Overview
Venzaar is a Turkey-based B2B and B2C vendor discovery platform in the events domain, connecting people planning events with businesses providing event services.
The platform brings vendors across categories such as venues, photography, catering, decoration and entertainment into a single marketplace. Customers can discover, evaluate and connect with suitable providers, while vendors can showcase their services, manage their presence and connect with potential clients.
I worked on shaping the product experience from an early-stage concept, focusing on product strategy, UX research, marketplace structure and end-to-end UX/UI design. The goal was to create a scalable two-sided marketplace that simplified vendor discovery while supporting businesses in presenting and growing their services through the platform.
Making vendor discovery less fragmented
Planning an event often meant moving between social media, search results, recommendations and direct messages to find suitable vendors. Information such as services, pricing, availability, previous work and reviews was often inconsistent or scattered, making options difficult to evaluate.
The problem existed on the vendor side too. Businesses needed to present different services and packages clearly, while incomplete or unstructured enquiries made it harder to understand customer requirements and respond with relevant quotes.
For Venzaar, the opportunity was therefore not simply to create another vendor directory, but to build a marketplace that could improve how customers evaluate providers and how vendors receive potential business.
The Product Challenge
How could Venzaar create a more structured connection between people planning events and the businesses providing them?
Research & Key Insights
Understanding what drives vendor decisions
I explored how people discover, evaluate and contact event vendors, focusing on the points where confidence dropped or additional effort was required.
The research showed that finding vendors wasn't necessarily the hardest part , evaluating whether they were the right fit was. Inconsistent information, unclear availability and differences in responsiveness made comparison difficult and often pushed users into multiple enquiries before they could make a decision.
Users considered multiple vendors
Most participants explored several vendors before making a decision, showing that vendor selection was naturally a comparative process.
Comparison was part of decision-making
Users showed a clear preference for shortlisting and comparing vendors, rather than evaluating each option independently.
Finding the right vendor required time
Vendor selection could extend across multiple hours, sessions or even days, indicating friction in narrowing down suitable options.
Vendor search was a relevant, active behaviour
A majority of participants had recently searched for event vendors, grounding the research in real and recent decision-making experiences.
Key Insight
The opportunity wasn't simply to help users find vendors , it was to make evaluating and narrowing down the right options easier.
Defining the Product Direction
Turning research signals into product priorities
The research showed that vendor discovery was only the beginning of the journey. Users typically considered multiple options before deciding, making evaluation and comparison a central part of the experience.
This shifted the product direction beyond simply helping users browse vendors. Venzaar needed to support the steps between finding an option and narrowing down the right one , allowing users to explore broadly, save promising vendors and compare alternatives without repeatedly moving between disconnected searches.
The product direction therefore focused on creating a more connected decision-making journey, where discovery could progressively lead towards evaluation and action.
Product Direction
Discover → Evaluate → Shortlist → Compare → Connect
Key Product Decisions
With the product direction established, I focused on the interactions that would help users move more easily from exploration to evaluation and enquiry.
Compare Before Committing
Users could compare selected vendors side by side, bringing key information together without repeatedly moving between individual profiles.
Make Trust Visible
Verified profiles, ratings, previous work and clear vendor information were surfaced to help users assess credibility before making contact.
Support Shortlisting
Users could save promising vendors and return to them later, supporting a decision process that often involved considering multiple options.
Keep Communication Flexible
Chat, quote requests and WhatsApp provided different ways to move from evaluating a vendor into an actual conversation.
Product Principle
Make it easier to move from exploring options to choosing who to contact.
Final Experience & Key Features
Bringing the marketplace together
The final experience brings the core Venzaar journeys together across vendor discovery, profiles, comparison, shortlisting and enquiry.
Outcomes
Establishing the foundation for a two-sided event marketplace
Venzaar progressed from an early-stage concept into a defined marketplace experience, with the core customer and vendor journeys, product structure, and key interactions established for development.
Key Outcomes
Defined the core marketplace journey
Established a connected flow from vendor discovery and evaluation through to enquiry.
Supported considered decision-making
Shortlisting and comparison were built into the experience to support users evaluating multiple vendors.
Created value for both sides of the marketplace
Balanced customer discovery needs with clearer ways for vendors to present their services and receive inquiries.
Built for marketplace growth
Created a product structure capable of supporting additional vendor categories and services as Venzaar expands.
Current Status
Venzaar is currently in development, with the core product experience defined and moving towards implementation.
