Bazaar Customer Portal
Bazaar Customer Portal
Bazaar Customer Portal
Simplifying B2B ordering and procurement for businesses & enterprises.
Simplifying B2B ordering and procurement for businesses & enterprises.
Simplifying B2B ordering and procurement for businesses & enterprises.
In many B2B retail markets, placing an order isn’t as seamless as it should be. Most businesses still rely on a mix of phone calls, WhatsApp messages, and handwritten notes to manage their day-to-day operations. From checking prices to tracking deliveries and handling payments, everything is manual, scattered, and often dependent on someone being available to respond. This creates confusion, delays, and a constant sense of uncertainty for small business owners.
At Bazaar, a leading B2B and B2C commerce startup in Pakistan, this friction was a daily reality. Business Development Officers (BDOs) were spending a large part of their day answering the same repeated questions: “When will my order arrive?”, “Can you send the invoice again?”, “How much do I owe?”, “What’s the latest rate?” Customers were heavily reliant on BDOs to stay updated, and this level of dependency made it difficult to scale the operation smoothly.
The goal was to automate this process and give businesses more control through a self-serve customer portal — a simple digital experience where they could access everything they needed on their own.
In many B2B retail markets, placing an order isn’t as seamless as it should be. Most businesses still rely on a mix of phone calls, WhatsApp messages, and handwritten notes to manage their day-to-day operations. From checking prices to tracking deliveries and handling payments, everything is manual, scattered, and often dependent on someone being available to respond. This creates confusion, delays, and a constant sense of uncertainty for small business owners.
At Bazaar, a leading B2B and B2C commerce startup in Pakistan, this friction was a daily reality. Business Development Officers (BDOs) were spending a large part of their day answering the same repeated questions: “When will my order arrive?”, “Can you send the invoice again?”, “How much do I owe?”, “What’s the latest rate?” Customers were heavily reliant on BDOs to stay updated, and this level of dependency made it difficult to scale the operation smoothly.
The goal was to automate this process and give businesses more control through a self-serve customer portal — a simple digital experience where they could access everything they needed on their own.
In many B2B retail markets, placing an order isn’t as seamless as it should be. Most businesses still rely on a mix of phone calls, WhatsApp messages, and handwritten notes to manage their day-to-day operations. From checking prices to tracking deliveries and handling payments, everything is manual, scattered, and often dependent on someone being available to respond. This creates confusion, delays, and a constant sense of uncertainty for small business owners.
At Bazaar, a leading B2B and B2C commerce startup in Pakistan, this friction was a daily reality. Business Development Officers (BDOs) were spending a large part of their day answering the same repeated questions: “When will my order arrive?”, “Can you send the invoice again?”, “How much do I owe?”, “What’s the latest rate?” Customers were heavily reliant on BDOs to stay updated, and this level of dependency made it difficult to scale the operation smoothly.
The goal was to automate this process and give businesses more control through a self-serve customer portal — a simple digital experience where they could access everything they needed on their own.
The process
The process
The process
Unlike many consumer-facing e-commerce platforms, Bazaar serves a very different audience. These are shopkeepers, small business owners, and wholesale buyers who run their day-to-day operations manually, with deep reliance on trust, habits, and phone calls. Their world doesn’t revolve around digital products or dashboards, it revolves around rates, relationships, and registers.
To understand how they make decisions, I spent time observing and interviewing around 6–8 customers from small kiryana shops to medium-scale buyers. The goal was to dig beneath the surface and understand the real friction they face in their current process.
How do they decide which supplier to buy from?
How do they track rates or follow up on delivery?
What tools do they actually use to run their business?
And most importantly, what does the overall process look like?
Unlike many consumer-facing e-commerce platforms, Bazaar serves a very different audience. These are shopkeepers, small business owners, and wholesale buyers who run their day-to-day operations manually, with deep reliance on trust, habits, and phone calls. Their world doesn’t revolve around digital products or dashboards, it revolves around rates, relationships, and registers.
To understand how they make decisions, I spent time observing and interviewing around 6–8 customers from small kiryana shops to medium-scale buyers. The goal was to dig beneath the surface and understand the real friction they face in their current process.
