look for ones developed by fitness app developers who have experience creating user-friendly and well-designed nutrition and fitness apps. Here’s what you should look for in the best meal planner app. 

1. Recipe Database

First and foremost, any meal planner app should have a recipe database. You want an app that offers many recipes, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and desserts. The recipes should be diverse, ranging from simple to gourmet, and cater to different dietary needs and preferences. Also, look for an app that allows you to save your favorite recipes and easily access them in the future.

2. Automatic Meal Planning

Automatic meal planning is another essential feature to consider. This feature allows you to generate a meal plan for a specific period, such as a week or a month, based on your preferences. The app will consider your dietary restrictions, ingredients on hand, and favorite recipes to develop a practical and realistic meal plan. It can eliminate the stress of planning meals for the week and save time.

3. Grocery Planner

A good meal planner app should also include a grocery planner that makes it easy to generate a shopping list. This feature should allow you to add and remove items from your list, categorize them by aisle, and check them off as you shop. It should also update your inventory when you purchase groceries, ensuring you never run out of essentials.

4. Dietary Preferences

Last but not least, if you have specific dietary requirements or preferences, such as gluten-free, vegan, or paleo, look for an app that caters to them. The app should offer various recipes that meet your dietary restrictions, and the grocery planner should reflect your dietary preferences.

How Zazz Created the Ideal Protein App for Weight Loss & Health Planning?

If you’ve tried multiple diets and weight loss programs without success, you should try the revolutionary Ideal Protein App. This user-friendly app helps you lose/gain weight but encourages and guides you to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Here’s how our team of expert developers has crafted it:

1. Innovative App Development

To develop an innovative app that meets all of our client’s requirements, our team had to step up to the plate. The Ideal Protein project demanded we oversee all aspects, from ideation to app maintenance. We aimed to create an app that can help users lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle, and we made sure our focus never faltered.

2. User-centric Interface and Easy Sign-up Process

The interface of the Ideal Protein app had to be user-friendly and intuitive, so users could easily use it to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle. We worked hard to develop a simple, visually pleasing, and easy-to-use UI/UX design. 

The sign-up process for the Ideal Protein app is seamless. If you’re a new user, click the Sign-up button and provide your email ID. Enter a robust password and start to use the app instantly.

3. Tracking Progress and Access to Videos

The Ideal Protein app is equipped with graphs that allow users to monitor their progress. Tracking your progress will enable you to remain motivated and set new targets. The Ideal Protein app gives you access to our video library, where you can set weight loss goals and stay informed about the best practices for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

4. Adherence to Protocols and 24/7 Support

The app was designed to guide users through each protocol phase, focusing on limiting carbohydrate intake to encourage the body to use its fat stores for energy. 

Weight loss can be a challenging journey that requires support and guidance. That’s why we built the app to provide users with 24/7 support from a dedicated team of coaches. The app allows for secure communication, providing users with personalized feedback and guidance to help them achieve their weight loss goals.

Get a free consultation to learn how Zazz can help your business thrive in the digital age. We’ll help you achieve success with a customized mobile app that truly delivers results.

If you’re considering venturing into the food delivery business, you must know that developing a food delivery application is not an easy task. It requires a lot of time, effort & resources to build a successful food delivery application. From ideation to execution, there are many stages involved in the development process. That’s why we’ve put together a complete guide to help you navigate through the complexities of developing a food delivery application.

Today, we’ll take you through the process of developing a food delivery application from scratch. Our step-by-step guide will help you understand the various elements of developing a food delivery application. Whether you’re a startup or an established business looking to expand your services, we will provide you with all the essential information you need to develop a successful food delivery application.

So, buckle up & get ready to take an in-depth look at the ins and outs of developing a food delivery application & discover how you can create a profitable business that meets the needs of your customers.

10 Must-Have Features in On-Demand Food Delivery Apps

For businesses struggling with the development of an on-demand food delivery app, there are crucial features that you must integrate into your mobile app to get success. If you’re hoping to build the perfect mobile app for food delivery, consider the ten essential components outlined below. These features will enhance user experiences & simplify the ordering process, & will lead to increased customer satisfaction & profitability.

