Marketplace development
Marketplace platforms where both sides can transact and you can operate the middle.
Profiles, listings, search, booking, payments, commissions, messaging and moderation, built as one coherent system.
What makes marketplaces harder than shops
A marketplace has two customers, one inventory you do not own and a trust problem between strangers.
Two experiences to design
Buyers and providers have different goals, tools and onboarding, and both must work from the start.
Money moves between parties
Payouts, commissions, refunds and disputes need a ledger, not a sum in a spreadsheet.
Quality does not come by default
Without verification and moderation, low-quality listings erode buyer trust.
Operators need real tools
Without admin tooling, support and operations run on database queries.
What we build into a marketplace
Two-sided platform design
Separate flows and dashboards for buyers and providers, with a shared account model.
Profiles and verification
Provider and customer profiles, document collection and review steps before going live.
Listings
Structured listing creation with media, attributes, availability and moderation states.
Search and discovery
Filtering, ranking and location-aware search designed around how buyers choose.
Booking and ordering
Availability, requests, confirmations, changes and cancellations handled as clear states.
Payments and payouts
Split payments, escrow-style holds where the provider allows, and payouts through a payment partner.
Commissions and fees
Configurable fee rules calculated in integer minor units and recorded per transaction.
Messaging
In-platform conversations tied to listings and bookings, with notification handling.
Moderation and trust
Review queues, reports, reason codes, ratings and account actions with an audit trail.
Marketplace architecture in layers
Buyer and provider apps
Two role-specific interfaces over one account and permission model.
Catalog and search
Listing data, availability and a search index kept consistent through events.
Transactions and ledger
Orders and bookings with an append-only record of payments, fees and payouts.
Payments partner
Provider integration for onboarding sellers, collecting funds and paying out, with verified webhooks.
Operations console
Moderation, support, disputes and reporting for your team.
Engineering practices for platforms that handle money
Payments through a regulated partner
Card data and payouts are handled by a payment provider designed for marketplaces, not by custom code.
Append-only transaction records
Financial events are stored immutably and reconciled against provider reports.
Role-based access and audit logs
Operator actions on accounts, listings and payouts are permissioned and recorded.
Technology we commonly use
- Applications
- Next.js
- React
- React Native
- Services
- NestJS
- PostgreSQL
- Search index
- Job queues
- Payments
- Stripe Connect
- Adyen for Platforms
- Webhook verification
How we approach a marketplace build
Define the liquidity problem
We decide which side to serve first and what a minimal viable exchange looks like.
Model the transaction
Booking, payment, fee and dispute states are mapped before screens are designed.
Build the core exchange
List, find, book and pay come first, with a basic operator console.
Seed and observe
A controlled launch with real providers shows where the flow breaks.
Expand features
Messaging, reviews and advanced search follow what usage demands.
Typical marketplace timeline
Typical durations for this kind of work. Real timing depends on scope, integrations and how quickly decisions are made.
Step 1: Discovery
2 to 4 weeks
Business model, transaction flow, payment approach and scope.
Step 2: Design
3 to 5 weeks
Buyer, provider and operator experiences.
Step 3: Core build
10 to 20 weeks
Listings, search, booking, payments and operator tools.
Step 4: Pilot launch
3 to 6 weeks
Controlled onboarding of providers and early buyers.
Planning a two-sided platform?
Tell us about both sides and how money should flow between them.
Questions about marketplace development
Still have questions? Tell us about your project and we will answer in one business day.
Book a callWhich payment provider handles splitting and payouts?
Providers such as Stripe Connect and Adyen for Platforms support marketplace flows. Availability depends on your countries and business model, and the provider's onboarding and compliance rules apply to you and your sellers.
How do we get both sides on the platform?
Software does not create supply or demand. We design onboarding and a focused first segment, and build analytics to show where users drop off, but your acquisition strategy is a separate effort.
Can we start with manual operations?
Often that is the smart option. Starting with a manual process behind a simple interface lets you learn before automating, and keeps the first build smaller.
Do you build the mobile apps too?
Yes. Many marketplaces need provider or buyer apps. We build them in React Native on the same backend so features do not diverge.
Related services
- Ecommerce developmentCustom online stores, Shopify integrations, headless commerce, subscriptions and ERP-connected checkout, built around your catalog and operations.
- SaaS developmentFrom MVP to scalable SaaS: multi-tenancy, subscription billing, teams and roles, usage analytics and the architecture to grow without a rewrite.
- API integrationsReliable integrations between CRMs, ERPs, payments, ads and internal systems with retries, idempotency, monitoring and clear error handling.
- Admin panel developmentFast operational dashboards, admin panels, back-office tools, moderation queues and approval workflows designed around how your team really works.
Tell us about your marketplace
Who are the buyers and providers, what is exchanged, and how will you earn? A short outline is enough.