How do they decide which supplier to buy from?
How do they track rates or follow up on delivery?
What tools do they actually use to run their business?
And most importantly, what does the overall process look like?
Unlike many consumer-facing e-commerce platforms, Bazaar serves a very different audience. These are shopkeepers, small business owners, and wholesale buyers who run their day-to-day operations manually, with deep reliance on trust, habits, and phone calls. Their world doesn’t revolve around digital products or dashboards, it revolves around rates, relationships, and registers.
To understand how they make decisions, I spent time observing and interviewing around 6–8 customers from small kiryana shops to medium-scale buyers. The goal was to dig beneath the surface and understand the real friction they face in their current process.
How do they decide which supplier to buy from?
How do they track rates or follow up on delivery?
What tools do they actually use to run their business?
And most importantly, what does the overall process look like?
Understanding the customer
Understanding the customer
Understanding the customer
Most customers in the wholesale industry operate in an environment where decision-making is heavily influenced by rates. They rarely make a purchase after seeing a single price. Instead, they actively compare by reaching out to 10 or more suppliers before finalizing their decision. Price sensitivity is high, but the process of comparing rates is not always smooth.
“Rates dekhna aur unko compare karna mushkil hota hai.” [Translation: Seeing rates and comparing them is one of the difficult tasks]
Many customers shared how difficult it is to keep track of the rates they gather. Since the industry works on quick calls and rough notes, rates are often written down somewhere which they later forget. No centralized system, no track.
Another major factor in their purchasing decision is credit. Paying in full upfront is rare. Most customers prefer installments or split payments because it helps them manage cash flow better.
Once a price is locked, the focus shifts immediately to delivery. One of the most common questions is: “Maal kab tak aayega?” [Translation: When will the order be delivered?]
Customers often follow up by calling the supplier directly. However, this communication isn’t always seamless. Suppliers may not answer immediately; sometimes it’s the partner or assistant who picks up the call to respond. This further leads to inconsistencies and miss communication across partners and the customers.
Most customers in the wholesale industry operate in an environment where decision-making is heavily influenced by rates. They rarely make a purchase after seeing a single price. Instead, they actively compare by reaching out to 10 or more suppliers before finalizing their decision. Price sensitivity is high, but the process of comparing rates is not always smooth.
“Rates dekhna aur unko compare karna mushkil hota hai.” [Translation: Seeing rates and comparing them is one of the difficult tasks]
Many customers shared how difficult it is to keep track of the rates they gather. Since the industry works on quick calls and rough notes, rates are often written down somewhere which they later forget. No centralized system, no track.
Another major factor in their purchasing decision is credit. Paying in full upfront is rare. Most customers prefer installments or split payments because it helps them manage cash flow better.
Once a price is locked, the focus shifts immediately to delivery. One of the most common questions is: “Maal kab tak aayega?” [Translation: When will the order be delivered?]
Customers often follow up by calling the supplier directly. However, this communication isn’t always seamless. Suppliers may not answer immediately; sometimes it’s the partner or assistant who picks up the call to respond. This further leads to inconsistencies and miss communication across partners and the customers.
Most customers in the wholesale industry operate in an environment where decision-making is heavily influenced by rates. They rarely make a purchase after seeing a single price. Instead, they actively compare by reaching out to 10 or more suppliers before finalizing their decision. Price sensitivity is high, but the process of comparing rates is not always smooth.
“Rates dekhna aur unko compare karna mushkil hota hai.” [Translation: Seeing rates and comparing them is one of the difficult tasks]
Many customers shared how difficult it is to keep track of the rates they gather. Since the industry works on quick calls and rough notes, rates are often written down somewhere which they later forget. No centralized system, no track.
Another major factor in their purchasing decision is credit. Paying in full upfront is rare. Most customers prefer installments or split payments because it helps them manage cash flow better.
Once a price is locked, the focus shifts immediately to delivery. One of the most common questions is: “Maal kab tak aayega?” [Translation: When will the order be delivered?]
Customers often follow up by calling the supplier directly. However, this communication isn’t always seamless. Suppliers may not answer immediately; sometimes it’s the partner or assistant who picks up the call to respond. This further leads to inconsistencies and miss communication across partners and the customers.
