Illustrative sample

Delivery

Hyperlocal grocery delivery platform

Customer, store and delivery partner apps plus an admin dashboard for stores delivering within a few kilometres.

Not client work. This sample shows how we would scope and build this type of product. Names and figures in any previews are invented.

Sample hyperlocal grocery delivery platform: customer, store and delivery partner apps over a photo of a fresh produce market — Illustrative sampleOne order moving from the customer app to the store and on to the delivery partner.

Overview

About this sample

This sample project shows how we would approach a hyperlocal grocery platform for a small chain of neighbourhood stores in one city. It is not client work: names and figures in the previews are invented, but the flows and effort ranges reflect how we plan real grocery builds.

Project facts

Illustrative sample

Status: Illustrative sample, not client work
Project type: Mobile + web platform
Industries: Retail
FMCG
Grocery & supermarkets
Courier & delivery
Solution area: Delivery app development
Runs on: Android app
iOS app
Cross-platform mobile app
Admin dashboard
Built with: Flutter
NestJS
PostgreSQL
Redis
Razorpay
Google Maps Platform
Firebase
AWS
+1 more
Built for: Customers
Store staff
Delivery partners
Operations team
Typical timeline: Typical build: 14–18 weeks for a first release in one city
Services: Mobile app development
API development
Admin panel development
Flutter development
UI/UX design

Flutter and the related logo are trademarks of Google LLC. We are not endorsed by or affiliated with Google LLC.

Product preview

The apps your customers, store staff and delivery partners use

Illustrative screens from each app in the platform. Products, prices and figures are invented.

Customer app. Customers see only what their nearest store has in stock, with weight and pack-size options, and add items in one tap.
Customer app. Customers follow each stage of the order and the delivery partner's live position, which cuts down 'where is my order?' calls to the store.
Store app. Store staff see incoming orders by slot, pick them aisle by aisle and flag substitutions before handing over to a delivery partner.
Delivery partner app. Delivery partners get a batched run with the drop order, one-tap navigation and the exact cash to collect on cash-on-delivery orders.
Admin dashboard. The operations team watches orders, slot capacity, substitutions and cash on delivery across stores, and can act before customers are affected.

Illustrative preview

Sample screens: names, prices and figures are examples, not client data.

How it works

How a grocery order moves from app to doorstep

Each step happens in a different app, and the operations team can see all of them from the admin dashboard.

Customer app
Step 1: Customer checks the area and fills the cart
The app confirms the address is inside a delivery zone, then shows that store's prices and stock, with weight and pack-size options.
Customer app
Step 2: Chooses a slot and pays
The customer picks a delivery slot or express delivery, sets a substitution preference and pays by UPI, card or cash on delivery.
Store staff
Step 3: Store staff pick, weigh and substitute
Pick lists are sorted by aisle. Weighed items update the bill, and missing items trigger a substitution request to the customer.
Delivery partner app
Step 4: Delivery partner collects a batch
Nearby orders in the same slot are grouped into one run, so a delivery partner can carry several orders per trip.
Delivery partner app
Step 5: Live tracking and OTP handover
The customer follows the delivery on a map, shares an OTP at the door, and any cash collected is recorded against the order.
Operations team
Step 6: Invoices, cash and payouts settle
A GST invoice goes to the customer, cash on delivery is reconciled per delivery partner, and weighing differences on prepaid orders are refunded.

How we would build it

From the problem to the architecture

The challenge

Grocery runs on thin margins and perishable stock, so small software gaps turn into daily losses.

Loose and weighed items: tomatoes per 500 g and atta in 5 kg packs need different units, and the weighed amount rarely matches the order.
Stock drift: shelf and system stock disagree, so pickers need a fast way to substitute or refund.
Slots that overpromise: a slot is only real if pickers and delivery partners have capacity for it.
Cash on delivery: COD means reconciling cash for every partner, every day.
Real-world devices: many users have entry-level Android phones on patchy data.

Our proposed solution

Three Flutter apps and a web admin dashboard:

Customer app: serviceability check by map pin, a store-specific catalogue with weight and pack-size variants, a slot picker that hides full slots, an express option and a substitution preference at checkout.
Store app: pick lists sorted by aisle, a weigh-and-adjust step that recalculates the bill, and substitution prompts sent to the customer.
Delivery partner app: batched pickups, navigation handed to Google Maps, OTP-confirmed handover and COD recorded per order.
Admin dashboard: delivery zones drawn as polygons, slot capacity per store, offers, GST invoices, partner payouts and a daily cash report.

Weighing differences on prepaid orders are refunded via the gateway.

Architecture

Shared code: the apps share a Dart package for models, the API client and design tokens.
API: a NestJS modular monolith on PostgreSQL. Stock is reserved in a database transaction at checkout, so two customers cannot buy the last pack.
Redis: slot capacity counters, carts and job queues for notifications and payouts.
Payments: Razorpay for UPI, cards and netbanking; orders reach the store only after the payment webhook is verified server-side.
Maps and push: Google Maps Platform for geocoding and distance-based fees; Firebase Cloud Messaging for status pushes.
Flaky networks: idempotency keys on order requests stop retries creating duplicate orders. Services run in Docker on AWS.

