The platform offers an exclusive opportunity for martial arts enthusiasts to engage and learn directly from the best in the field. Our team at WP Whales was tasked with developing a community website where top athletes could interact with members through courses, groups, and an engaging feed.
The challenge was to create a platform for both free and paid courses. It also had to support a unique group interaction experience, including subscription-based groups. Additionally, the platform needed to accommodate team spaces for gym owners, offering a package deal for their entire team to access the content. The payment system also required customization to distribute payments between the athletes and the platform fairly. The client wanted to ensure that athletes retained a significant portion of their earnings while also managing payouts securely.
To address these challenges, we implemented several key features:
Subscription Groups: The core of the community experience was the group interaction. However, BuddyBoss, the framework we used, didn’t natively support charging customers for group access via subscriptions. We extended this functionality, allowing users to join premium groups and receive insights directly from their favorite athletes.
Vendor Payout System: A fair and transparent payment system was crucial. We set up a commission system where athletes retained up to 75% of their instructional sales. Given the limitations of existing solutions like Dokan Vendor Management System, we developed a custom Stripe Connect integration. This allowed for a seamless distribution of payments between athletes and the platform. We also added a 21-day wait before athletes could withdraw their earnings. This would allow time to handle any refund requests.
Enhanced Activity Feed: The activity feed is a vital part of user engagement. To improve the user experience, we integrated an HLS video player, which provided better streaming capabilities compared to the native BuddyBoss player. Furthermore, we enhanced the video uploader using TUS uploads. This upgrade allowed users to upload large videos without needing to stay on the upload page, providing notifications once their posts went live.
Teamspace Feature: Recognizing the need for group dynamics, we introduced the concept of Team Spaces. Gym owners could now subscribe to a monthly plan, create a dedicated team space, and add their gym members. This feature allowed members to access exclusive team content, fostering a sense of community within each gym.
The implementation process involved deep customization of existing tools and the development of new features tailored to Athletes Ocean’s needs. We began by extending BuddyBoss group functionalities to introduce subscription-based groups. This required careful coding and testing to ensure a seamless user experience.
Next, we tackled the vendor payout system by building a custom Stripe Connect integration. This allowed us to create a commission structure that was fair to both athletes and the platform, with a built-in withhold period for security.
To enhance the platform's usability, we replaced the existing video player with an HLS video player, which offered better performance. The addition of TUS uploads ensured that users could continue browsing the site while their videos uploaded in the background.
Finally, the Teamspace feature was built from the ground up, allowing gym owners to create and manage their own spaces within the platform. This feature was designed to be intuitive and scalable, ensuring that it could grow alongside the platform.
The Athletes Ocean platform launched successfully. It has all the desired features. It provides a unique, engaging experience for athletes and members. The subscription groups became a popular feature, offering exclusive content directly from top martial artists. The custom vendor payout system ensured fair pay for athletes. The new activity feed and video upload process boosted user engagement.
The introduction of Team spaces added an additional layer of community interaction, allowing gym owners to bring their entire team onto the platform. This not only increased membership but also strengthened the sense of community within each team.
Working with Athletes Ocean allowed us to push the boundaries of what a community platform can offer. By addressing the specific needs of martial artists and their fans, we were able to create a platform that is both functional and engaging. The positive feedback from the client, coupled with the successful launch of the platform, speaks to the effectiveness of our solutions.
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