Lastly, the tools of the trade are simple but deeply habitual. Physical journals and registers are the backbone of how they track their operations. From rates to purchasing history, financial tracking to sales records — everything is written down on paper or registers. Surprisingly, few see a problem with this method because it’s what they’ve been doing for years.
Most customers had registers where they managed finances manually, and they were comfortable with it.
“Hum apna sara hisaab kitaab copy pe krte hain, wo humare liye zyda sahi rehta hai. Rates likhne se lekr, jo maal bikta hai, aur mahinay ka pura hisaab is copy pe hota hai.” [Translation: We do most of our finances on journals, this is a lot easier for us. From writing product prices, to sales, and all monthly incoming and outgoings.]
Additionally, the communication tools of choice for this customer base are familiar:
Phone calls for immediate queries
WhatsApp for sending orders, sharing updates, or following up on payments
The industry doesn’t have major competition from large brands. However, there is significant competition between smaller, similar businesses — making good service and faster delivery a big differentiator.
Lastly, the tools of the trade are simple but deeply habitual. Physical journals and registers are the backbone of how they track their operations. From rates to purchasing history, financial tracking to sales records — everything is written down on paper or registers. Surprisingly, few see a problem with this method because it’s what they’ve been doing for years.
Most customers had registers where they managed finances manually, and they were comfortable with it.
“Hum apna sara hisaab kitaab copy pe krte hain, wo humare liye zyda sahi rehta hai. Rates likhne se lekr, jo maal bikta hai, aur mahinay ka pura hisaab is copy pe hota hai.” [Translation: We do most of our finances on journals, this is a lot easier for us. From writing product prices, to sales, and all monthly incoming and outgoings.]
Additionally, the communication tools of choice for this customer base are familiar:
Phone calls for immediate queries
WhatsApp for sending orders, sharing updates, or following up on payments
The industry doesn’t have major competition from large brands. However, there is significant competition between smaller, similar businesses — making good service and faster delivery a big differentiator.
Lastly, the tools of the trade are simple but deeply habitual. Physical journals and registers are the backbone of how they track their operations. From rates to purchasing history, financial tracking to sales records — everything is written down on paper or registers. Surprisingly, few see a problem with this method because it’s what they’ve been doing for years.
Most customers had registers where they managed finances manually, and they were comfortable with it.
“Hum apna sara hisaab kitaab copy pe krte hain, wo humare liye zyda sahi rehta hai. Rates likhne se lekr, jo maal bikta hai, aur mahinay ka pura hisaab is copy pe hota hai.” [Translation: We do most of our finances on journals, this is a lot easier for us. From writing product prices, to sales, and all monthly incoming and outgoings.]
Additionally, the communication tools of choice for this customer base are familiar:
Phone calls for immediate queries
WhatsApp for sending orders, sharing updates, or following up on payments
The industry doesn’t have major competition from large brands. However, there is significant competition between smaller, similar businesses — making good service and faster delivery a big differentiator.
The problems we identified
The problems we identified
The problems we identified
Based on these insights, we grouped the pain points into five major problem areas:
Fragmented Rate Comparison: Customers gather rates from multiple sources but have no centralized way to compare or recall them.
Lack of Order Tracking: Once an order is placed, there’s no visibility on its status — they rely solely on calls.
Manual Credit Management: Payment installments are managed informally, with no structured tracking system.
Scattered Communication: Information lives in different places — phone calls, WhatsApp chats, and registers — making it hard to follow up or stay organized.
Inflexible, Paper-Based Systems: Manual registers work for one person, but can’t support scale, collaboration, or visibility across teams.
Based on these insights, we grouped the pain points into five major problem areas:
Fragmented Rate Comparison: Customers gather rates from multiple sources but have no centralized way to compare or recall them.
Lack of Order Tracking: Once an order is placed, there’s no visibility on its status — they rely solely on calls.
Manual Credit Management: Payment installments are managed informally, with no structured tracking system.
Scattered Communication: Information lives in different places — phone calls, WhatsApp chats, and registers — making it hard to follow up or stay organized.
