A comprehensive platform connecting retailers, wholesalers, and delivery drivers—transforming wholesale purchasing from a 5-hour ordeal into a 15-minute experience.
Project Overview
Small retail shop owners in the United Kingdom—particularly convenience stores, off-licenses, and independent retailers—struggle to find the best wholesale prices for their inventory. With multiple wholesalers offering different prices and deals, shop owners waste hours comparing prices manually, often missing better deals that could improve their profit margins.
Additionally, wholesalers lack efficient delivery solutions, and independent drivers have no centralized platform to find delivery opportunities—creating a fragmented and inefficient last-mile delivery ecosystem.
Retailers spend 4-5 hours weekly calling suppliers to compare prices. Delivery is unreliable and expensive. Drivers struggle to find consistent work.
An integrated ecosystem with price comparison, order management, and a dedicated driver app that connects all parties seamlessly.
95% task completion rate in usability testing. 500+ potential users surveyed. 12 critical pain points addressed across both user groups.
Research Phase
I conducted comprehensive research to understand the wholesale purchasing landscape and delivery ecosystem for small retailers in the United Kingdom. The research combined multiple methodologies to gain deep insights into the needs of both retailers and delivery drivers.
Observed shop owners during ordering and drivers during deliveries in their natural environment
15 retailer interviews + 8 driver interviews (45-60 min each) with detailed transcription
500+ retailers and 100+ drivers surveyed to validate findings at scale
Affinity mapping, journey mapping, and persona development
Location: United Kingdom
Business Types: Convenience stores (45%), Off-licenses (30%), Small supermarkets (15%), Specialty retail (10%)
Background: Predominantly Asian retail shop owners (Indian and Sri Lankan communities)
Tech Proficiency: Low to Medium
Type: Self-employed delivery drivers and part-time workers
Vehicles: Vans (60%), Cars (30%), Motorcycles (10%)
Experience: 2-10 years in delivery/logistics
Tech Proficiency: Medium to High
Market Research
I analyzed existing solutions in the B2B wholesale and delivery space to identify gaps and opportunities for differentiation.
None of the existing platforms allow retailers to compare prices across multiple wholesalers in real-time.
Fixed delivery windows don't accommodate the unpredictable schedules of small shop owners.
Retailers must use multiple platforms, make phone calls, and visit cash & carry locations separately.
No dedicated platform exists for independent drivers to find wholesale delivery opportunities.
Research Synthesis
After conducting interviews and surveys, I organized 200+ data points into themes using affinity mapping to identify key patterns and insights.
Price transparency is the #1 need. 87% of retailers want to see all costs upfront including delivery before making a purchase decision.
Time savings drive adoption. Retailers would pay a premium for a service that reduces their weekly ordering time from hours to minutes.
Flexible delivery is essential. 73% of retailers cited inflexible delivery as their biggest frustration with current suppliers.
User Journey Mapping
To understand the full extent of the problem, I mapped out the current ordering journey for Rajesh, our primary persona. This revealed significant pain points and opportunities for improvement.
Checks current stock levels while opening shop. Realizes cigarette stock low, needs urgent order. Also needs to reorder soft drinks, snacks, dairy. Starts making a handwritten list between serving early customers.
Calls Supplier A for cigarette prices. Put on hold for 15 minutes. Gets prices, writes notes on paper. Calls Supplier B for comparison. Different person answers, needs to explain again. Prices quoted are for different pack sizes—confusing.
Opens 3 different supplier websites. Each has different layout and search. Can't find some products easily. Delivery charges not shown until checkout. Minimum order requirements unclear.
Compares handwritten notes. Some prices are per case, some per unit—confusing. Realizes forgot to ask about delivery dates. Worried about missing better deals elsewhere.
Calls back suppliers to place orders. Phone lines busy, waits on hold again. Places orders but uncertain if got best prices. No confirmation email, just verbal agreement.
Total Time Spent: 4-5 hours
Confidence Level: Low — "Did I get the best deal?"
| Metric | Current State | With WholesaleHub | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time Spent | 4-5 hours | 15 minutes | 95% reduction |
| Confidence Level | Low ("Did I get best deal?") | High ("I know I got best prices") | Significant improvement |
| Delivery Flexibility | Fixed time windows only | Flexible, on-demand options | 100% improvement |
| Order Confirmation | Verbal only | Instant email + tracking | Full visibility |
User Personas
Based on research with 15+ shop owners and 8+ drivers across the United Kingdom, I created detailed personas representing both user groups. These personas guided every design decision throughout the project.
