What was your last memory at the fuel station? Don’t remember? Why would you? Refueling your vehicle at a gas or fuel station is one of the most insipid activities in our lives.
Apart from being a dull activity it often becomes irritating if we are in a hurry to reach somewhere.
This situation might soon change as on-demand fuel delivery businesses are blooming in various parts of the world.
These services with the help of an on-demand fuel delivery app are delivering fuel at customer’s doorsteps with just a few taps on the phone.
In this blog, we will discuss what on-demand fuel businesses are? and how can you start one in your region? Before we dive deep, first we need to know what is an on-demand fuel delivery app.
What is an on-demand fuel delivery app?
The advent of Uber was a huge event not only for the taxi industry, but for every other industry.
It laid the foundation for others to replicate its model to gain the benefits in other sectors and services.
This is now known as Uber for X services. Fuel delivery software is nothing but an Uber for fuel delivery.
The process is similar to Uber, to start requesting for fuel, first you have to install and register yourselves.
Now, whenever you want to refuel your vehicle, all you have to do is make a fuel request via the app at your location.
The fuel delivery company will receive the request and send a fuel tank truck at your location.
The designated person will use the GPS technology to navigate and will thus reach at your location with a fuel tanker.
Once the person reaches, then he/she will refuel your vehicle’s fuel tank and mark the delivery as complete on the app. At last you will make the payment which will end the process.
Current leaders in app-based fuel delivery
On-demand fuel delivery services are unheard of many parts of the world. This is because it’s still a new concept. However, few services have caught everybody’s attention in the past few years.
Booster fuels
Booster fuels is a California-based startup that delivers fuel to universities, commercial fleets, real estate owners, and campus-based companies.
The company claims that they provide their services to tens of thousands of people working at more than 300 companies which includes name like Facebook, PepsiCo, Cisco, eBay, and Oracle.
Since its inception in 2014, Booster fuels is said to raise $32 million in investment funding. The startup is looking to expand to new markets by injecting more capital.
MyPetrolPump
MyPetrolPump is a Bengaluru based startup that was set up in 2016. It’s the first company in India to deliver fuel at their customer’s doorsteps.
The startup has already delivered more than 3 million litres of fuel since it became operational.
MyPetrolPump provides its services only in Bengaluru where it has got more than 2000 B2B customers.
They also provide diesel to refuel generators of residential and commercial complexes.
Their customers include names like OYO Rooms, Lemontree, Treebo, and Hilton hotels.
Zebra Fuel
Zebra Fuel is a London-based fuel delivery service provider which was founded in 2016. After seeing the success of on-demand fuel delivery apps like Booster Fuel, Gas Ninja, and Yoshi, the Reda Bennis decided to replicate the success of a fuel management software in the UK.
In 2017, the company had reportedly raised $2.5 million from investors like the co-founder of Zoopla in the seed funding.
Filld
Filld is a mobile based petrol on-demand startup that was launched in 2015 in the D.C. and Bay Area. Now it offers it commercial services in Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, Canada, and Bay Area with partners like Volvo, BMW, Sixt, and Dailmer car2go.
The company unlike Booster and other fuel providers keep away from the busy traffic and delivers fuel only at night.
The company texts its customers twice a week to see if they need the fuel delivered overnight.
If the customer replies “yes”, then all they have to do is keep their gas flags open and the delivery man will refuel their vehicle. Customer can also reply “no” to decline the services.
Cafu
CAFU is the first-ever on-demand diesel delivery service of its region that makes the communities thriving by making care fueling accessible for all. It will fill up your vehicle whether you are at home or at work. CAFU is aimed to make the fueling process simple, safe, and convenient by decreasing the unnecessary fuel spills for the customers.
Yoshi
Yoshi provides complete car services like oil change, car wash, tire check, engine cleaning, etc along with offering on-demand gasoline delivery services. You can get your tank filled at fewer costs. Apart from this, they offers you a free thirty-day trial of their services. Yoshi has introduced multiple referral programs to increase its on-demand fuel delivery business.
