Colala Mall — a commission-free marketplace for buyers & sellers in Nigeria

A Lagos-based logistics firm watched their customers — importers from China and Turkey — struggle to actually sell what they shipped in. The big marketplaces felt impersonal, took heavy commissions, and gave sellers no way to talk to buyers. They wanted something Jumia-like in scale, but personal, conversational and commission-free.

We designed and built Colala Mall as a two-app marketplace ecosystem: a dedicated Buyer app and a dedicated Seller app, both on iOS and Android, plus a progressive web app where either side can log in and shop. The business model flips the standard marketplace: no per-sale commission, just a monthly subscription. Buyers and sellers chat directly, browse video-rich product feeds, run their own branded stores, and transact through an in-app Naira wallet.

Colala Mall launched as a full marketplace across Android, iOS and PWA — separate buyer and seller experiences, a social feed, in-app chat, order tracking, wallets, seller leaderboards, and subscription billing — all under one bold crimson identity.