Apiiz is an advanced B2B platform that connects billboard companies with advertisers and businesses. Through Apiiz, any business, whether large or small, can promote itself and create campaigns anytime, anywhere. Our user-friendly interface helps users find the exact campaign and billboard they need using filters and other smart tools. The platform enables billboard companies to increase their earnings and prevent potential losses with our unique features.
Project Objective
The goal of this project is to create a learning environment that feels just like working at a real startup. Additionally, it provides professional skills such as working with PRDs and the ability to convert materials for development.
How Did It All Start?
It all began with a Facebook post by Dan, a UX UI product designer, discussing the creation of a unique project that simulates a startup. After an introductory meeting, I joined the carefully selected design and development team for the Apiiz platform. This is how I had the opportunity to be part of this unique project.
Pain Points
Lack of Global Reach
Time-Consuming Process
Diverse Quality Standards
Missed Advertising Opportunities
High Costs and Lack of Knowledge
Buyer Side
Today, many companies and businesses struggle to advertise themselves and reach their desired target audience. Unlike large companies that have the logistical and financial capacity to advertise everywhere, small and medium-sized businesses find it challenging to find an efficient, low-budget solution to this problem, often leading to losses. Without the right tools, the logistics behind outdoor advertising can be daunting and cumbersome.
Apiiz addresses these issues by providing an accessible and user-friendly interface that can be used anytime, anywhere. Apiiz offers a vast array of billboards, emphasizing customization to fit budget, location, and target audience.
Seller Side
Billboard companies often work with a fixed client base and find it challenging to expand it. Additionally, these companies lose money on days when there are no active campaigns, even if it's just a few days. Another issue is the lack of trust between advertisers and billboard companies, which results in prolonged campaign negotiations, and as we know, time is money.
Apiiz is an international online platform, allowing it to reach a vast customer base. Moreover, it features tools focused on user trust, enabling shorter campaign closing times and streamlining the process with both new and existing clients.
Research and Competitors
In our research, we identified our competitors as billboard companies, TV advertising companies, and social media platforms, from which we drew inspiration for building our UX.
Additionally, we implemented UX solutions for various screens by studying existing interfaces such as Airbnb, Yad2, and Booking.
Apiiz's Business Model
The business model for Apiiz is inspired by successful companies like Fiverr, Airbnb, and Booking. These companies rely on user commissions; for example, Fiverr charges freelancers a commission on every service sold on the platform, Airbnb takes a percentage from each booking, and Booking charges a fee for every completed reservation. Similarly, Apiiz will charge a commission on every campaign purchased through the platform.
Research
Market Analysis and Outdoor Advertising Qualitative Data Interviews
Our project was born out of a dual market demand.
On one hand, there's a growing need for practical work experience, especially for aspiring professionals in design, development, product management, and quality assurance testing.
However, this need is met with a shortage of companies willing to hire junior talent, creating a significant gap in these roles' integration into the high-tech industry.
Through our project, we provide a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience, both individually and as part of a team, closely simulating real-world employment dynamics.
Our operational style and organizational structure mirror that of a young startup or a small product company.
Essentially, our project equips participants with the readiness they need to enter the job market successfully.
Understanding Of The Key Outdoor Advertising Roles
Our research revealed distinct roles within the physical advertising market.
We identified three key players:
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companies seeking to advertise.
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those specializing in selling advertising real estate spaces for outdoor signage.
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and advertising agencies acting as intermediaries.
By understanding these dynamics, we gained valuable insights into each segment's diverse needs and pain points.
Additionally, our market analysis allowed us to identify competitors and potential collaborators, positioning us to offer a unique and tailored solution within this multifaceted industry.
Tailoring for Varied Preferences
Furthermore, our research unveiled a striking disparity in the outdoor advertising landscape.
We observed that both small and large companies engage in outdoor billboard advertising, but the divergence lies in several crucial factors.
These disparities encompass the location of advertisements, the variety of sign types employed, and the campaign-specific attributes.
Differences are noticeable in terms of sign dimensions, the number of signs within each campaign, advertising timeframes, and geographical coverage.
Understanding these variations in the preferences and strategies of advertisers allowed us to tailor our platform to accommodate the diverse needs of businesses across the spectrum.
(Seller side)
Billboard Addition Process
To guide users to the right billboard, we designed a process for adding billboards to the platform that emphasizes the type of billboard (digital or printed) and the general location (the nature of the area where it is located). This process is divided into several steps to ensure detailed and precise characterization.
Smart Billboard Pricing
To increase the chances of purchase, we allowed the seller to define several promotions for extended or specific campaign days and to set the discount percentage or amount they desire. Additionally, inspired by Airbnb, we added a "New Billboard on the Platform" feature, where the seller can choose to offer a discount to the first three buyers.
Detailed Billboard Description
To maximize the advertisement of the billboard on the platform, we added a description feature using location tags—for example, indicating that the billboard is located near a kindergarten or a convenience store. This information helps users understand the potential target audience and purchase a campaign that suits their business.
Product Page - Billboard
On the product page, it was important for us to instill confidence in our users to enable a quick and secure purchase. Therefore, we added features such as a reviews section, information about the campaign advertiser’s profile, cancellation policies, and even the nature of the billboard—for example, indicating if the billboard is marked as "lowest price."
Marketplace Page
On the marketplace page, it was important for us to create thoughtful and convenient filtering steps—from location, budget, and dates to advanced filtering (general location, price from low to high, billboards on sale, and more). Additionally, we included a "fillers" feature that allows billboard companies to maximize profits by selling discounted campaigns during times when the billboard is vacant between already purchased campaigns.
Colors choice
The design language is clean with a youthful edge, using primary colors of magenta and a gradient of pink and orange. Apiiz values innovation, efficiency, reliability, and accessibility. The color combination symbolizes innovative energy, blending modern and traditional approaches. Orange represents optimistic efficiency and trust, while light pink adds softness and accessibility in subtle app touches. The gradient highlights exciting moments, such as uploading a sign or ordering a campaign.
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