RB Marketplace: a multi-vendor marketplace and its shopping app on one API
Netbase built RB Marketplace, an English-first multi-vendor marketplace for beauty, electronics and more, together with the customer shopping app that runs on the same API. Vendors apply, get approved and sell from their own storefronts; shoppers buy on the web or in the app, with push alerts for orders and deals. The marketplace is live at rbmarketplace.co.
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At a glance
- Client
- RB Marketplace, a marketplace business rooted in Liberia
- Region
- West Africa and the diaspora; English-first storefront
- Industry
- Retail and ecommerce: beauty, personal care and electronics
- Services
- Ecommerce development and mobile app development
- Solutions
- Ecommerce marketplace and mobile product accelerator
- Stack
- Laravel marketplace platform, REST API, Firebase Cloud Messaging, transactional email with SPF and DKIM, Mailchimp
- Mobile app
- Customer shopping app on the marketplace API; Android, with iOS in the extended scope
- Period
- Platform launch and 90 days of support from May to July 2026, then the mobile app
- Result
- Qualitative: a live marketplace with approved vendors and a customer app on the same backend; no figures are published
Client and operating context
RB Marketplace set out to give small sellers, resellers, importers and beauty and electronics suppliers one trusted place to sell online, without the cost and effort of running a standalone store. Its buyers are mobile-first shoppers who often discover products through social media. The business started with beauty, personal care and electronics, and plans more retail categories once demand is proven.
Challenge and baseline
A marketplace has to work for three groups at once. Sellers need a quick way to open a store, list products, fulfil orders and get paid. Buyers need search, trust signals and a fast checkout on a phone. The operator needs control: who may sell, which products go live, what commission applies and when payouts are released. RB Marketplace also wanted a permanent place on customers' home screens, so repeat purchases and deal alerts would not depend on a browser tab.
There was no earlier platform to measure against, so no baseline figure exists.
Constraints, risks and success criteria
-
Trust before volume
Every vendor is reviewed and approved before selling, so the catalogue grows without low-quality sellers.
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Mobile-first buyers
Pages, checkout and the app had to feel fast on phones.
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One source of truth
The app could not become a second system to maintain: products, stock, prices and orders stay in one backend.
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Deliverable email
Order confirmations, payout alerts and vendor approvals had to reach inboxes, not spam folders.
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Success criteria
Launch professionally, onboard the first vendors, publish an initial catalogue and let customers buy on the web and in the app.
Netbase role, approach and key decisions
Netbase designed, built and launched the platform, set up its email and hosting operations, then built the customer app. Four decisions shaped the work:
-
Start from a proven marketplace platform
A Laravel multi-vendor platform gave vendor stores, commissions and payouts from day one, so the effort went into configuration, branding and launch readiness.
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Keep admin work on the web
Vendors and the operator manage products, inventory, orders and approvals in the web panel; the app is for shoppers.
-
API first
A REST API exposes catalogue, cart, checkout, orders, reviews, wishlist, notifications and device tokens, and the app reflects every change made in the web panel in real time.
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Build the app in phases
Kickoff and an API audit, core architecture, feature development, QA and handover, with a working prototype early and weekly progress updates.
Implementation and deliverables
-
Buyer storefront
Search with filters, category navigation, product pages with variants and reviews, wishlist, cart with coupons and checkout
-
Vendor tools
Registration with admin approval, store profile, products and inventory, order fulfilment and tracking updates, earnings, commission deductions and payout requests
-
Marketplace admin
Vendor approval and suspension, product moderation, commission and payout control, campaigns, coupons and analytics
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API
Customer REST API for the app, including device tokens and notifications
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Email and launch
Role-based mailboxes, SPF and DKIM, transactional email, Mailchimp lists, a vendor registration QR code and launch guidance
-
Customer app
Google, Facebook and Apple sign-in; browsing, smart search and product comparison; flash sales; persistent cart and secure WebView checkout; order tracking, returns with photos and invoice download; synced wishlist; dark mode and offline browsing; 45+ screens
-
Push notifications
Firebase Cloud Messaging for order updates, flash sales, back-in-stock and price-drop alerts, with an in-app notification panel
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Support
90 days of monitoring, bug fixes, hosting, SSL, DNS and performance tuning after launch
The app's backend and API patterns match our backend platforms and frontend and mobile technology pages.
Results
-
Marketplace live
The storefront is live at rbmarketplace.co, with vendor registration and approved sellers- Method and limitation
- Checked on the public site on 2026-09-17; catalogue counts change daily, so none is quoted
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Customer app
A shopping app for customers on the same API, with push notifications -
Measured business results
None published- Method and limitation
- The client has not published sales or usage figures
Client perspective
No client quote is published for this case study.
Lessons for marketplace and mobile commerce builders
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Approve vendors before you scale them
A review step keeps quality high while the catalogue grows.
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Build the API with the web platform, not after it
An app then becomes a second channel for the same marketplace instead of a second product.
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Plan push notifications as a feature
Order updates and deal alerts are the reason shoppers keep an app installed.
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Leave room for AI
An API-first marketplace can add AI search or product recommendations later without rebuilding; that would be a new, separately scoped phase.
Planning your own marketplace? Our marketplace platform architecture guide covers vendors, catalogues and payouts, and the mobile product development guide covers the app side. Browse more Netbase work or contact Netbase to review a similar project.
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