Building a Marketplace for Producers: Lessons from Wylde Market

Creating a successful marketplace involves more than just connecting buyers and sellers. It requires understanding the unique needs of both sides of the market and developing systems that streamline their interactions. At our recent ‘Secrets for Platform Success’ breakfast event at The Ivy, Dave Hart, CTO of Wylde Market, shares insights on how they built a marketplace that effectively serves both small producers and consumers.

Understanding the Needs of Producers

When Wylde Market first started, the team realised that their producers, who ranged from fishermen to small-batch farmers, needed more support than just an introduction service. “Initially, we thought we could just link producers with consumers, but we found they needed more help, which led to a significant shift in our approach”, Dave explains. 

Simplifying the Producer Experience

One of the main challenges was making the process as seamless as possible for the producers. “Platforms are great for customers but often not suitable for producers,” Dave notes. So, Wylde Market set about creating custom software to manage invoicing, payments, and other logistics, ensuring producers could focus on what they do best - growing and sourcing the best quality ingredients.

Iterative Development and Testing

Dave went on to emphasise the importance of iterative development and testing, “We worked through small, contained iterations, always trying to test something” . By focusing on specific challenges and testing solutions in real-time, Wylde Market could refine the platform to continually improve the functionality.

Balancing Complexity and Usability

One of the key lessons learned was balancing the complexity of the system with its usability,“We had to make the unpredictable side of things predictable, and this involved understanding the producers' workflows and creating systems that simplified their interactions with the marketplace".

Success Through Aggregation

A significant milestone for Wylde Market was achieving efficient aggregation of products, which became a crucial step in replicating the feel of a farmer’s market online.

 “The first time we managed to take products from various producers, aggregate them in a local hub, and send them back out was a big moment,”  Dave Hart, Wylde Market

Future Directions and Scaling

Looking ahead, Wylde Market aims to further streamline the producer experience by integrating more advanced payment and banking solutions. “Banking-as-a-Service is going to be about how we onboard and pay out our producers”  and Dave explains that“This approach will help scale the marketplace, enabling it to handle hundreds or thousands of producers".

By focusing on iterative development, simplifying producer interactions, and balancing complexity with usability, Wylde Market has created a platform that effectively serves its community. 

At Red Badger, we’re committed to helping businesses build effective marketplaces that serve both producers and consumers, turning innovative ideas into reality.