ARCBAZAR: THE WORLD’S LARGEST CREATIVE MARKETPLACE FOR ARCHITECTS AND DESIGNERS
About the Client
CHALLENGE
Needed to improve a custom online designer marketplace
When Arcbazar partnered with Greenice, the marketplace was already
live but facing growing technical and business limitations.
During pre-development analysis, we identified several key challenges:
- The platform was built using a mix of Yii1 and a custom framework, resulting in tangled code that slowed down development and increased maintenance costs
- The business aimed to scale internationally, but the platform lacked localization and multi-currency support
- Many clients abandoned projects during contest creation because they were unsure how to set appropriate award amounts
SOLUTION
Our team modernized and expanded the existing marketplace by refactoring the codebase, introducing internationalization features, improving search and payments, and adding intelligent pricing recommendations.
The result was a faster, more scalable platform that supports global users and encourages higher project completion rates and engagement.
Our role in the project:
Refactoring
Localization and other new features
Award Suggestion Mechanism (AI)
Refactoring
We unified the codebase by converting all components to Yii1, significantly improving system structure and maintainability.
To enhance security and performance, we also separated application, database, and storage servers using AWS EC2 infrastructure. This improved fault tolerance, scalability, and data protection while allowing faster deployment of new features.
Localization and other new features
- Multilingual support for 10 languages
- Multi-currency payments across 13 currencies
This allowed Arcbazar to attract both clients and designers from multiple regions.
We also introduced several engagement and monetization features:
Tagging feature
Payments and designer withdrawals
Advanced search with Elasticsearch
Follow feature
Competition Wall
Designer rating system
Award Suggestion Mechanism (AI)
When posting contests, clients must choose an award amount, a step that often caused uncertainty and led to project abandonment. Setting awards too low discouraged designer participation, while overly high awards reduced platform efficiency.
We first implemented a rule-based award recommendation system based on project type and complexity. Later, we enhanced it using machine learning.
The AI-driven model analyzes more than 1,500 completed competitions and continuously learns from new projects. It also uses natural language processing to understand project descriptions and adjust pricing recommendations accordingly.
As a result, clients receive realistic pricing guidance, designers are more likely to participate, and overall contest success rates increase.
ACHIEVEMENTS
The Largest Global Crowdsourcing Marketplace for Architects
According to Wikipedia, Arcbazar is recognized as the first and largest global marketplace for crowdsourced architecture projects, enabling clients to receive multiple design solutions faster and at lower cost.
Obama Presidential Center and Library Competition
Arcbazar hosted design competitions related to the Obama Presidential Center and Library, demonstrating the platform’s ability to support high-profile, large-scale projects.
Google for Startups
In 2019, Arcbazar was selected among 100 companies to participate in Google’s Brand Accelerator Program, providing additional validation of the platform’s innovation and growth potential.
BENEFITS FOR THE CLIENT
During this time:
- The number of design competitions on the platform nearly doubled
- Average award size increased from $760 in 2015 to $1,015 in 2020
- Platform stability and scalability improved significantly
- International user adoption increased through localization and payment support
TECHNOLOGIES
Client Name
Arcbazar
Company Size:
Fewer than 10 employees
Founded:
2010
Location:
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Industry:
Architecture, Design, Competition, Crowdsourcing, Remodeling, Home Improvement
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