Here, why you should Build An App Like OfferUp, Right Now!

Online shopping is all the rage today. Whether it is ordering new stuff or buying used items that are invaluable, people just love buying things online.

In fact, today, more than 230 million people of shop online and these numbers are increasing at an amazing rate.  This amounts up to 79% of Americans. Even back in the year 2020, Consumers spent 2+ trillion dollars on online marketplaces.

The industry is even greater at the international level as the e-commerce market size exceeded $9 trillion in 2019 and is predicted to reach $27.17 trillion in 2027.

One of the top online marketplace apps eBay had $8.6 billion revenue in 2019. A year later, the revenue grew to $10 billion in 2020. So, this clearly shows the amazing growth of the industry in recent years.

With the recent covid-19 situation, the use of online commerce has only increased. And fast forward to 2022, everyone wants to develop their own online marketplace which allows people to buy and sell locally.

If you are someone who wants to build an app like OfferUp, well, this blog is for you.

You see, there is a lot that goes into mobile app development. And if you want to create a successful application it is important to understand the process and concept of app. In this blog, we shall be discussing everything related to that.

Apps like OfferUp are online marketplaces that allow individuals to buy and sell items locally.

Therefore, with this being said, let’s get right into it, starting with….

 

What is OfferUp? One Of The Best Buy & Sell Apps

OfferUp is a Local marketplace app that as the name suggests allows users to buy items or list items for sell. In other words, this is an example of C2C marketplace app development just like eBay and Craigslist.  

This platform was founded back in the year, 2015, headquartered in Bellvue, Washington, United States of America. It founded by Nick Huzar and Arean Van Veelan.

From 2015 to now, the company has quite a bit and gained a user base of its own. Today, it is worth $1.4 billion with 20 million monthly active users and over 90 million app downloads to date.

In addition to this, the company also acquire LetGo in 2020. As a result of this, the platform became much better. The feature set became much wider and platform’s flexibility increased much more.

Moving on, this is very good performance for a company that was founded as recently as 2015. It goes without saying that this has inspired a lot of other businesses and potential start-ups to build an app like OfferUp of their own.

If you’re looking for an app similar to OfferUp, there are several options available. These apps are designed to help you buy and sell items locally, just like app like OfferUp.

If you are someone who wants to do this, well, you should first understand how it works. And this is what we shall be discussing in the next section of the blog.

How Does Offer Up Work?

There are apps like OfferUp for cars, furniture, and various other niches. However, the working remains fairly similar in all of them.

Now, there are two parts of the applications.

  1. App For Seller
  2. App For Buyer

Since this is a C2C marketplace, both sides are for users. Therefore, here, we shall be going through the step-by-step working process for both of them.

  • App For Seller

If user is someone who wants to sell an item in the local online market, OfferUp is the app. This is the process you have to follow:

  1. The first step is downloading the app on the phone.
  2. Once the app is one the phone, it is time to sign up and register the user on the platform.
  3. Now, the app is accessible to the user. So, they can go to their profile and use the option sell, to add an item.
  4. Here, the user or sellers in this case have to add the required details to the items. This includes model, date, condition, price, medium of payment, and so on.
  5. Once the user “OfferUp” item, the buyers can see it on the marketplace and bid to buy it.
  6. If the seller wants to sell their item quickly and at much better rate, they can use the paid features of the app or paid promotion.
  7. Buyers can contact the seller via the app itself with in-app communication features.
  8. Once a deal is closed, the post on the marketplace will show the item is sold.

This is the working process on the seller side. Now, let’s move to the buyer side of the application.

  • App For Buyer

Both buyer and seller play important roles in apps like OfferUp. And if you want to Hire Dedicated Developers to create your own app, this is something that you should be well-versed with.