Read More: Know how to make fuel delivery app like Booster and Yoshi
How to build an on-demand fuel delivery app?
Now to start an on-demand fuel delivery service the most important thing you need is an on-demand fuel delivery service app. Let’s have a look at the following process to build an app.
Build the fleet
The first thing that you must do after deciding to build an app is to build your fleet of gas delivery trucks.
You must follow all the compliance process and ensure that your on-demand heating oil delivery startup ensures all the rules and regulations of the country or the province.
Next, you have to develop your system. It’s important to mention that your system must be compatible with all the protocols that needs to be followed.
You can provide a comprehensive service by offering your customers with delivery of Petrol, Diesel, and Gasoline. Thus, you can cover the better market share and serve more customers.
Build IT infrastructure
Once you get the compliance cleared by the local authority, the next step is to build a strong infrastructure that can support your fuel-delivery business.
For that you would need to build a processing facility and a compliant response mechanism. You have to arrange the tools and resources to build these both.
Secondly, you have to incorporate the GPS system in all your fleet that would help in its tracking and management.
The IT infrastructure should be such that it allows you to digitize communication systems and information to produce the optimum value with service.
Reports and Analytics
You need to have a robust report and analytics section that would have a dual role.
The first role would be to ensure safety since we are talking of highly inflammable liquids.
Reports and analytics help you to assess various parameters important to the business.
With it you can measure and control important things like pressure and temperature.
Apart from that it also provides you with various data that helps you in managing the supply and inventory.
The data from it gives you insights that helps you to take key business decisions.
Build the software
Now the time is to develop your own fuel delivery software. For that you have to bring together all the pointers and resources details which would help you to define the solution and to build a clear communication flow and functional architecture.
Initially, you have to build a robust backend. The overall success of the app’s functionality would be dependent on how strong the backend codes are.
It will also determine how intact the interface of the app is and how would it respond with the users.
After that you must check for validity of support of idea and performance.
You also have to ensure that the app is conforming with the app’s interface and communication layout to connect with the users.
How on-demand fuel delivery app can boost your business?
Fuel industry hasn’t seen much change in the past century or so. Going to the fuel station to refuel your vehicle is still a norm in this age of On-demand and instant services.
However, things are changing slowly with the advent of fuel delivery startups in the various parts of the world.
Let’s see the below factors that shows how going for an on-demand fuel delivery app would result in getting more customers.
Lack of a global leader
This time is the perfect to invest your money in a fuel delivery solution because there’s no global leader in the scene.
For example, Uber was a global leader of on-demand taxi industry which made it difficult for the local players to succeed.
However, that’s not the case with the fuel industry. You can easily take the first mover advantage to come up with your own solution and thus attract more customers.
Fuel station woes
Another reason why going for an on-demand fuel management solution makes sense is that fuel stations are already facing too many problems and it’s only a matter of time when they all will become obsolete.
Growing prices of real-estate, redundant business model, exorbitant fuel price, fuel adulteration issues and rising crime at petrol stations are some of the biggest roadblocks for the gas station.
This would encourage more people to shift towards the on-demand fuel delivery.
High-quality and unadulterated fuel
You can provide your customers with high-quality filtered and unadulterated fuel.
This would attract more customers as they are getting more quality fuel as compared to that of the fuel stations.
Emergency assistance
Just imagine that you’re on a road trip with your friends and family and suddenly the fuel runs out. To add to your woes there’s not even a single fuel station nearby you.
This would be a nightmare for the travelers; however, with on-demand fuel delivery you can help such customers by providing emergency roadside assistance.
Convenience
As mentioned earlier the services provided by on-demand fuel delivery apps are way superior than that of fuel station.
In this you can order for fuel without waiting for those long queues. This utmost convenience will surely attract many users to use your fuel services.
Customer loyalty
To attract and retain your new and existing customers respectively, you can start some customer loyalty programs.
You can give discounts or redeemable points to your customers which will keep them hooked to your services.
