Commercial International Logistics Application
for tracking and managing parcels
development
release
The Client
Our client is a large European logistics company that delivers small to medium-sized parcels. They’re currently present in 23 European countries and process over 5 million parcels every day.
Project idea
Parcel tracking and management was the core of this project: we needed to add all features to make it possible. During the business analysis phase, we offered to build additional features that would increase customer loyalty and decided to include them in later versions of the app.
For the minimum viable product (MVP), we chose these main features:
- Personal profiles
- Geolocation and displaying of nearest post offices
- Parcel status tracking
- Parcel management (e.g. the ability to change the delivery address)
- Settings
- Push notifications
- In-app customer support calls
- QR code scanner
In later versions of the app, we plan to add these features:
- Loyalty programs
- Special offers from partner companies
- Customer support chatbot with a queue
- Real-time parcel tracking
Project background
Our client decided to create a customer-facing app to increase customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and brand awareness. They were successfully operating across Europe but felt the need to provide better support to their customers and unburden the customer support team.
For this, they needed to create accessible software that would keep customers updated on the progress of deliveries while also providing additional services.
Goals
- Provide customers with high-quality service
- Encourage existing customers to use the app
- Create a unique experience within the app and tie the app with offline delivery offices
Challenges
The biggest challenge in this project was to tie offline delivery processes with online data and make that data informative and accurate.
Another challenge was to encourage existing customers to use the application. To make the transition from the website to the app more effective, we needed to make both the online and offline experience with the app faster and more efficient.
Development process and results
Our first step was to analyze our client’s business needs and create technical specifications for the iOS and Android applications. We then developed wireframes and documentation and estimated the whole project. To make sure we released the app before the deadline, we extracted a list of must-have features for an MVP version.
To add value to the product, we added features that are unique to mobile apps:
- Push notifications
- Deep links
- Advanced analytics
- Geolocation
- Mobile payments
- Parcel tracking
- In-app loyalty program app
We chose native technologies for this project to achieve the best quality and performance; we created native apps for both Android and iOS, adapting each to its platform for the best user experience.
After the initial release, we started to gather the first data about end users, their behavior, the app’s performance, and more. This helped us to create a list of improvements.
As a result of this analysis, we decided to rethink the user experience (UX) and made the most popular screens more visible and accessible for users. For example, the onboarding screen was too cluttered, so we reduced the amount of information we requested from users and made the onboarding process easier. This immediately decreased the bounce rate.
The team that worked on this project comprised:
- 1 iOS developer
- 1 Android developer
- 1 quality assurance specialist
- 1 project manager
Personal profiles
A user’s personal profile contains brief information on the user, the user’s delivery history, preferred delivery offices, payment methods, loyalty program bonuses, and app settings.
Delivery management
Delivery management allows users to indicate where and when they want to receive a parcel by changing the delivery destination and day right from the app.
Parcel tracking
The live tracking feature shows users where their parcels are at any given time. This feature also updates delivery statuses along with details like delivery cost, size, and destination
Finding a shipping center
This feature allows a user to find the nearest parcel shop. The locations of parcel shops are visible on a map that considers the user’s current location and provides search functionality so users can filter shops according to relevant criteria.
Push notifications
We implemented push notifications to maximize the retention rate. Notifications inform users about delivery status changes, special offers, and system information.
Technologies we used
What our client said about this project
What happens next:
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