The working process is, as mentioned below:

  1. The first step is downloading the app on the phone.
  2. Once the app is on the phone, it is time to sign up and register the user on the platform.
  3. Following registration, the buyer starts exploring the online marketplace.
  4. Here, they can explore different categories and add items to their favorite.
  5. When buyer like an item they can bid on it.
  6. In addition, the user can also communicate with the seller via the app itself.
  7. If the deal is closed, the buyer can also pay a token amount via eWallet integration.
  8. After this, the buyer and seller can agree on the way for the exchange of services.

This is the working process of the apps like the Buyer app. And with this being said, we can move to the next section of the blog, where we shall be discussing some of the top C2C marketplace apps of our time.

Other Popular Example of C2C Marketplace App

Before you go looking for Custom Mobile App Development Services to build an app like Offer Up, there is something you need to do first.

To create a successful buy-and-sell app like OfferUp, you need to take inspiration from the best. And that is the reason we shall be going through some of the best examples of C2C marketplace apps.

Let’s get right into it:

  • LetGo

LetGo

LetGo as we have already discussed was the original app on which OfferUp is based. In this sense, it is the predecessor of OfferUp.

The user interface of the platform is amazing with a minimalist aesthetic. Well, it goes without saying that LetGo is a very popular platform with a user base of 100 million strong.

Moreover, the features of the platform only add to its user experience as they make everything that much easier.  Now, the platform allows users to put free ads on the marketplace.

Nevertheless, a fee has to be paid for putting your item on top of the listings. However, there is no in-app payment methods which can be a downside.

  • eBay

eBay

Well, well, who hasn’t heard the name, eBay?

This platform has been around for some time. It is available throughout the world, but it is based in the United States of America. Being a top C2C platform,

As such, it doesn’t only allow people to sell items locally but also buys and sell to the international market.   Being an established eCommerce App Development Solution, eBay is a household name that every American knows of.

It has about everything the user needs to make a smooth exchange. This includes in-app communication, in-built payment, and so on.

  • Craigslist

Craigslist

Just like eBay, Craigslist is yet another well-known online marketplace. In fact, it is so popular that, some might term it “infamous”.

As things stand, if you want to sell anything in the USA, all you need to do is put it up on craigslist. However, it isn’t limited to America, as it also offers services in around 70 countries across the world.

The story of this platform is actually quite interesting, as when it was founded back in the mid-90s, it was an email newsletter. However, fast forward to 2022, and it is one of the most popular marketplaces with 55 million users.

It is a good example of what marketplace development solution should be, as apart from selling and buying, users can also look for real estate and jobs.

These are some of the best examples of C2C marketplace apps in the United States of America. Moving on, discussing monetization in the next section of the blog.

 

To-Get-The-Best-Ecommerce-App-cta

 

How Do Apps Like OfferUp Make Money?

How Do Apps Like OfferUp Make Money?

Who doesn’t want to create an app that makes MILLIONS?

Well, if you do, you need to learn about monetization strategies. These are different techniques integrated into app development. This allows the platform to generate money.

So, let’s see how an app does like OfferUp makes money. Monetization strategies are, as mentioned below:

  • Premium Membership

In 2023, it seems like every platform from Top Dating Apps to mobile apps, has a premium version.

This is because this is one of the best monetization strategies. Well, most of the users will clearly ignore it, but even the small percentage who subscribe to it, they will become a big revenue stream.

This is a proven strategy that you don’t have to think twice before implementing.

Looking for selling apps like OfferUp? Check out these popular alternatives that allow you to sell items locally, with some even offering shipping and delivery options.

  • Transaction Fees

This is yet another very common yet very super effective revenue stream.

See, since you are creating a platform that enables buying and selling, there will be a lot of financial exchange. And since the platform is hosting all of it safely, it is only fair to charge a fee. This fee is known as the transaction fees.

Now, during the initial stage, this might not be all that big.

However, when the platform grows this will be one of the best revenue streams. When you consult On Demand App Development Company you can ask them to include the same.

  • Advertisement

It goes without saying that there are advertisements everywhere. In fact, you can say that they are around every aspect of our lives. But this can be used to advantage.