Challenges in starting a fuel delivery company
The idea of On-demand fuel management system is still in its nascent stage. In fact, it’s functional in only a handful of countries.
Due to which the upcoming gasoline delivery companies will face the following challenges.
Abundance of investors
It’s quite ironic that abundance of investors could possibly possess a challenge against the petroleum delivery companies.
It’s because when many investors and entrepreneurs come up with their ideas, then it becomes difficult to differentiate the companies that are genuinely working to achieve their goals against those who are just here to take the first mover advantage and haven’t focused much on their homework.
Safety-related issues
Safety-related issues have been a constant challenge for all the on-demand fuel-delivery businesses around the world.
To start a fuel delivery business, you must address these issues honestly to run your services sustainably.
You must take all the necessary precautions like usage of security systems and high-quality tanks that would prevent the fire hazards.
You must also ensure that you don’t exceed the regulatory amount which allows you to carry additional security.
Legal issues
On-demand naphthalene delivery services face legal hurdles all over the world. The main reason behind it is that there’s no clarity in the law which results in a grey area.
The authorities are strict due to safety reasons. However, slowly things are changing and we will see authorities in many countries making suitable amendments to provide a better environment for the growth of on-demand fuel delivery services.
Benefits of a fuel delivery service for your business
If you are doing your fuel business in the same old way, then it is the right time for you to start a profitable fuel delivery service. But first of all you need to develop an on-demand app for petrol delivery to capture the market demand based on the smart algorithm that allows you to make accurate strategies in real-time.
However, these are not the only benefits of starting a gasoline delivery service, there are some other perks as well:
Convenience
Today, no one likes to waste their time standing in long lines to fill petrol their vehicles. So it may happen that you may lose your customers. But by developing a cutting-edge solution, you can supply any quantity of petrol at any place at the expected time. It also allows your customers to get gas without leaving the comfort of their couches. This will eventually strengthen your customer base.
Tailormade solution for every business need
Developing a solution right from scratch needs the devotion of both time and expense. And if you are not aware of on-demand fuel delivery app development then these expenses can become pretty much higher.
However, you can cut down your development budget by integrating a tailormade gasoline delivery solution that will help you meet the customer expectations by enabling you to provide them with robust features. On-demand oil delivery software will not only give you spaces to grow, but it is also vital for your success.
Get free from the tension of heavy maintenance costs
Maintenance cost sometimes becomes a major issue for a petroleum delivery company that can minimize its profits. To make convenient delivery of fuel, you no longer need to invest into complicated legal compliances or spend a huge amount to purchase a traditional combustible material supply store. Just make a successful delivery app to boost your profit levels along with decreasing your maintenance and investment.
Saviour in emergencies
What if your vehicle gets out of fuel in the middle of the road and there are no petrol stations near you? Now, what will you do? Here a gas delivery software solution comes to your rescue. Getting gas for the vehicle becomes a matter of minutes with it. It will help you extend your combus delivery services to the remote areas as well.
Grab the attractive profit opportunities with these amazing fuel delivery app features
Features can play a game-changer role in an on-demand gasoline delivery solution’s success. If integrated wisely, then they can make your app shine out among competitors. That is why you should be careful at the time of adding features to your on-demand propellent delivery app.
An app succeeds only when it checks some important boxes for businesses and customers. Here are some on-demand gasoline delivery app features you should carefully integrate.
Admin app features for better management
Admin apps can be considered as a core aspect of a gas delivery solution. It equips the petrol delivery admin to manage vendors, customers, and drivers. Furthermore, the admin can keep a tab on daily transactions by using the admin app. But the list of admin app features doesn’t end here. Let’s look at them one by one:
Navigate anywhere with real-time tracking
Navigation is one of the important aspects of the propane delivery app. It can help your drivers to find the best probable route to make speedy gasoline deliveries.
Apart from this, a gasoline delivery app can help you with the management of some important aspects, such as priority stops, real-time changes, time constraints, etc.
Support the payment type whichever you like !