Inflexible, Paper-Based Systems: Manual registers work for one person, but can’t support scale, collaboration, or visibility across teams.
Based on these insights, we grouped the pain points into five major problem areas:
Fragmented Rate Comparison: Customers gather rates from multiple sources but have no centralized way to compare or recall them.
Lack of Order Tracking: Once an order is placed, there’s no visibility on its status — they rely solely on calls.
Manual Credit Management: Payment installments are managed informally, with no structured tracking system.
Scattered Communication: Information lives in different places — phone calls, WhatsApp chats, and registers — making it hard to follow up or stay organized.
Inflexible, Paper-Based Systems: Manual registers work for one person, but can’t support scale, collaboration, or visibility across teams.
Conducting competitor analysis
Conducting competitor analysis
Conducting competitor analysis
To better understand existing solutions in the market and identify opportunities for our product, we conducted a detailed competitor analysis of Knowde.com, OfBusiness, and Alibaba. Each platform served a different audience and use case, but offered valuable insights into how B2B experiences handle pricing, orders, onboarding, and information accessibility. We went through their flows end to end, exploring how they structured dashboards, shared updates, and presented financial data to users.
To better understand existing solutions in the market and identify opportunities for our product, we conducted a detailed competitor analysis of Knowde.com, OfBusiness, and Alibaba. Each platform served a different audience and use case, but offered valuable insights into how B2B experiences handle pricing, orders, onboarding, and information accessibility. We went through their flows end to end, exploring how they structured dashboards, shared updates, and presented financial data to users.
To better understand existing solutions in the market and identify opportunities for our product, we conducted a detailed competitor analysis of Knowde.com, OfBusiness, and Alibaba. Each platform served a different audience and use case, but offered valuable insights into how B2B experiences handle pricing, orders, onboarding, and information accessibility. We went through their flows end to end, exploring how they structured dashboards, shared updates, and presented financial data to users.
Here’s a breakdown of what we learned from them:
Knowde.com
Flexible filters and customizable columns let users view only what’s relevant to them
Well-organized filter categories made navigation smoother
Users could hide unnecessary data to reduce clutter
Clear Help Center and video guides made support easy to access
Overall experience felt user-friendly and self-service focused
OfBusiness
OTP-based login made sign-in quick and hassle-free
All payment info (ledgers, credit, bank details) shown in one view
Financial data was centralized, making tracking and audits easier
Onboarding was simple and guided, with progress indicators
Platform made managing credit and payments feel less complex
Alibaba
Clean, minimal dashboard with just the essentials
Clear payment history and transaction overviews
Advanced product filters helped users narrow down exactly what they needed
Quick access to specs supported faster decision-making
Balanced simplicity with enough depth for serious B2B users
Here’s a breakdown of what we learned from them:
Knowde.com
Flexible filters and customizable columns let users view only what’s relevant to them
Well-organized filter categories made navigation smoother
Users could hide unnecessary data to reduce clutter
Clear Help Center and video guides made support easy to access
Overall experience felt user-friendly and self-service focused
OfBusiness
OTP-based login made sign-in quick and hassle-free
All payment info (ledgers, credit, bank details) shown in one view
Financial data was centralized, making tracking and audits easier
Onboarding was simple and guided, with progress indicators
Platform made managing credit and payments feel less complex
Alibaba
Clean, minimal dashboard with just the essentials
Clear payment history and transaction overviews
Advanced product filters helped users narrow down exactly what they needed
Quick access to specs supported faster decision-making
Balanced simplicity with enough depth for serious B2B users
Here’s a breakdown of what we learned from them:
Knowde.com
Flexible filters and customizable columns let users view only what’s relevant to them
Well-organized filter categories made navigation smoother
Users could hide unnecessary data to reduce clutter
Clear Help Center and video guides made support easy to access
Overall experience felt user-friendly and self-service focused
OfBusiness
OTP-based login made sign-in quick and hassle-free
All payment info (ledgers, credit, bank details) shown in one view
Financial data was centralized, making tracking and audits easier
Onboarding was simple and guided, with progress indicators
Platform made managing credit and payments feel less complex
Alibaba
Clean, minimal dashboard with just the essentials
Clear payment history and transaction overviews
Advanced product filters helped users narrow down exactly what they needed
Quick access to specs supported faster decision-making
Balanced simplicity with enough depth for serious B2B users
The solution: Bazaar Customer Portal
The solution: Bazaar Customer Portal
The solution: Bazaar Customer Portal
To address the core problems uncovered during research — from scattered communication and manual tracking to delivery anxiety and credit confusion — we designed the Bazaar Customer Portal. The goal was to give businesses more control by turning everyday pain points into simple, self-serve digital experiences.
