Trade's up

TradesUp is a commission-free marketplace that helps tradies promote their services and receive direct job requests from customers across New Zealand. The platform was built to solve major industry pain points: difficulty finding trusted professionals, slow communication, limited transparency, and heavy reliance on middlemen.

To address these challenges, we focused on strong verification, direct messaging, simplified workflows and a mobile-first experience. Features like real-time chat, location-based search, subscription management, Stripe payments and fast quoting were developed to keep both tradies and customers engaged. A scalable backend, secure APIs, and continuous testing ensured the system remained reliable as the user base grew.

From discovery to launch, the product was shaped through real-world research and iterative testing with tradies and homeowners. The result is a streamlined platform that speeds up hiring, reduces admin, and empowers small businesses to grow without paying commissions. TradesUp now delivers a modern, transparent and trustworthy hiring experience the kind of tool users rely on daily, not just another directory.

To address the supply–demand imbalance, Trades Up can implement targeted onboarding campaigns for tradies in regions with low coverage and offer incentives such as discounted starter plans or added visibility. Strengthening verification through ID checks, license validation, and a transparent rating system helps build user confidence and reduces risk. Providing easy to use tools like job alerts, profile analytics, and quick quoting can keep tradies active and responsive, improving the overall experience for customers.

To drive user adoption and stand out in a competitive market, Trades Up can highlight its commission-free model and direct communication benefits through focused marketing and partnerships with local trade groups. Enhancing the customer experience with fast search, real-time chat, and photo/video uploads simplifies the hiring process. Implementing clear dispute resolution guidelines, secure payment options in future phases, and performance monitoring ensures trust and quality on both sides.

Additionally, maintaining a robust technical foundation scalable infrastructure, reliable notifications, and continuous app improvements ensures smooth operation as the user base grows. Regular feedback loops with both customers and tradies can help refine features, strengthen engagement, and increase long-term retention.

Payments are also integrated through Stripe, allowing businesses to collect subscription fees directly through the platform.

Before writing a single feature, we immersed ourselves in how tradies and customers actually connected in the real world. We mapped the pain points on both sides: customers struggling to find trusted tradies quickly, tradies losing work to middlemen or slow quoting processes, and both groups facing unnecessary delays in communication. These insights shaped the foundation of a platform built for real, day to day use fast, direct, and transparent.

Our design team crafted a mobile-first experience that mirrored how tradies operate on the go. Profiles were simplified, job requests became quick to send, and messaging was designed to feel immediate and intuitive. After validating the flow with sample users, our development team brought the system to life across web, Android, and iOS, integrating location-based search, real-time chat, subscription management, and secure data handling.

The platform went through multiple refinement cycles, testing each feature with actual tradies and homeowners to ensure the experience felt natural and practical. Through continuous feedback, we fine-tuned performance, added clarity to job workflows, and strengthened reliability. The result is a streamlined, commission-free marketplace that empowers tradies to grow their business while giving customers a faster, more trustworthy way to get the job done.

TradesUp transforms the fragmented and inefficient process of finding and hiring tradies into one seamless, modern experience. Customers can now connect directly with verified professionals within minutes, while tradies gain a reliable, commission-free channel to grow their business. Communication is faster, job requests are clearer, and the entire workflow becomes far more transparent for both sides.

The platform removes unnecessary middlemen and admin, allowing tradies to focus on their work instead of paperwork or chasing leads. Customers benefit from consistent, trustworthy interactions and quicker turnaround times, ultimately leading to better project outcomes. With its intuitive flow and mobile-first design, onboarding new users whether tradies or homeowners becomes effortless.

Trades Up is the kind of platform that integrates into everyday working routines, not just another listing site. It empowers small businesses, strengthens customer trust, and elevates the entire trades hiring experience across New Zealand.

This is the kind of product that becomes part of someone’s daily toolkit, not just another piece of software.

TradesUp is a powerful example of how a clearly focused platform can transform a traditional service industry. By blending intuitive design with solid engineering, it removes the middlemen, reduces delays, and makes it easier for both tradies and customers to connect with confidence. What was once a slow, fragmented process becomes simple, direct, and transparent.

The app stands out because it solves a real, everyday problem helping tradies grow their business while giving customers a faster and more trustworthy way to get work done. With clean user flows, real-time communication, and a commission-free model, the experience feels smarter, fairer, and built for modern expectations.

This is what impactful platform design looks like: clarity, efficiency, and a solution that genuinely improves how people work and hire in the trades industry.