6 Practical Features We Build for Sharetribe Flex Marketplaces
When you first launch a marketplace, most energy goes into getting the basics right - onboarding users, enabling transactions, dealing with payments. But once the platform is live, the small things start to matter more.
Someone wants to send a contract through messages. Another user asks why they can’t save a listing. A seller wonders how to show off their reviews better.
Individually, these aren’t big problems. But enough of them, and they start to affect trust, repeat usage, and conversion.
Over the past few years, we’ve built these six features more times than we can count. They’re not complex or groundbreaking - but they solve real friction points in everyday marketplace use.
1. File Uploads in Messages
Sometimes messaging isn’t enough.
Users want to send images, agreements, or even short videos. For service marketplaces or B2B platforms, it’s often essential. Without file support, the conversation moves off-platform - which usually means the transaction does too.
We add file upload support directly into the chat flow. It keeps the interaction in one place and feels more professional.
2. Wishlist / Favourite Listings
Users like to browse. But they don’t always book or buy immediately.
A wishlist feature lets people mark listings they’re interested in and come back later. It’s one of those small things that’s easy to overlook – but often requested once your platform starts seeing repeat visitors.
We build this with a familiar heart or save icon on listings. It shows up in the user dashboard. No drama, just a useful layer of convenience.
3. Displaying Average Reviews
Once your platform has a few reviews flowing, it makes sense to highlight them.
Buyers rely on quick signals. Seeing average ratings helps users make decisions faster. It doesn’t make or break your business. But if reviews are a strength, this helps surface them better.
4. Reordering Listing Images
Here’s a simple one that makes a surprising difference in seller experience.
By default, image uploads show up in the order added. But if you want a certain photo first - say, a hero image of a product or location - re-uploading everything is a pain.
We’ve added drag-and-drop reordering for images in the listing edit flow. It’s not a flashy feature, but sellers appreciate it.
5. Password Strength Indicator
Sometimes users sign up with weak passwords. Other times they get blocked by confusing requirements. A simple strength meter clears this up.
We’ve implemented password strength indicators to help users create secure logins while reducing sign-up frustration. For marketplaces handling higher-value transactions or personal data, this adds a basic but important layer of trust.
6. Shopping Cart (Multiple Listings, One Session)
If your marketplace involves booking or buying more than one item, users often want a cart.
Since Stripe doesn’t support true multi-vendor checkout in one transaction, we build a cart that lets buyers collect multiple listings, then check out one by one without losing context.
It’s especially useful in product marketplaces or bundles. It won’t change your business model - but it improves the user experience.
We offer these in our own template or one by one
None of these are launch-critical. But they’re usually worth adding once:
- You’ve got repeat users
- You’re hearing the same support requests multiple times
- You want to improve UX without major changes
We usually recommend building based on actual user feedback - not gut feeling.
If you’re curious about these features, exploring other ideas, or need advice
Contact us