1. A Comprehensive Description of the Restaurants and Meals Offered 

It is extremely important to offer the right information to your customers regarding the different restaurants and dishes offered.  

2. Order Placement 

The order placement process must be quick and simple. Also, it would be great if your app would have an additional option for the customer to provide specific food instructions as different people have different tastes and thus your mobile app for food delivery must offer a bit of customization in order to stand apart. 

3. Custom Search Tool 

This is a vital component for on-demand food delivery apps. You must offer a list of search categories with different options to your users to ensure a great user experience. 

4. Geolocation

This is another wonderful feature that is extremely helpful for both customers and delivery staff. Geolocation helps customers locate nearby restaurants and it also makes the logistic system clearer for carriers.

5. Multiple Payment Options

Customers might have varied payment preferences and thus an ideal on-demand food delivery app must offer an array of payment options.

6. Built-in tracker 

A built-in tracker is a pivotal feature to integrate into your mobile app for food delivery as it enables customers to control the food delivery process. 

7. SMS and Push Notifications 

Notifications are another cardinal feature of any successful on-demand food delivery app. It is really important to notify your customers about the status of their food order to apprise them about any discounts and to also remind them to order their dinner, in case they’re busy. 

8. Feedback 

Your customers should be able to give their reviews about a restaurant or food dish that they ordered. This not only helps the public at large, but it also assists you to ameliorate your business. 

9. Reward Programs 

Your mobile app for food delivery must offer incentives such as loyalty systems, coupons and discounts to customers as it helps bring more customers to your business. 

10. Analytics/ Order History

Your app users should be able to access their previous order history. Also if you keep a reorder option, then that is undoubtedly the cherry on the cake. Furthermore, the order history is extremely crucial for restaurants to keep a track of their analytics. 

Herein, we would like to mention that ours is an eminent Android and iPhone app development company, and we offer the finest end-to-end mobile app solutions that help businesses soar to great heights. We hold mastery over crafting absolutely stunning on-demand food delivery apps. Our adroit developers know how food delivery apps work, and we thus leave no stone unturned to create sheer magic with our unparalleled solutions. 

However now the next pressing concern that you might have is food delivery app development cost. Voila! We have also addressed that for you.

What is an Estimated Food Delivery App Development Cost?

Well, an estimated food delivery app development cost is not something rigid as it depends on a lot of factors that we need to examine, and these are briefly elucidated for you below.  

1. App Complexity

This is one of the primary factors that define the costs of making an on-demand food delivery app. The more complex the app, the more would be the costs involved in development. If you integrate technologies such as AR, ML, and AI, then your mobile app for food delivery is sure going to skyrocket, but this also means that you’ll have to spend a bit more on these robust technologies. Also besides technology, the other complicated features, functionalities, and app processing adds up to the complexity and costs of your on-demand food delivery app.

2. Number Of Features

The pricing of your on-demand food delivery app is directly proportional to the number of features that you incorporate into it. As a general rule, complex features necessitate a larger investment, whereas simpler features require less investment. These features can be anything from user authentication & payment integration to order tracking & push notifications, among others. An on-demand app development company can guide businesses to optimize the app features with the costs in mind. All in all, app features play a significant role in determining the app’s success and user experience.

3. App Development Platform 

You can launch your app in three different ways viz iOS, Android, and cross-platform. Herein it is important to note that the cost of developing an iOS app is much less compared to an Android app development since the latter caters to more devices. Cross-platform apps are however compatible with both iOS and Android platforms, albeit the cost varies according to the development platform that you opt for your on-demand food delivery app. You should thus carefully go through all the platform information for understanding how food delivery apps work prior to investing your money in the project. 

4. Technology Used

If you are considering how to build an app for food delivery, technology will play a crucial role.

Since many new technologies have cropped up and are floating in the market, it is thus extremely crucial for you to make the right call for your on-demand food delivery app. However, it is pertinent to mention that the better the technology that you opt for, the more would be the investment required and so greater would be the food delivery app development cost. 

