Small Business App for Orders: Options and Costs

A customer wants to order from your shop and pick it up at five. Today the order comes by phone, text or a note on your counter. Some of those orders get lost. A small business app for orders can fix that, but it is not the first thing every shop needs. This post shows the options, what each one costs, and how to choose.

We are a small app and web studio in San Antonio. We sell one of the options below, so we say where it does not fit.

Key takeaways

• Most shops can start with a phone, a text number or a simple website form.
• An app helps when regulars order often and you want them to come back.
• Kin App Pro is $399 a month plus $3,500 setup, and it takes orders paid in the app for one location.

What is the best app for small business orders?

The best one is the one your customers will actually open. There is no single winner.

Look at how your customers find you today. If they find you through search, a website that takes orders is the better first step. If they already know you and come back every week, an app on their phone makes sense.

If you run a restaurant, read our guide to ordering apps for restaurants. It covers marketplaces and delivery in more detail than we do here.

Can a small business take orders without an app?

Yes. Many shops do. You have three simple ways before you ever pay for an app.

• Phone or text. It costs nothing. It also depends on you being free to answer.
• A form on your website. Customers fill in what they want and when they will come. You get it by email.
• A written list at the counter. This works for a few orders a day and breaks when you are busy.

If you do not have a good website yet, start there. A website that takes orders first is often the cheapest step. Our Core website is $79 a month plus $149 setup. An online store add-on is $1,200 one time, or $60 a month more on a subscription.

How do I keep track of small business orders?

Pick one place where every order lands. Then check that place at set times.

Here is a list you can copy:

1. Write down each order in one list or one inbox, never in three.
2. Put the pickup time next to every order.
3. Mark the order done when the customer has it.
4. Count the orders at the end of each week.
5. Note which orders you missed or got wrong, and why.

The count in step four tells you the truth. If you take only a few orders a week, an app will not pay off. If you take many, the list shows you where the time goes.

How do I get orders for my small business?

Customers order from you when it is easy and they know you take orders. Tell them in three places.

• Your window or counter, with a sign that says how to order.
• Your online business listing, with a link to your order page.
• Every message you send to regulars.

An app adds one more place. It sits on the customer's phone as an icon. It can send a push notification when you have a new item or a deal. That is why apps work best for people who already know you.

Is there a free app for small business orders?

Some free tools exist, and they are fine for a start. We do not rank them here. Their fees change, and we cannot source a current number for you. Ask each one for its fees in writing, per order and per month.

Free often means you share your customers with the tool, or you pay a fee on each sale. Ask who owns the customer list before you sign up.

When does a small business app for orders make sense for a local shop?

It makes sense when three things are true. Your regulars order again and again. You can name the items they order. And the monthly price is smaller than the margin the extra orders bring.

Here are the options side by side. Every price is one we post on our site.

Option	What it costs	What you get	Fits when
Phone or text	Nothing extra	Orders when you pick up	A few orders a day
Website with order form	Core $79/mo + $149 setup	Orders by email, any hour	New customers find you by search
Kin App	$199/mo + $1,500 setup	Menu, hours, loyalty card, push notices, Core website	Regulars who return often
Kin App Pro	$399/mo + $3,500 setup	Paid pickup orders in the app, live stock, Core website	One location
Custom App	From $25,000 + $450/mo care	Several locations, staff tools, want lists, bookings	More than one location

Kin App and Kin App Pro have a 12 month minimum. The monthly price covers hosting, push delivery, every iOS release, bug fixes and two edit requests a month.

A worked example

This is an illustrative example. Replace every number with your own.

Assume your shop takes 20 pickup orders a week by phone. Assume you miss one in ten because you are busy. Assume the average order is $20 and your margin is 40 percent.

• Missed orders a week: 2
• Missed sales a month: 2 x 4 x $20 = $160
• Missed margin a month: $160 x 40 percent = $64

In this example the lost margin is $64 a month. That is less than the $79 a month for a Core website. So an app would not pay for itself here. A simple order form on a website is the better step. Change the assumptions and the answer changes. With many more orders, the math can flip.

We have no client results to show you. These are teaching numbers, not a promise.

What do you need to know about the App Store?

Apple reviews every app before it goes live. Apple sets rules for payments inside apps, and an order app has to follow them. Apple publishes them in the App Store Review Guidelines. Ask any studio who handles that review for you. For our apps, we do.

Frequently asked questions

Can I see an order app before I pay?

We have demo apps for a coffee shop and a multi-store retail brand. Payments, orders and stock in the demos are simulated. They are spec builds, not live client apps.

Does the app work for more than one location?

Not on Kin App or Kin App Pro. Both cover one location. A second location makes it a custom job.

Do I need a website too?

Yes, and both Kin App plans include a Core website. If you only need the site, see our Core and Premium website plans.

What should you do next?

Do the one-week count from the list above. Then look at what each Kin app plan includes and write down which row of the table fits your shop. If you want a second opinion on your numbers, get in touch and we will go through them with you.