An auto-parts catalog in the phone — search moved out of the chat

The problem

In the parts trade most of the time goes into searching: the customer can't find the part, messages the seller, and the seller answers by hand. That ties every enquiry to one person's working hours, and a question sent in the evening waits until morning. Stock also turns over fast — in today, gone tomorrow — so a static list is out of date within a week.

The approach

We moved the search from the seller into the catalog: the customer finds the part themselves, and the conversation starts only when it's actually needed. The catalog lives in Firebase, so a change in stock is reflected in the in-app list immediately, with no new store release. New arrivals are announced by push, because in this business hearing that the part you waited for has landed is what closes the sale. React Native + Expo: one codebase, both platforms.

What shipped

• A single React Native + Expo codebase for iOS and Android
• A Firebase-backed catalog — stock changes appear in the app immediately
• Push notifications for new arrivals
• Published on the App Store and Google Play, through both stores' review
• A TypeScript codebase with a Tailwind design system

Technologies