Challenge
A retail entrepreneur in Dubai, UAE wanted to launch a curated multi-vendor marketplace connecting local artisans and small brands with consumers across the Gulf. The core challenge was building a platform where vendors could self-onboard, list products, manage orders and receive automated payouts — without manual intervention from the marketplace operator.
Approach
We ran a three-day discovery sprint to map vendor and buyer journeys, identify the critical payout and commission logic, and decide on a technology stack. We chose a custom Laravel backend with a Next.js storefront — giving full control over commission rules, vendor tier logic and payout schedules, which off-the-shelf platforms could not handle cleanly.
What We Built
- Vendor portal for self-service onboarding, product listing, order management and earnings dashboard
- Commission engine supporting flat and category-specific commission rates with automatic deductions
- Automated payout system integrated with the local payment gateway’s batch transfer API
- Conversion-tuned storefront with faceted search, wishlist, product comparisons and one-page checkout
- Admin dashboard for order disputes, vendor approvals and real-time sales analytics
- Buyer review and rating system with moderation workflows
Outcome
The marketplace launched on schedule with over 80 vendors active from day one. The automated payout system eliminated weekly manual bank transfers. Checkout conversion improved materially after A/B testing two checkout flows in the first month post-launch, with the winning variant adopted site-wide.
All figures are illustrative of typical project outcomes. Exact results vary by client context.