Based on everything we learned from user interviews and competitor analysis, our first goal was to design a simple and easy-to-use information architecture. The aim was to ensure that the core tasks like checking orders, tracking deliveries, and accessing financial info were easy to find, intuitive to use, and didn’t require technical knowledge.
Below is the initial IA we created to lay the foundation for the portal experience:
To address the core problems uncovered during research — from scattered communication and manual tracking to delivery anxiety and credit confusion — we designed the Bazaar Customer Portal. The goal was to give businesses more control by turning everyday pain points into simple, self-serve digital experiences.
Based on everything we learned from user interviews and competitor analysis, our first goal was to design a simple and easy-to-use information architecture. The aim was to ensure that the core tasks like checking orders, tracking deliveries, and accessing financial info were easy to find, intuitive to use, and didn’t require technical knowledge.
Below is the initial IA we created to lay the foundation for the portal experience:
To address the core problems uncovered during research — from scattered communication and manual tracking to delivery anxiety and credit confusion — we designed the Bazaar Customer Portal. The goal was to give businesses more control by turning everyday pain points into simple, self-serve digital experiences.
Based on everything we learned from user interviews and competitor analysis, our first goal was to design a simple and easy-to-use information architecture. The aim was to ensure that the core tasks like checking orders, tracking deliveries, and accessing financial info were easy to find, intuitive to use, and didn’t require technical knowledge.
Below is the initial IA we created to lay the foundation for the portal experience:
This structure helped us plan how information would be organized and prioritized, balancing functional depth with usability. It also allowed us to pull best practices from platforms like Knowde.com, OfBusiness, and Alibaba, while keeping our user’s specific context in mind.
To kick things off, we started with designing the pre-sales experience, focusing on helping customers effortlessly discover products, compare prices, and request quotes all in one place.
This structure helped us plan how information would be organized and prioritized, balancing functional depth with usability. It also allowed us to pull best practices from platforms like Knowde.com, OfBusiness, and Alibaba, while keeping our user’s specific context in mind.
To kick things off, we started with designing the pre-sales experience, focusing on helping customers effortlessly discover products, compare prices, and request quotes all in one place.
This structure helped us plan how information would be organized and prioritized, balancing functional depth with usability. It also allowed us to pull best practices from platforms like Knowde.com, OfBusiness, and Alibaba, while keeping our user’s specific context in mind.
To kick things off, we started with designing the pre-sales experience, focusing on helping customers effortlessly discover products, compare prices, and request quotes all in one place.
The pre-sales experience was designed to make it easy for users to browse products, compare prices, and request quotes. We improved the catalog with simple filters and clean product cards, and added a “Get a Quote” flow that works for both single items and bulk requests. Real-time credit info is shown upfront, so users always know how much they can spend. Features like the search bar and “Frequently Bought Together” section help speed up decision-making with fewer steps.
Once the pre-sales experience was finalized, we moved on to the post-sales journey. This part of the solution helped Bazaar reduce the need for direct interaction between businesses and BDOs, allowing businesses to manage everything on their own without relying on an intermediary.
The pre-sales experience was designed to make it easy for users to browse products, compare prices, and request quotes. We improved the catalog with simple filters and clean product cards, and added a “Get a Quote” flow that works for both single items and bulk requests. Real-time credit info is shown upfront, so users always know how much they can spend. Features like the search bar and “Frequently Bought Together” section help speed up decision-making with fewer steps.
Once the pre-sales experience was finalized, we moved on to the post-sales journey. This part of the solution helped Bazaar reduce the need for direct interaction between businesses and BDOs, allowing businesses to manage everything on their own without relying on an intermediary.