Key features

What the product does

7 capabilities that shape the scope and the estimate.

Serviceability check by map pin or pincode
Weight-based and pack-size variants for loose produce
Delivery slots with capacity limits, plus an express option
Customer-chosen substitution preferences
UPI, cards and COD, with an order-value cap for COD
Batched pickups and OTP-confirmed handover
Per-order GST invoices and daily COD reconciliation

Platforms

Where the platform runs

Customer, store and delivery partner apps for Android and iOS from one codebase, plus a web dashboard for the operations team.

Mobile
Android app
Apps for Android phones and tablets, tested on budget and mid-range devices and published on Google Play or privately.
Mobile
iOS app
Apps for iPhone and iPad, built to Apple's guidelines and released through TestFlight and the App Store.
Mobile
Cross-platform mobile app
One Flutter or React Native codebase for Android and iOS, with native modules where a feature needs them.
Back office
Admin dashboard
Back-office panels for operations, support and finance teams: orders, users, content, reports and permissions.

Technology

Technology behind the grocery platform, and why it matters

One Flutter codebase for all three apps, a NestJS back end, and Indian payment, map and notification services.

Mobile
Flutter
Build Android and iOS apps from one shared codebase, so you launch on both platforms faster with a consistent experience.
Used for
- Mobile apps
- Delivery apps
- E-commerce apps
- Booking apps
Backend
NestJS
A structured way to build back ends on Node.js, so large business systems stay organised, testable and easy to hand over.
Used for
- Business app back ends
- SaaS platforms
- Marketplaces
- Admin panel back ends
Data
PostgreSQL
A reliable database for the records your business runs on: orders, payments, bookings and stock, kept accurate and easy to report on.
Used for
- Orders and customers
- Payments and ledgers
- Stock and inventory
- Bookings
Data
Redis
Keeps frequently used data in fast memory, so apps stay quick on busy days and live features like order tracking feel instant.
Used for
- Faster apps
- Live order status
- Shopping carts
- Job queues and alerts
Payments & maps
Razorpay
Lets customers in India pay by UPI, cards, netbanking or wallets, and handles subscriptions, refunds and payouts to sellers or partners.
Used for
- UPI payments
- Cards and netbanking
- Subscriptions
- Payment links
Payments & maps
Google Maps Platform
Adds maps, address search, live tracking and travel-time estimates to delivery, ride and field apps, so orders reach the right door.
Used for
- Live delivery tracking
- Address search
- Store locator
- Distance-based fees
Cloud & DevOps
Firebase
Ready-made building blocks for mobile apps, such as push notifications, phone OTP login and crash reports, so you launch sooner.
Used for
- Push notifications
- Phone OTP login
- Crash reports
- Real-time updates
Cloud & DevOps
AWS
Cloud hosting for your app, website and data, with data centres in India and room to grow when traffic rises.
Used for
- App hosting
- File and photo storage
- Backups
- Busy sale days
Cloud & DevOps
Docker
Packages your software so it runs the same way on every laptop and server, which makes releases predictable and moving hosts easier.
Used for
- Reliable releases
- Same setup everywhere
- Faster onboarding
- Easy scaling

Flutter and the related logo are trademarks of Google LLC. We are not endorsed by or affiliated with Google LLC.

Gallery

Where it is used

An illustrative photo of the setting this sample is built for, not a client photo.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can one grocery platform run several stores with different stock and prices?

Yes. A master catalogue holds product details once, and each store overrides price, stock and availability. Each store also gets its own delivery zones, slot capacity and staff logins, so pickers only see their own store's orders. If stores later become independent sellers with separate payouts, the design moves towards a multi-vendor platform.

How would the apps cope with slow networks and entry-level Android phones?

We would keep the download small, serve compressed images through a CDN and cache the catalogue on the device, so browsing works on a weak signal. Checkout requests are idempotent, so a retry never double-books a slot or charges twice. Before release we test on low-memory Android phones and throttled connections.

Why Flutter for this build rather than separate native apps?

Three apps with shared models and one design system suit a single cross-platform codebase: one team, one set of business rules and parallel Android and iOS releases. Native code is still used where it matters, such as background location and hand-offs to UPI apps. If you already have native teams, we would weigh that trade-off during scoping.

Next step

Planning a grocery or hyperlocal delivery launch?

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Hyperlocal grocery delivery platform

About this sample

The apps your customers, store staff and delivery partners use

How a grocery order moves from app to doorstep

Step 1: Customer checks the area and fills the cart

Step 2: Chooses a slot and pays

Step 3: Store staff pick, weigh and substitute

Step 4: Delivery partner collects a batch

Step 5: Live tracking and OTP handover

Step 6: Invoices, cash and payouts settle