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NextbookIt: A P2P Book Selling Marketplace for College Students
Technology Category
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms
Applicable Industries
- Cement
Applicable Functions
- Procurement
Use Cases
- Smart Campus
Services
- Training
The Challenge
NextbookIt, a peer-to-peer (P2P) book selling marketplace, was created with the aim of empowering college students to buy and sell books with their peers across the country. The platform was initially hand-coded, but the team faced numerous technical issues. The situation was further complicated when the programmer left the company, leaving CEO and Co-Founder Deric McCurry to seek a more efficient and scalable solution. McCurry, who did not have formal programming training, was initially hesitant about the limitations of no-code platforms, having had experience with WordPress.
About The Customer
NextbookIt is designed specifically for college students. To sign up, users must have an active .edu email account, ensuring that the platform remains exclusive to this demographic. The platform allows students to engage in a P2P marketplace where they can buy and sell books with students on their campus or at any college campus across the US. The focus on college students and the textbook buying and selling process sets NextbookIt apart from other marketplaces like Amazon or Facebook Marketplace. The company aims to be a go-to resource for college students, and plans to expand beyond just books in the future.
The Solution
McCurry discovered Bubble, a leader in the no-code movement, and decided to rebuild NextbookIt using this platform. Bubble's powerful point-and-click web editor and cloud hosting platform allowed McCurry to build a fully customizable web application for NextbookIt. The platform integrates user verification, payment processing, and shipping, making it an easy-to-use experience for students. Bubble's in-depth functionality surprised McCurry, enabling him to build, implement, or integrate anything he wanted. The platform also supports mobile-friendly solutions, which was a significant advantage for NextbookIt, given the mobile-centric habits of its target audience, college students.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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