E-commerce / Mobile 2024 4 months

Artisan Market

Handcraft Marketplace App

Artisan Market is a mobile-first marketplace connecting independent craftspeople and artisans with buyers who value handmade goods. Built in Flutter with an AR product preview feature, real-time seller messaging, Stripe Connect split payments and a comprehensive seller analytics dashboard — all shipped in 16 weeks.

2K+ artisans onboarded
4.7★ App Store
16 weeks to launch
£380K GMV month 3
Client
Artisan Market Ltd.
Industry
E-commerce / Marketplace
Year
2024
Duration
4 months
Service
Mobile App Development, UI/UX Design

The Challenge

The client needed to solve the "trust gap" in handmade goods marketplaces — buyers can't physically inspect unique, one-of-a-kind items. A unique AR preview feature was central to the brief. Additionally, managing payments fairly between platform, artisans and any local delivery partners added significant Stripe complexity.

  • AR product preview for handmade items without a 3D model pipeline
  • Stripe Connect multi-party payments: platform + artisan + delivery split
  • Real-time buyer–seller chat without exposing personal contact details
  • Artisan onboarding journey that handled KYC and Stripe identity verification
  • Product discovery for 15,000+ unique items across 200 categories

Our Solution

We used ARKit (iOS) and ARCore (Android) via a Flutter plugin for AR surface detection with 2D-to-3D image projection — a technique that worked without 3D model uploads. Stripe Connect handled three-way payment splits with automatic payouts. Firebase powered real-time anonymous messaging. Algolia gave sub-50ms search across all 15,000 listings.

  • Flutter with ARKit/ARCore plugin for cross-platform AR preview
  • Custom 2D-to-3D projection technique eliminating 3D model requirements
  • Stripe Connect with three-way automated payout splits
  • Firebase Firestore + Cloud Functions for real-time anonymous messaging
  • Algolia InstantSearch for product discovery across 15,000+ items
  • Stripe Identity for artisan KYC and fraud prevention

The Results

Artisan Market launched on both stores simultaneously in 16 weeks, achieving a 4.7-star rating within six weeks. Two thousand artisans onboarded in the first three months — exceeding the 12-month target. GMV hit £380,000 in month three alone. The AR preview feature drove a 34% higher conversion rate compared to listings without AR — validating the core hypothesis.

Artisans Onboarded (3m) 2,000+
App Store Rating 4.7 ★
GMV — Month 3 £380,000
AR Preview Conversion Lift 34%
Weeks to Launch 16
Seller NPS 81

Technology Stack

Flutter Dart ARKit ARCore Firebase Firestore Stripe Connect Algolia Node.js Cloud Functions Sentry Fastlane GitHub Actions

Key Features & Capabilities

AR Product Preview

Place any item in your real environment using ARKit/ARCore — see true scale and visualise how a handmade piece fits in your space before buying.

Real-Time Seller Chat

Anonymous, end-to-end conversation between buyers and sellers — no personal contact details exposed, moderation tools built in.

Stripe Connect Payments

Three-way automated payment splits: platform fee, artisan earnings and optional local delivery partner share — all handled seamlessly.

Algolia Product Search

Sub-50ms search across 15,000+ unique items with filtering by material, technique, price, location and maker story.

Seller Analytics

Revenue trends, view-to-sale conversion, customer geography, best-performing listing insights and payout history in a clean seller dashboard.

Artisan Verification

Stripe Identity-powered KYC for artisan accounts — building buyer trust through verified maker profiles and authenticity badges.

"The AR feature alone has transformed how buyers interact with handmade goods on mobile. Code Zerra delivered something technically ambitious in 16 weeks — clean codebase, great documentation, and our team extended it confidently from day one."

Marcus Reid

CTO, Artisan Market Ltd.

Inspired by
Artisan Market?

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