Use case
How to make a grocery ordering app with AI
A grocery ordering app gives a neighbourhood store a catalogue people can order from: products with prices, a cart, a delivery slot and payment on delivery. GrowApps builds it from a description of your store and your delivery area, as a native iPhone and Android app and a web link you can send to every customer.
The problem
What goes wrong without an app.
Regulars send lists on WhatsApp: "2 kg rice, the usual oil, eggs". You type them out, guess the brand, call back when something is missing, and send a delivery boy with a handwritten bill. On Sunday morning thirty lists arrive at once. You want customers to pick from what you really stock, choose a delivery time, and send you a clean order.
What to include
The screens a grocery ordering app needs.
- A catalogue by category, with search, unit (kg, packet, litre) and price
- A cart with quantity buttons and a minimum order amount
- Delivery or pickup, with time slots and your delivery area
- Checkout with cash on delivery, or your details for a transfer
- Order status for the customer, and one tap reorder of a past order
- A store screen: incoming orders, out of stock switches, a packing list
Try it yourself
A prompt you can paste into GrowApps.
This is a realistic starting prompt, not a placeholder. Change the names, numbers and details to your own before you use it.
Build a grocery ordering app for my store, Mercadinho São Jorge, in Recife. Categories: rice and beans, oil and sugar, dairy, fruit and vegetables, cleaning. Each product has a photo, a unit and a price in reais, and I can mark it out of stock. Customers sign in with name, phone and address, fill a cart, and choose delivery in 2 hour slots from 8am to 8pm, or pickup. Minimum order for delivery is R$40, and delivery is free above R$100. Payment on delivery by cash or Pix. Customers can repeat a past order with one tap. Show me incoming orders with a packing list.
What GrowApps sets up
The parts you would otherwise wire up by hand.
Customer accounts
Customers sign in once, so their address and past orders are ready next time.
A catalogue and orders database
Products, out of stock flags and orders are stored in the cloud, and a new order shows on the store screen as soon as it is placed.
Payment on delivery
Cash, or a Pix, UPI or bank transfer you confirm yourself, works from the first build. Card payment at checkout needs a Stripe payment link you connect, where Stripe is available.
A WhatsApp button
A button that opens a chat with the store is a plain link, so customers can still ask "do you have this brand?"
Honest limits
What a first build will not get right.
A catalogue, cart, delivery slots, payment on delivery and a store order screen are a normal first build. Hundreds of products with photos take time to load, so start with your top 50 and add the rest. Weighed items such as "about 1 kg of tomatoes" need a rule for the final price, and syncing stock with a till is a separate integration. Live rider tracking is a bigger job, covered in the delivery tracking guide.
Cost
How long it takes and what it costs.
The first build uses about 4 credits and is usually ready 10 to 20 minutes after you approve the design. Changing a delivery slot or the minimum order is a small change, usually a fraction of a credit. Rules for weighed items and delivery areas are bigger. Adding products from the store screen is data entry, not building, so it costs no credits.
The free plan gives 1 credit a day, up to 10 a month, with no card, which suits small changes. Standard is 20 US dollars a month for 20 credits, with a 7 day free trial (card required) and a first month of 15 dollars; a first build runs on that trial. Pro is 200 a month for 300 credits.
Frequently asked questions
What people ask before building a grocery ordering app.
Can customers pay cash on delivery?
Yes. Cash, or a transfer such as Pix or UPI that you confirm yourself, works from the first build. Card checkout needs a payment provider you connect.
How do I add hundreds of products?
Start with your best sellers in the first build. Then add products from the store screen, or paste a list into the chat and ask GrowApps to add them.
Can I limit delivery to my area?
Yes. Describe your area by neighbourhood or postal code, and orders from outside it can be pickup only.
Will customers need to install an app?
No. The web link works in any phone browser. Regulars who order every week can install the iPhone or Android app instead.
Describe your grocery ordering app and see it built.
GrowApps plans it, builds it and gives you a live preview the same day.