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Develop an App Like Poshmark
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What Secondhand Fashion Brands Must Learn About Developing A Marketplace App Like Poshmark

Sanjay Kidecha,

The trend of shopping for pre-owned and gently used items is growing like a wildfire and nowadays, more people relate to the saying “Make second hand your first choice.” Well, the revolutionary thing is not thrift markets but the rising of buy-sell secondhand clothes mobile apps like Poshmark. Moreover, shoppers are inclined to sustainable fashion and online shopping seems more convenient. 

Besides, such thrift shopping apps let shoppers stretch their budget and shop cool branded apparel which otherwise cost a lot. Not to mention, the return and refund policies allure even more customers. Therefore, it is believed that online thrift marketplace apps will see an uphill demand curve in 2022. 

Overall, shopping from apps like Poshmark offers a unique experience on its own. Also because thrift items are not available in shopping malls like other fast fashion brands. The mounting demand for pre-owned fashion marketplace apps prompts investors and entrepreneurs to invest in developing a marketplace app like Poshmark.

What is Poshmark precisely?

What is Poshmark precisely?

Poshmark is an American online buy-sell secondhand items marketplace. It buys thousands of used and second-hand clothing pieces and sells them at affordable prices to fulfill this demand. Founded in 2011 by Manish Chandara (also CEO), Poshmark has grown ever since and turned into a million-dollar business. Moreover, the leading social marketplace covers a broad spectrum of pre-owned fashion for its audience. 

The plus point, Poshmark offers apparel from a whopping 9000 brands at lower prices than retail. And that has doubled its revenue from 1$ billion to $2 billion in 2019, telling a loud story of Poshmark’s success. 

If you are in awe of a second-hand clothing app idea and want to create a marketplace app like Poshmark, you must analyze its business model to build a similar app of your own. 

How does Poshmark work?

How does Poshmark work? 

Poshmark marketplace deals in second-hand fashion, accessories, and luxury goods. In the Poshmark app, users can find clothes of every range, from middle-market to high-end fashion brands to luxury couture. 

Buying and selling clothes on Poshmark isn’t much of a hassle. Here’s how Poshmark operates- 

Listing items for sale 

Listing the items for sale in Poshmark is relatively easy. Click a photo of the item you want to sell with your phone, fill in the details, set a price, and boom, you are done. 

Attend a posh party 

Posh Parties are the virtual buying and selling events that take place on the app. You can browse, list, and shop products at posh parties. Because of the wide variety of products, there’s something for everyone at these parties. 

One-stop shipping 

After the buyer orders a product, the shipping takes place. Poshmark allows hassle-free shipping and ensures timely delivery of the product.

Excited to develop an app like Poshmark of your own? 

If you cannot wait to develop a marketplace app for buying and selling secondhand clothes like Poshmark, we will simplify the app development process for you. So, you will be ready for building a successful marketplace app. 

Let us see how you can create an app like Poshmark step-by-step. 

Step 1: Analyzing the market and setting the goal 

It’s important to understand what’s happening in the market before stepping into it. Analyzing the market will not just help you understand the competition but also help you with finding the gaps in the existing apps.

 Conducting market research will help you understand the market trends and thus, you come up with some new and creative ideas. 

Step 2: Choose the right platform 

Now, carefully choose an app development platform for developing the marketplace app like Poshmark. Choosing the right platform will have long-term effects on the app’s overall performance. 

The best available platform options are Android and iOS. You can go for one of these two or even a hybrid platform as per your requirements. You can also choose the right platform by researching your market and finding out what works the best for your targeted audience. 

Step 3: Make a marketplace app like Poshmark with robust features 

After choosing the right mobile app development company, you need the best features set in the app. Here are the must-have features of a marketplace app like Poshmark- 

  • User authorization 

Marketplaces like Poshmark require user authorization to log in. Users can log in with their existing social media accounts like Google and Facebook to sign up on the platform. 

  • Seller page 

A marketplace like Poshmark has a seller page that provides the buyers with information about the sellers like recent comments, brands they follow, average shipping time, and start date on the marketplace. 

  • Item search 

This feature allows the shoppers to choose items they are looking for with the help of product filtering and simple product cards. Poshmark also has an advanced search option that helps users easily get on their product page. 

  • Product review 

This is one of the key features of an app like Poshmark. The reviews posted by the previous customers will help the buyers understand the product, its quality, and its performance. This will also help in reducing product returns. 

  • Secure payments

Secure payments are a must-have feature for any website or app. Similarly, comfortable payment gateways are an essential feature in a marketplace app like Poshmark. When the users feel secure while making payments, they shop next time. 

Step 4: Mobile app design and development 

This step probably requires maximum research and care. A good app design is a critical part of overall app development. An attractive app design is the first thing users will notice in the app and therefore, the design has to be engaging.  

To create a beautiful design, practicing wireframing and prototyping is inevitable. You can check if your app is interactive by turning the wireframes into a prototype. 

Meanwhile, the developers should carry out backend development with all the basic and advanced features which ensure quality and scream success. 

Step 5: Quality assurance and launch 

One cannot underestimate the role of quality assurance in mobile app development. The app might have some flaws and errors, and testing makes sure to rectify those errors before the app goes live. 

Once the QA tests and the developers rectify the errors, the app is ready to be launched in the market. After launching the app, the users can download and use the app. 

estimated cost to develop an app like Poshmark

What is the estimated cost to develop an app like Poshmark?

Everyone thinks about their budget while developing an app. The marketplace app development cost depends on a number of factors such as the project size, unique features, complexity of functionalities, development rates of developers, third-party plugins and add-ons, and other project requirements. 

You must be aware that the mobile app developers charge hourly and these charges vary in different countries. You can consider hiring a mobile app development company from India where expertise is higher and the cost is affordable. Indian developers charge between $15,000 to $ 30,000 for developing an app like Poshmark. 

On top of that, to cut the cost to some extent, you can develop an MVP first, test the market and attract potential investors. This will help you grow steadily by cutting down the costs. 

Putting it all together 

We hope this detailed blog helped you understand the business model for Poshmark, its features, and the development process clearly. If you have a budding idea of developing an app similar to Poshmark, you can share it with us. We will help you take it further. Our team will identify your core requirements, create a thriving marketplace app like Poshmark and help you reach your target audience to gain more traffic and better conversation. 

Feel free to contact us and share your ideas because ideas can change the world.

Sanjay Kidecha

Sanjay Kidecha is the Chief Finance Officer at Kody Technolab and a Fintech geek. With one foot in finance and the other in tech, Sanjay likes to write on emerging Fintech trends, ideas, and how-to guides to keep industry leaders updated with the ever-changing world of fintech!

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