Sea n’ Soul App
Making money, saving money and helping the environment.
Sea n’ Soul is the 1st resale app for the adventure re-commerce market that gives back to the Earth and users.
User Experience / Interface Design / Mobile app Development / CMS Implementation
User Experience
Interface Design
Mobile app Development
CMS Implementation
Overview
- To stop textile waste while inspiring a community of resale for every adventure, a client contacted us with an idea to create an e-commerce app to connect buyers and sellers of adventure products, apparel, and clothing.
Project idea
- Together with clients, we have developed a modern app that allows users to sell and buy adventure products. From surfing to mountaineering, while making money, with a few clicks users can donate an amount of money to a nonprofit environmental organization.
- Technologies:
- Backend - Laravel PHP
- The database architecture and application setup hosted on AWS
- Web development - React native for web
- Mobile app - React Native
Project Breakdown
- General Features:
- Login/Register
- Admin dashboard
- Push notifications
- Delivery options
- Product categories
- Gallery view
- Item search with filters in results
- Payment - Stripe integration
- Blog section
- Client app user:
- Add and manage product
- Upload videos
- Upload photos
- Purchase items
- Choose a recipient address
- Buyer vs. seller chat
- Product filters
- Add a donation
- Leave a review
- Enable location
- Favorite product
- Connect Stripe account - Payment
Project Development
- The functionality of the backend was developed in Laravel PHP framework through which we have defined users and features, roles, and notification handling. The database management system was built using MySQL. We’ve used the latest technology in mobile development – React Native library and MobX / MobX State tree global state management, which worked perfectly together.
Challenges
- Multi-platform integration
- From the start, we planned to use React Native for all three platforms (Android, iOS, and Web). At the beginning, we focused only on mobile devices. Once the app looked good enough, we decided to try to use React Native for web, and that was the biggest challenge since we have never developed web apps in React Native for web. It was challenging and exciting at the same time. We came up with a very nice idea of how to implement the technology for this app, and that showed up to be the best solution.
- Stripe integration
- Stripe integration turned out to be fairly smooth due to their up-to-date and clear documentation and helpful customer support. Since this was our first time using Stripe, we had some doubts and questions above our heads, mainly because of numerous options and approaches available. The idea was to integrate Sea n’ Soul as a platform,as a middle-man between buyer and seller. All money transactions (offers, orders, donations) will pass through the platform, and the platform has the ability to customize the entire flow. All of the transactions will be processed automatically, so no manual interference is needed. After this experience, we are inclined to offer Stripe as a default payment platform for all our upcoming projects.
- UPS
- UPS integration was another one we had never done before. Their documentation and support could definitely be better, but after several days of exploring various sources and Zoom meetings with their staff, the development was ready to start. There were a couple of times when some of the logic needed to be changed because clients were not informed enough or because some other UPS service was introduced as a better option. All of the UPS shipment tasks are done automatically behind the scenes for the app customers so the only thing they need to do is to bring the item they had just sold through the app to the local UPS office and show them the QR code (QR code is generated on the backend and sent to the sellers email) containing all the information about the shipment.
Advantages
- 10 reasons why reselling and reusing used outdoor gear is the way to go in the 21st century:
- Prevent overproduction
- Reduce waste
- Reduce pollution
- Save money
- Make money
- More adventuring
- A fun community
- Personal connection
- Simplify your life
- Better quality at lower prices
- From ocean relief funds to preserving public lands; through this app, users can donate an amount of money to a nonprofit environmental organization.
- With each and every sale, Sea n’ Soul gives a portion of their profits to non profit organizations that are committed to helping protect and repair the Earth.
Finished product
- Sea n’ Soul provides a marketplace to connect buyers and sellers of adventure products, apparel, and clothing.
- Closing up with our client’s thoughts:
- ‘’Are you an outdoor enthusiast looking to make that next big purchase but are unsure about whether or not to buy used? Or maybe you have a little too much used outdoor gear taking up space in your garage and you'd like to get rid of it but are unsure of how to go about it.?’’
Clutch
- "Throughout the development, we gave them input and told them what we wanted. However, they also had a lot of great ideas that we ended up implementing".
- Read the full review here.
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