ONLINE MARKETPLACE

The procurement of motor-vehicle spare parts through traditional physical markets presents challenges such as difficulty in identifying compatible parts, lack of price transparency, geographic and time constraints, and absence of centralized vendor platforms. This study focused on the design and development of a web-based online marketplace for motor-vehicle spare parts to address these limitations by providing a centralized, secure, and user-friendly platform connecting vendors and customers. The research adopted the Agile methodology using the Scrum framework and implemented a layered system architecture consisting of presentation, application, data access, and data storage layers. The system was developed using PHP for server-side processing, MySQL for database management, and HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and the Bootstrap framework for responsive user interface design. Selected spare-parts markets in Benin City, Edo State—Evbareke Market, Uwelu Market, and Igun Market were used as case studies to understand vendor operations and customer needs. The study objectives included designing a marketplace that supports product listing and searching based on vehicle make and model, implementing secure user authentication for buyers and vendors, enabling price comparison and vendor rating features, and testing the system to ensure reliable operation. The implemented system successfully delivered a functional multi-vendor marketplace with advanced search and filtering, vehicle compatibility matching, secure shopping cart and checkout processes, order management, inventory control, and role-based access control. Results demonstrated that the system effectively addresses problems associated with traditional spare- parts procurement by improving accessibility, transparency, and efficiency. Challenges such as database optimization, security implementation, responsive design, and system integration were encountered and resolved. The study concludes that web-based marketplace technologies can effectively transform spare-parts trading and support digital transformation in the automotive industry.

This research presents the design, development, and implementation of a hybrid online marketplace tailored to the needs of local communities in Nigeria. The platform is developed to bridge the gap between informal local trade and modern digital commerce, providing a flexible solution that integrates both online and offline transaction models. It empowers users— particularly students, artisans, and micro-entrepreneurs—to list, promote, and sell goods while buyers can browse, compare, and purchase items within their geographical areas. The system was built using ReactJS for the frontend, Firebase for backend and real-time database operations, and integrated with payment gateways such as Paystack and Flutterwave for secure transactions. Core features include user registration, product upload, search and filter tools, messaging, hybrid payment options, and an admin dashboard for moderation and analytics