WUX Team Ludo App Design - Competitor Research

Date: 31st July 2022

Competitor Research

Our product is a C2C marketplace application for board games.

C2C refers to 'consumer-to-consumer', meaning members of the public can act as vendors, selling new or second-hand products to other members of the public, who act as buyers.

Other companies operating this way, offering a platform for users to buy and sell on, include:

TradeMe

Started in New Zealand in 1999 by Sam Morgan, TradeMe allows users to list objects for sale, set a price as well as add details about the listed item. Besides allowing users to sell to each other, third-party vendors have also started listing items on the platform, moving it more in the direction of a general ecommerce platform. 

Users can either set a fixed, 'Buy Now' price, or set the sale up as an online auction, with a minimum reserve price to be met before a sale is approved. The platform requires users to enter their details, such as their name, email, a form of payment, and their address. No user details - except for their general location - are known by other users until an item is purchased, at which point email addresses or phone numbers are shared between both parties by the platform.

This is done as a safety and anti-fraud measure; no payment activity occurs through the platform, meaning users organize payment outside of the platform, using shared user details, once an item is bought.

Buyers are also able to see where the item is being sold from, and can use this information to gauge transport and shipping costs, or consider picking up the item themselves.

Functionality Offered:

• Listing items for sale as either an auction or at a set price.
• Adding details about listed items.
• Removing items from sale.
• Allows users to create an account, to store and pass on details to other users on a select basis.
• The location of the item, shipping, courier and pickup information is displayed.

Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace was started in 2016 as an additional offering on the Facebook social media platform. The marketplace allows users of Facebook to buy, sell and view items in an online 'classifieds'-type forum. Items of interest can be searched for, and the location these items are sold from can be filtered according to the users wishes. As users of this platform use their normal Facebook accounts to access it, peoples' real names and profile photos are displayed when an item is clicked on to view; because of this, there is little to no third-party / vendor involvement in the platform. Despite this, a buyer can choose to sponsor their item listing, increasing its prominence when a user views all available items.

There is more of a casual, marketplace feel to Facebook Marketplace than TradeMe; clicked items do not go to their own page, instead appearing inside a modal / pop-up window, allowing the user to easily click back. More items, and of more kinds are offered on the same screen, increasing user choice; and listed items are done so at a set price only, with no auction functionality (see TradeMe). 

Additionally, categories of items and filter options are easily accessible through a sidebar, simplifying the user experience.

However, these features contribute to the platform feeling overwhelming when compared to TradeMe's more refined and focused look.

Functionality Offered:

• Use an existing Facebook account to access (low barrier to entry).
• Listing items for sale at a set price.
• Adding details about listed items.
• Removing items from sale.
• The location of the item, shipping, courier and pickup information is displayed.
• Sellers can sponsor their post to receive more attention.
• Buyers can filter by location, price and item condition.

Gumtree

Gumtree - now owned by eBay - was formed in the United Kingdom in 2000 as a way to connect South Africans, New Zealanders and Australians planning on moving to London. Since then, it has evolved into an online classifieds and community website where users can buy and sell real estate, motor vehicles, secondhand items, and services for hire.

Users are required to create an account to access Gumtree's services, which is used to store user information, as well as allow other users to place reviews on each other, based on conduct.

Unlike the other C2C platforms listed above, Gumtree does not display detailed location or courier information for items sold on its platform; these details are discussed between users after a sale has taken place. Listed items only display, and can be filtered by, the general area in which they appear, such as an Australian state or New Zealand region.

Users can search for desired items and filter them by category, price, price type (fixed, negotiable, free), location and condition.

As the platform hosts many different offerings, e.g. job listings, real estate and car sales, hireable services, the interface does feel cluttered and difficult to navigate, lessening the user experience.

Functionality Offered:

• Listing items for sale at a set price (users can add a 'negotiable' flag to their listings if relevant).
• List items for free.
• Adding details about listed items.
• Removing items from sale.
• Allows users to create an account, to store and pass on details to other users on a select basis.