5. App Development Region 

You need to narrow down on a particular area wherein you would like to operate. This area component plays a crucial role when deciding on the food delivery app development cost as it would greatly differ depending on your area of work operations. 

6. App Development Professionals

You need to get expert app developers on board in case you wish to create an impressionable mobile app for food delivery. This is one of the most critical factors that you need to be careful with as an expert developer can help augment your business with a magnificent app. However such experts also demand a lot for their services, and this might even burn a hole in your pocket. 

Zazz can nevertheless assist you, and our professional, albeit cost-effective services have helped myriads of other businesses. We provide the finest on-demand app development services that are tailor-made according to your distinct needs, keeping your end-user in mind.

Also, our adroit developers know exactly how to build a food delivery app and we would be glad to assist you.

Summary – 

Now that you know the nitty-gritty details of how to build a food delivery app, you need to meticulously consider all the cardinal elements of developing a robust on-demand food delivery app, as it is surely not a cakewalk and your end-user requires a frictionless navigation experience. We would highly recommend you get in touch with some professional app developers for this purpose. We too will be at your disposal and would be happy to discuss your project. For more information, get in touch with us.

Such restaurant applications are destroying businesses’ bottom line and promise to take your restaurant business to the next level. Many restaurant owners bring their business on an online platform through these apps. This generates huge commission fees as marketing expenses, which automatically destroys their successful business model. 

How Food Delivery Apps Are Affecting Restaurant Business?

There are several circumstances like rent payment and workers salary. Payment that makes restaurant owners turn their delivery services using app-based companies. Several app development companies use the latest technology and tools for designing restaurant apps as per your requirements. Many restaurant owners claimed that the percentage of deliveries had risen suddenly with the COVID impact that affects their revenue. 

It is clear that partnering with the restaurant app development company wasn’t the right call. As these food delivery apps are making money and may also increase your restaurant’s sustainability, they are the primary revenue source. 

Let’s understand this by an example. Suppose, if a customer makes an order of $30. The application that he/she is using will take up to $12 of that order. Rest $18 remains for the restaurant owners. But sometimes, this commission is more than the restaurant pays to labor for an hour.

Restaurants use apps with high fees and strong-arm tactics for their temporary growth as it cannot be a savior for a long time. Many restaurant owners claimed that 30% or more fees would not be considered a good deal for them. In many countries, restaurant owners have started their online ordering platform to perform on-demand deliveries for their customers.

Restaurant Apps are Gaining More Customers Instead of Their Website

New customers prefer to use food delivery apps to order their food as it offers to pay for food delivery services without sharing any profit. App development company have claimed that massive amounts are required to pay drivers, acquire new customers, and expand their business in new markets. But the fees are also funding a consolidation that is supposed to be about 99% of the delivery market share that offers greater pricing power. 

Many new users have claimed that food delivery companies invest a lot in promoting restaurants. Some food delivery companies are even charging extra money to make your brand visible on their homepage or maximize your customers’ reach. The more any restaurant will pay to the developer, the more they will get noticed by new customers. It also prevents unauthorised access of important data like customers’ email addresses or any other information. Sometimes restaurant owners use such information for their marketing in the future.

Nowadays, many dominant app companies are trying to pressure restaurant owners to sign contracts with them. This contract includes options like downloading menus without restaurants’ consent or allowing users to order from multiple restaurants at a single time. 

Conclusion

App-based food delivery is supposed to gain customer reach even in the coming future as well. With a vast on-demand workforce, several app development companies like Zazz develop restaurant applications as per its client’s requirements. We develop customized online ordering systems that allow users to take complete orders.

App development process is becoming cheaper and more widespread across the globe. We provide more innovative ideas for app development that will help you in the future. So stay tuned with us for up-to-date applications for your restaurant and if you have any issues. let’s Contact with us, Our experts will love to solve your query anytime.

Also Read

How iPhone and Apple Watch Apps Help You to Achieve New Year Resolutions?

A Complete Guide on How To Develop a Food Delivery Application

Understanding How Uber Eats Works

Top Dating Apps in USA