Case Study: SellBig eCommerce marketplace for small businesses
SellBig is an ecommerce platform that helps small businesses in the US sell their products to customers worldwide.
Business challenge
The Client wanted to foster an environment where US sellers can sustainably grow their businesses competing domestically and in the global market. The first thing we needed to do was to come up with a user-friendly and aesthetically appealing solution which would attract both sellers and customers. Our final aim was to create a modern and easy-to-use eCommerce platform empowered with all the instruments for proper stores management.
Our solution
Following the Scrum methodology, we created this custom application from scratch. The solution was empowered with all essential eCommerce functions available on both back and front offices.
The seller got a possibility to create a store, display products in catalogue, manage orders, refund items, chat with buyers and view analytics on the number of sold/viewed products. In the role of admin, it’s possible to change banners on homepage and adjust content on static pages using Summernote WYSIWYG editor.
On the buyer’s side, one can create an account, buy products, track the status of their order, request a refund and chat with sellers.
Distinctive features
- product catalogue with search and filter functionality;
- customizable profiles for buyers and sellers;
- chat with sellers;
- featured product analytics for sellers;
- analytics on website sales for admin;
- refund functionality;
- customizable banners on home page.
Before:
- Small businesses in the US sold through domestic channels with no platform infrastructure to reach international buyers.
- Sellers managed product listings, orders, refunds, and buyer communication across separate tools with no unified view.
- Sellers had no visibility into which products customers viewed or purchased, so each catalogue decision was made without performance data.
- Buyers had no way to track order status, request refunds, or contact sellers within a single interface.
- Admins required developer involvement to update homepage banners or change static page content.
- There was no dedicated US marketplace giving small businesses the infrastructure to compete for international eCommerce buyers.
After:
- Sellers list products on a US-based marketplace that surfaces their storefronts to domestic and international buyers simultaneously.
- Sellers manage listings, orders, refunds, and buyer chat from one dashboard, reducing store management overhead by an estimated 40% compared to separate-tool setups.
- Sellers review per-product view counts and sales analytics from their dashboard to identify top performers and adjust their catalogue.
- Buyers create accounts, buy products, track order status, request refunds, and contact sellers – all within the same platform.
- Admins update banners and static page content through a built-in WYSIWYG editor with no developer involvement required.
- The complete marketplace was built from scratch and delivered in 4 months, giving the Client a launch-ready platform with room for iterative expansion.
I was impressed by SumatoSoft’s prices, especially for the project I wanted to do and in comparison to the quotes I received from a lot of other companies.
Also, their communication skills were great; it never felt like a long-distance project. It felt like SumatoSoft was working next door because their project manager was always keeping me updated. Initially.
