Alaba Market | Mobile APP, Web App, PWA

What happens when 50 million Nigerians want to buy and sell electronics, but the platforms they rely on are bloated, untrustworthy, and built for a different market entirely?

I designed and built AlabaMarket, a full-stack marketplace ecosystem spanning a buyer & seller mobile app, a responsive web platform, and a comprehensive admin dashboard, from zero to production. This is the story of how I turned a real-world commerce problem into a three-platform digital product that handles everything from AI-powered product listings to real-time video calls between buyers and sellers.

My Role: Full-Stack Developer (Solo)

Duration: 5 Months

Platforms: Mobile App (iOS & Android), Web App, Admin Dashboard

Tech Stack: React Native (Expo), Next.js, Self Hosted Convex, TailwindCSS, Flutterwave, Paystack, Bunny CDN, Twilio, Resend, DeepSeek AI

Status: Launched.

AlabaMarket is a three-sided marketplace connecting buyers, sellers, and administrators across three platforms

Mobile App (Buyer & Seller): A native iOS/Android app built with Expo React Native where buyers discover, save, and purchase electronics, and sellers list products, manage their storefronts, and communicate with customers.

Web App: A responsive Next.js web marketplace mirroring the mobile experience for desktop users, complete with seller storefronts, product discovery, real-time messaging, and video calls.

Admin Dashboard: A full-featured Next.js admin panel for platform governance, including user verification, product moderation, analytics dashboards, campaign management, and revenue tracking.

This wasn't a template project or a tutorial follow-along. Every screen, every API endpoint, every database table, every notification flow, I designed and engineered it all.

The Problem

Nigeria's electronics market is massive. Alaba International Market in Lagos alone generates billions of naira in daily transactions. But the buying experience? Broken.

What's Wrong Today

For Buyers:

- No way to verify if a seller is legitimate before sending money

- Product photos are recycled stock images, what you see is rarely what you get

- No structured communication channel; deals happen over scattered WhatsApp threads

- Zero buyer protection or recourse when things go wrong

- Searching for a specific phone model means scrolling through hundreds of irrelevant listings

For Sellers:

- Existing platforms charge exorbitant listing fees with no return on investment

- No tools to build a brand or a recognizable storefront

- Limited analytics, sellers have no idea which products attract attention

- Competing against fraudulent sellers erodes trust in the entire ecosystem

- No way to boost visibility of specific products during peak demand

For the Market:

- Trust deficit is the #1 barrier to online electronics commerce in Nigeria

- Existing platforms treat Nigeria as an afterthought, not a primary market

- No platform combines product discovery, real-time communication, and transaction tools in one experience

The Opportunity

Build a marketplace that doesn't just list products, it builds trust at every touchpoint. A platform where sellers earn verification badges, buyers can video-call sellers to see products in real-time, and the entire experience is designed for how Nigerians actually buy and sell electronics.

Market Research & Competitive Analysis

Market Size & Context

- Nigeria's e-commerce market is projected to reach $75 billion by 2025 (Statista)

- Over 100 million Nigerians have internet access, with 80%+ accessing via mobile

- Electronics and phones are the #1 category in Nigerian e-commerce

- Alaba International Market is the largest electronics market in West Africa

- Trust remains the single biggest barrier to online purchase conversion

Key Insight

No existing platform combines all three pillars that Nigerian electronics buyers need:

1. Trust (verified sellers + video calls)

2. Discovery (smart search + dynamic categories + AI descriptions)

3. Transaction (integrated wallet + multiple payment gateways)

AlabaMarket was designed to own all three.

User Personas:

Information Architecture & User Flows

Wire-frame WebApp

Wire-frame Mobile App

On Production

Challenges & Solution

Thank You!