Extraordinary experiences for good.

IfOnly is an online marketplace to buy and sell extraordinary, one-of-a kind experiences. 

Challenge

Build a scalable marketplace that enables up-and-coming luminaries in their field to join IfOnly's talent network and offer unique experiences to the company's loyal clientele. Expand IfOnly's availability calendar and booking systems to support marketplace evolution.

Solutions

1. Mobilize

To meet the needs of aspiring on-the-go luminaries, mobile tools were essential. Evangelizing responsive design throughout the company helped us optimize the site for mobile use. I also defined and launched IfOnly's first iOS and Android apps.

2. Provide structured communication 

To ensure IfOnly marketplace luminaries fulfill experiences that exceed expectations with minimal supervision, I defined a structured communication system. To automate communication between IfOnly and luminaries, I defined a simple To-Do List that sends notifications when fulfillment tasks must be complete. Each task needed to complete a booked experience- from confirming schedules and locations, to creating and sending beautiful, personalized itineraries for each guest- was distilled and built into the system. To improve communication between customers, luminaries and IfOnly, I designed a secure omni-channel messaging system that allows for the company to be alerted to requests that have gone unanswered in case IfOnly Concierge needed to step in to close the communication loop.

3. Enable plans to change

Customers and luminaries need to modify orders post-purchase, so I defined an order modification system that allows luminaries and customers to request and negotiate changes to booked experiences. Granted requests that deal with schedule or duration automatically update the availability calendar. Granted requests that require payment such as additional guests, increased duration or add-ons automatically charge the customer. 

4. Facilitate discovery of a growing marketplace

As the IfOnly marketplace grew, we needed to provide an experience to help our customers discover new experience categories at different price points across multiple cities. User research taught us that grouping inventory into Interests, Activities & Occasions, and Destinations encouraged serendipitous discovery and increased conversion.

Outcome

The vendor workflow system launched, including tools for marketplace fulfillment, on-boarding, order management, customer service, and payouts, enabled the company to successfully manage a 300%+ annual growth rate in orders.

Reception