Rajesh owns a convenience store in Birmingham that he runs with his wife. He took over the shop 8 years ago and employs 2 part-time staff. The shop is open 7am-10pm daily.
Checks wholesale prices twice weekly • Orders from 4-5 regular suppliers • Prefers mobile phone for quick tasks • Speaks Gujarati at home and English at work • Very price-sensitive
Priya runs a busy off-license in East London. She manages the shop alone during weekdays, with her husband helping on weekends. They've owned the business for 5 years.
Orders weekly • Uses 3-4 core suppliers • Active on social media • High tech savviness • Bilingual (English/Sinhala) • Makes quick decisions
James is a self-employed delivery driver who owns a Ford Transit van. He previously worked for a courier company but now prefers the flexibility of being his own boss. He's tech-savvy and uses multiple apps to find delivery work.
Works 6 days a week • Uses 3-4 delivery apps currently • Checks phone constantly for jobs • Prefers routes in familiar areas • Values customer ratings
Design Phase
Starting with paper sketches and moving to digital wireframes, I explored multiple layout options for key screens. The focus was on information hierarchy and user flow before adding visual polish.
Search bar, stats cards, quick actions, and recent orders
Product info with supplier cards showing prices and "Best Value" highlight
Items grouped by supplier with order summary and checkout button
Status toggle, earnings stats, and available deliveries
Map view, delivery details, navigation and contact buttons
Weekly earnings summary with delivery history list
Visual Design
The visual design emphasizes clarity, trust, and ease of use. I developed a comprehensive design system with consistent colors, typography, and components that scale seamlessly from mobile to desktop.
Click to explore fully functional prototypes
WholesaleHub Platform
View Prototype →Driver Hub App
View Prototype →I created a comprehensive design system to ensure consistency across both applications. The system includes color tokens, typography scales, spacing units, and reusable components documented in Figma.
Primary Colors
Primary Blue
#2563eb
Actions, CTAs
Success Green
#10b981
Best value, Driver
Warning Amber
#f59e0b
Low stock, Pending
Error Red
#ef4444
Errors, Delete
Accent Purple
#8b5cf6
Highlights
Neutral Colors
Gray 900
#0f172a
Gray 800
#1e293b
Gray 700
#334155
Gray 500
#64748b
Gray 400
#94a3b8
Gray 200
#e2e8f0
Gray 100
#f1f5f9
White
#ffffff
Display
WholesaleHub
48px / 700
Heading 1
Page Title
32px / 700
Heading 2
Section Header
24px / 600
Heading 3
Card Title
18px / 600
Body
Regular paragraph text for descriptions and content.
16px / 400
Small
Secondary text, labels, and captions
14px / 400
Caption
OVERLINE TEXT
12px / 500
4px
xs
8px
sm
12px
md
16px
lg
24px
xl
32px
2xl
48px
3xl
64px
4xl
Reusable components designed for consistency and scalability
Buttons
Form Elements
Cards
Product Name
Category
Corner Shop Ltd
8.2 miles • 3 items
Today's Earnings
£67.25
Badges & Status Indicators
Icon Set (24x24)
Search
Cart
User
Package
Truck
Location
Clock
Check
Star
Validation
I conducted usability testing with 15 retailers and 8 drivers to validate design decisions and identify areas for improvement before development.
Recruited participants matching our personas from local shops and driver networks
Defined 5 key tasks per app based on primary user journeys
45-minute sessions with think-aloud protocol and screen recording
Affinity mapped feedback and prioritized issues by severity
"Best Value" badge was immediately understood by all users. Multi-supplier cart grouping reduced confusion. Online/offline toggle gave drivers sense of control.
Added confirmation modal before checkout. Increased touch target sizes for buttons. Added "Total including delivery" to cart summary. Simplified navigation icons.
Voice search for hands-free product lookup. Route optimization for multi-stop deliveries. Offline mode for poor connectivity areas.
"This would save me hours every week!" — Retailer participant. "Finally, an app that shows me exactly what I'll earn." — Driver participant.
Impact & Results
Usability testing validated our design decisions and revealed strong task completion rates and user satisfaction across both applications.
The "Best Value" badge became the most praised feature—a simple visual solution to a complex comparison problem. Users trusted it immediately.
Designing for two distinct user groups required careful balance. The ecosystem approach created synergy but doubled the design complexity.
Development phase begins Q1 2025. Pilot launch planned with 50 retailers and 20 drivers across the UK to validate real-world performance.