An on-demand petroleum delivery solution lets you offer multiple payment modes to your customers such as a debit card, credit card and mobile wallet. You can integrate a highly secure payment gateway for the better protection of these payment options.
In addition to this, a technically advanced fuel delivery solution allows you to offer a ‘pay later’ option to your customers. It will get you accurate payments at a lightning speed.
Access comprehensive order history
Order history is the most comfortable way for a propellent delivery business admin to keep a track of orders for different type of fuel. Now it becomes easier for you to keep a tab on the deliveries assigned to the drivers with an on-demand petrol delivery solution. You can track the real-time status of your orders, such as pending orders, ongoing orders, cancelled orders, completed orders, etc.
Schedule Delivery
With the scheduled delivery feature, customers can choose the date and time of their delivery, including the details of the quantity of required supply. Besides this, customers can select a suitable vendor from a vast list of all the nearby vendors to schedule their deliveries to get the petrol filled in their vehicles even in their absence.
Product management for better operability
Managing different petroleum brands at a single time becomes easier with a groundbreaking admin app. Add a new product or delete the old one as per your requirement from this feature of an on-demand naphthalene delivery app.
Make instant fuel deliveries with these driver app features
Driver app makes gasoline delivery management easier for the drivers. Now the drivers can quickly navigate to any part of the city thanks to an excellent in-app navigation system.
Besides this, drivers can get a checklist within the gasoline delivery app that consists of the steps that need to be completed at the start and the completion of delivery. There are also many other useful features that a driver app contains, which are as follows:
Track the daily progress with ratings
Here, the driver can access the ratings and reviews that are given to them by the customers. These ratings and reviews are going to boost the driver’s morale and motivate them to work better.
Apart from this, if a customer sees the driver with a higher rating, then he would carry a good image in mind as other customers have rated him well.
Accept or reject delivery requests effortlessly
Now, it becomes easier for the drivers to accept or reject the delivery request because of a gas delivery app. This will let the admin pass on that delivery request to some other driver if any of the drivers cannot accept the request.
In this way, an on-demand diesel delivery solution enables your drivers to carry out effortless naphthalene deliveries. Moreover, an on-demand diesel delivery app does not let you miss out on a single customer, then you can reassign it to other drivers.
Availability Management
This feature enables the drivers to update their availability status. The driver can inform the admin whether he is available for the delivery in that specific area or not. With this feature, the admin can have a clear cut record of their driver’s status.
Customer app features to make seamless fuel delivery bookings
In this world of speed and instant gratification, customers expect naphthalene delivery at the speed of light. They are also looking for better payment security over the app. A customised delivery app offers some remarkable features that can help you achieve your business goals:
Faster ordering
With an on-demand heating oil delivery app, customers can book gas in the blink of an eye. They can do this without stepping out of their home. To get the doorstep delivery of vehicle gas, customers first need to download an app on their phones. Then they have to enter their name, address, phone number and the desired quantity of heating oil. And after the confirmation of delivery, customers can get their delivery instantly.
Get live updates on your driver’s location
An on-demand diesel delivery solution offers real-time tracking features to its users. With the help of this feature, customers can get end-to-end details about their order right from the inception of kerosine delivery to its final placement.
Let the customer decide the delivery time
The scheduled delivery feature helps the customer to choose the delivery date and time of their delivery, including the details of the required gas quantity. Besides this, customers can select a suitable vendor from a vast list of all the nearby vendors to schedule their deliveries. Because of this feature, the customer can get the gas filled in its vehicles even in their absence.
Conclusion
On-demand fuel delivery is the future of fuel industry. For users it’s a superior alternative to the fuel stations.
Now, is the right time to invest your money in the fuel delivery software as it’s still at a nascent stage of rapid growth.
Current leaders in various countries have already showed us how successful it can be.
Surely there are few challenges which you have to face, but with the right strategy you can accomplish them all.
So, don’t waste any time and find a suitable development company to build your own fuel delivery solution that would boost your on-demand fuel delivery business.
