How I helped redesign the MVP of a B2B restaurant-vendor marketplace
Guilla Marketplace
B2B Desktop Web Dashoard & Portal | ShippedUX, UI, service and content design for B2B web-based dashboard THE CHALLENGE
The restaurant supply chain remains stuck in the past, with most establishments managing their vendor relationships through a fragmented mix of phone calls, emails, and text messages. Restaurant owners and chefs spend countless hours managing orders across 10-15 different suppliers, while struggling to optimize costs and maintain efficient inventory levels. Meanwhile, suppliers face their own challenges in reaching new customers and streamlining their operations. This inefficient system costs the industry billions in lost productivity and missed opportunities.
THE OPPORTUNITY
With the US restaurant supply chain market valued at approximately $300 billion annually, there's immense potential for digital transformation. Our research identified that independent restaurants and small/medium chains (roughly 350,000 establishments) along with their suppliers (approximately 50,000 businesses) represent a serviceable market of $150 billion. By targeting major metropolitan areas initially, we projected capturing a serviceable obtainable market of $2 billion in the first year through onboarding 5,000 restaurants and 500 suppliers.
Guilla is a dual-sided marketplace platform that bridges the gap between restaurants and suppliers. For restaurants, we created an intuitive interface that centralizes all supplier interactions, streamlines ordering, and provides powerful tools for inventory management and menu costing. The supplier side offers comprehensive order management, customer relationship tools, and performance analytics. The platform's clean, professional design emphasizes efficiency, requiring minimal clicks for common tasks while providing deep insights through data visualization.
DESIGN PROCESS
We approached the design with three core principles: efficiency first, data-driven decisions, and scalability. The solution was built in phases, starting with essential marketplace functionality and gradually introducing more sophisticated features like advanced analytics and menu optimization tools.
PRODUCT OUTCOMES
Early projections indicate that Guilla could reduce order processing time by 40% and decrease inventory management effort by 25%. Restaurants are expected to achieve 15% cost savings through better price comparison, while suppliers benefit from expanded customer reach and improved demand forecasting. The platform's success has opened opportunities for future enhancements, including POS system integration, AI-powered inventory management, and mobile app development.
This project demonstrates how thoughtful digital solutions can transform traditional industries, creating value for all stakeholders while solving complex operational challenges. The key to success lay in deeply understanding both sides of the marketplace and creating a platform that was both powerful and intuitive to use.