Should an on-demand app owner aim to attract “one man show” sellers?

Picking and choosing the sellers that will be listed on your on-demand app is one of the major responsibilities of being an app owner. One thing that you need to consider when undertaking this process is whether or not you want your app to feature sellers of all shapes and sizes – in other words, whether you want to target small, one-or-two person operations, as well as larger companies, and how low the barrier to entry on your app is.

Focusing solely on commercial sellers – yay or nay?

One thing that stands out about food delivery apps such as Uber Eats and Skip The Dishes is the fact that they offer a very wide variety of restaurants and eateries. You have the big boys such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Subway, and other large restaurant chains, but you also have smaller, local, “mom and pop” restaurants listed among them. When it comes to food delivery apps, offering your users a plethora of options and price ranges is a good way to draw more users – and sellers – to your app.

What you’re selling matters

On the other hand, if you’re looking to create an on-demand app that lists sellers who offer services such as moving, carpentry, snow removal, etc, you’ll almost always want to focus on listing more independent sellers, as opposed to commercial. For example, if you create an app that allows users to book a hairstylist on-demand, larger haircutting chains such as First Choice or Magicuts aren’t going to be listed – it doesn’t fit their own business needs and, quite frankly, it isn’t up to the quality that you’ll want to offer your users. Independent stylists, on the other hand, have far more flexible schedules and will also be able to reach virtually any location in your app’s given area.

Living and dying by the quality of your sellers

Whether your app is offering a commercial service or something smaller that targets independent contractors and businesses, at the end of the day it’s only going to succeed if the sellers that you hand-pick are offering a convenient, dependable, and affordable service. We’ve mentioned before that picking your listed sellers is one of the most significant aspects of owning an on-demand app, and knowing what kind of sellers to target based on the services you want to provide is absolutely crucial to success.

In closing

It’s important to point out that there’s nothing at all wrong with having commercial sellers listed on your app – as mentioned, for certain services (such as food delivery), it’s an absolute must. However, identifying what apps can benefit more from smaller, independent businesses can go a long way in guaranteeing a long, successful life for your app for years to come.