Gina Zhang
GZ

Overview

Marco Polo is a B2B sourcing marketplace I started after seeing the same problem come up over and over at my design agency, Spatial Dynamics. We constantly had to source domestic manufacturers for clients, and finding good ones meant knowing someone who knew someone, since suppliers' own websites were usually outdated and didn't show what they could actually make. So I built a place where they can present their work in a way that's easy to browse and compare.

The platform

The platform has 35 unique pages built for 3 major users: suppliers, buyers, and admin. I designed and built the whole thing myself, shipping with Claude Code, and it's live in production with suppliers actively onboarding.

Planning board with a column of written requirements beside sketched layouts for the homepage, shop directory, supplier profile, quote request, product page, user dashboard and settings, and two supplier dashboard views
Planning the page set: the directory, supplier profile, product page, quote request, and both dashboards
Low-fidelity wireframe board: a long homepage with popular categories, featured suppliers and how it works; the suppliers, products and services directories with filter sidebars; a supplier profile with certifications, gallery and products; and a product page with the inquiry form and thank-you screens
Low-fidelity wireframes: home, the three directories, supplier profile, product page, and the inquiry flow
Board of finished site pages: the homepage with its sourcing hero and rows of manufacturers, products and service providers; the service and supplier directories with filter sidebars; a service listing with a photo gallery and contact-for-quote panel; and a full supplier profile with company overview, manufacturing capabilities and reviews
The platform as built: home, the service and supplier directories, a service listing, and a supplier profile

AI powered onboarding

The newest piece is an AI powered onboarding process. Suppliers upload whatever they already have, a PDF catalog, an old website, a folder of photos, and their profile gets populated for them. Setup time went from hours to minutes.

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MARCO POLO — Gina Zhang