The online marketplace is a marketplace nonetheless. Meaning there will be companies who want to use your space for advertisement. In addition to this, sellers would also pay the platform to put their ad on the top.

 

These are the monetization strategies. Moving on, we shall be going through the development process, where you can learn how to build apps like OfferUp 2023.

 

Omnichannel Retail Solution

Online marketplaces are complementary channels to Retailers

 

How To Build An App Like OfferUp? Local Marketplace App Development

How To Build An App Like OfferUp? Local Marketplace App Development

So, you want to Develop Buy & Sell Locally App like OfferUp, eBay, and Craigslist. But the real question is how you do it.

Mobile App Development is kind of complex. So, if you want to create a leading platform, you must understand it first. That is why, in this section of the blog, we shall be going through the entire development process step by step.

1) Find the Base

The first thing you need to do is find a base.

Meaning you need to find a problem to solve, how you can deliver value to customers, and generate money while doing so.

In simple words, this process is all about research. And once you have enough data, we can move to the next step of the process where you….

2) Put Together Idea

With the information gathered from the previous step, it is time to muster up an idea.

Now, this can either be the shortest step or the longest step. Nevertheless, one thing that remains constant is its importance.

When done with this, it is time to finalize technologies.

3) Finalize Platform

So, we are talking about marketplace app development, and once you talk about mobile apps, you can’t ignore platforms.

After all, it is on these platforms that mobile apps are developed. As such, there are two major platforms. Namely, native apps and hybrid ones.

Within native, you can either go with Android app development or iPhone app development services. Both of these platforms are amazing and they offer remarkable performance.

However, if you want to create an app that runs on both of these platforms plus the web, there is yet another option for you which is known as hybrid app development. Based on the business needs you can choose the one that fits your project the best.

4) Choose Tech Stack

Once you have finalized the platform, it is time to choose the fitting tech stack.

Tech stack refers to the set of technologies that are used to create mobile apps. This includes everything from programming languages to frameworks and toolkits.

Beware, choosing the right tech stack is very important.

5) Hire Mobile App Developers

With all said and done, it is time to hire on demand app developers.

The choice to hire developers highly depends on the platform you finalized. Some ways you can use to hire developers are, as mentioned below:

  • Hire Freelancers
  • Hire Part Time Developers
  • Assemble In House Team

 

Read the blog- How to Build Online Marketplace: Step by Step Guide

 

6) List Out Features

It goes without saying that features are one of the most important parts of the application. So, before you start the development process, it is important to list out features.

Some of the basic features that you should include in your own OfferUp B2B marketplace apps are, as mentioned below:

Sellers App

Buyers App

Sign upSign up
Add an itemExplore marketplace
Manage bidsAdd items to favourite
Change item detailsBid to items
Broadcast a messageTalk to seller
Communicate with buyersCustomer help
In-App payment functionsPay via app

7) UI/UX Design

This is the part where your team of developers will be designing the front-end design of the app.

UI/UX Design is one of the two steps of development, with the second one being back-end development.

8) Back-End Development

In back-end development, the mobile app development company writes the source code of the application.

They will be creating the final version of the app. This is a time-consuming process by all means. For that reason, it is important to maintain good communication with the development side.

9) Testing

This is the part where the app is tested before it is sent for deployment.

The QA team will be checking the app like OfferUp for errors and bugs. Once found, they will be dealt with and the app will be sent for deployment or launch.

10) Deployment

If you hire android app developers the app will be deployed on Play Store. iOS app will be deployed on the apple app store. And hybrid app on both.

While the deployment process is different for each platform, it is quick and simple.

This is the 10-step development and deployment process to build an app like OfferUp.


To-Get-The-Best-Ecommerce-App-cta

 

 Conclusion

There are a lot of people who want to build an app like OfferUp of your own or want to learn more about the same, all you need to do is reach out to a marketplace app development company that will be able to help you with the same.