Case study

Upgrading Grain
Trade Discovery Portal

Revamping Tradomatic's outdated bot-based system into a custom PWA portal featuring an interactive trade map, user-generated content, subscriptions, and administrative controls.

Country:

Ukraine

Industry:

Agricultural Technology

Platform:

Web, PWA

Service:

Custom Software

Technology:

Nest JS, PostgreSQL, TypeORM, Next JS, Google Maps, GA4, AWS

Company

Tradomatic is a Ukrainian tech startup in the agricultural sector, specializing in market research and trade analytics for grain producers and buyers.

Since 2019, Tradomatic has aimed to streamline the process of finding offers and traders for agricultural commodities and provide the latest prices, trends, and conditions in local and international markets. The company operates a web-based trade information portal that connects grain buyers and sellers.

Challenges

Tradomatic faced technical challenges in scaling its user base due to unreliable messaging bot systems and inefficient trading request workflows. Despite attempts to improve the product internally, the company failed to meet user needs effectively. This situation forced the company to rethink its GTM approach and explore product development opportunities.

System Crashes

The system utilized mobile messaging bots to update trading information on the portal. However, this bot infrastructure frequently crashed and required constant technical support.

Accessibility Barriers

For end users, the registration process and access to trading information were overly complex, causing barriers to user engagement and platform scalability.

Verification Delays

For the client team, verifying new traders and deals was a manual process, time-consuming and prone to inaccuracies.

Client issues

Objectives

Tradomatic wanted to improve user experiences, operational efficiency, and financial returns. The key objectives included:

Ensure data accuracy

Demand and supply data (such as seller, buyer, stock availability, transportation, price, volumes, etc.) should be accurate and up-to-date.

Increase user base

An effective mechanism should encourage producers, sellers, and traders of agricultural products to register on the platform and actively use it.

Manage trade offers

Tradomatic's staff should be able to analyze existing offers, manage new purchase-sale requests, and moderate user inquiries and feedback.

Manage payments

The platform should feature a subscription system with diverse plans and support for popular payment methods, upgrades, and notifications.

Project Vision

Considering the challenges and objectives, Tradomatic and Freshcode agreed to rebuild the existing bot infrastructure using JavaScript as the main stack, with the following key capabilities:

Progressive Web App

Build a PWA portal customized to the client's needs, with a cost-optimized cloud architecture.

User Journey

Design the user interface and navigation to make the new portal more informative and engaging, thereby attracting new clients and increasing retention rates.

User Contribution

Create a collaborative system that encourages users to submit commodity details themselves, such as prices, volumes, payment terms, and transport options.

Control Panels

Design control panels for users and administrators; users can create and manage content such as company profiles and deals; administrators can interact with user content, manage incoming inquiries, and track payments.

Subscriptions Payments

Integrate subscription plans and payment APIs to provide users access to premium features, automated billing, and renewal processes.

Team Composition

Technical Lead

Develop and oversee the PWA architecture
Mentor developers and conduct code reviews
Address and resolve technical challenges that arise

2 Full-Stack Developers

Build front-end and back-end components
Continuously optimize PWA performance and fix bugs
Manage deployment and maintain system reliability post-launch

Project Manager

Develop the project strategy, action plans, and schedules
Create cost estimates and allocate resources
Maintain team communication and track project progress

Business Analyst

Work closely with the client and analyze requirements
Develop functional and non-functional specifications
Make suggestions for business processes and GTM strategy

UX/UI Designer

Craft visual designs and interactive elements
Create Prototypes for functionality and user engagement
Refine designs based on user feedback and preferences

Results

6,000 New Offers

Following the portal upgrade, Tradomatic saw over 6,000 new grain trading offers—3,000 from buyers and 3,000 from sellers—showcasing its growing appeal and improved functionality.

Interactive Trade Map

The new interactive map allows traders to view buyers, sellers, offers, and contact details across different locations in Europe.

Admin & Trader Panels

In the Administrative dashboard, Tradomatic’s staff can verify incoming applications, manage users, track payments, and more.

In the Client dashboard, traders can manage their profiles, create sale requests, and view buyer/seller details.

Plans and Payments

Traders can switch from a free plan to a few paid subscriptions offering premium features. The platform integrates with payment APIs, and staff can accept payments and manage user subscriptions.