The pre-sales experience was designed to make it easy for users to browse products, compare prices, and request quotes. We improved the catalog with simple filters and clean product cards, and added a “Get a Quote” flow that works for both single items and bulk requests. Real-time credit info is shown upfront, so users always know how much they can spend. Features like the search bar and “Frequently Bought Together” section help speed up decision-making with fewer steps.
Once the pre-sales experience was finalized, we moved on to the post-sales journey. This part of the solution helped Bazaar reduce the need for direct interaction between businesses and BDOs, allowing businesses to manage everything on their own without relying on an intermediary.
One of the most common questions we heard during research was “Maal kab tak aayega?”, so delivery status became a top priority. The orders screen was designed to answer that upfront. Users can instantly see their order progress (booked, dispatched, delivered) along with the estimated delivery date.
One of the most common questions we heard during research was “Maal kab tak aayega?”, so delivery status became a top priority. The orders screen was designed to answer that upfront. Users can instantly see their order progress (booked, dispatched, delivered) along with the estimated delivery date.
One of the most common questions we heard during research was “Maal kab tak aayega?”, so delivery status became a top priority. The orders screen was designed to answer that upfront. Users can instantly see their order progress (booked, dispatched, delivered) along with the estimated delivery date.
To simplify financial tracking, we introduced two dedicated views: Invoices and Ledger.
The Invoices screen lets users view, filter, and download all their past bills with clear visibility into due amounts, payment status, and credit terms. This removes the need to call for updates or chase documents manually.
The Ledger view brings everything together by showing a real-time breakdown of debits, credits, and outstanding balances across orders and payment methods. With both tools, businesses can confidently manage their finances in one place with complete transparency and control.
To simplify financial tracking, we introduced two dedicated views: Invoices and Ledger.
The Invoices screen lets users view, filter, and download all their past bills with clear visibility into due amounts, payment status, and credit terms. This removes the need to call for updates or chase documents manually.
The Ledger view brings everything together by showing a real-time breakdown of debits, credits, and outstanding balances across orders and payment methods. With both tools, businesses can confidently manage their finances in one place with complete transparency and control.
To simplify financial tracking, we introduced two dedicated views: Invoices and Ledger.
The Invoices screen lets users view, filter, and download all their past bills with clear visibility into due amounts, payment status, and credit terms. This removes the need to call for updates or chase documents manually.
The Ledger view brings everything together by showing a real-time breakdown of debits, credits, and outstanding balances across orders and payment methods. With both tools, businesses can confidently manage their finances in one place with complete transparency and control.
Lastly, we also added analytics to let businesses keep track of everything from their orders to product trends and delivery performance. Users can view total purchases, sales value, booking and cancellation rates, and see how their activity changes over time.
Working on this project overall gave us a deeper understanding of how traditional B2B buyers operate, and the everyday friction they face in managing orders, payments, and deliveries. From improving visibility to simplifying financial tracking, every part of the portal was designed with clarity and control in mind.
The learnings from this project continue to shape how we think about building user-friendly tools for complex, service-driven industries.
Lastly, we also added analytics to let businesses keep track of everything from their orders to product trends and delivery performance. Users can view total purchases, sales value, booking and cancellation rates, and see how their activity changes over time.
Working on this project overall gave us a deeper understanding of how traditional B2B buyers operate, and the everyday friction they face in managing orders, payments, and deliveries. From improving visibility to simplifying financial tracking, every part of the portal was designed with clarity and control in mind.
The learnings from this project continue to shape how we think about building user-friendly tools for complex, service-driven industries.
Lastly, we also added analytics to let businesses keep track of everything from their orders to product trends and delivery performance. Users can view total purchases, sales value, booking and cancellation rates, and see how their activity changes over time.
Working on this project overall gave us a deeper understanding of how traditional B2B buyers operate, and the everyday friction they face in managing orders, payments, and deliveries. From improving visibility to simplifying financial tracking, every part of the portal was designed with clarity and control in mind.
The learnings from this project continue to shape how we think about building user-friendly tools for complex, service-driven industries.