Overview
Trust is one of the biggest barriers to trading sneakers — peer-to-peer platforms are always one transaction away from someone receiving a fake, intentionally or not. We launched Collect without authentication, but the risk was relatively low considering SoleSavy members already traded with one another through less secure channels.
But as we prepared to open Collect to the public, authentication became a requirement. We partnered with Legitmark, a digital sneaker authentication service, to bring authentication directly into our order flows. Working closely with their team, we co-designed the experience while they built the API that would power it.
SoleSavy
Senior Product Designer — Research, Ideation, Prototyping, User Testing, UI Design, Interaction Design
Q1 2023 — Q2 2023
Context
Outside of members trading with people they already trusted, there was no real assurance that sneakers purchased through Collect were authentic. Adding authentication would not only support the public release, but also give more SoleSavy community members the confidence to transact with each other.
Partnering with Legitmark gave us a practical way to introduce that trust, but it came with the challenge of making a third-party integration feel like a seamless part of Collect. Working closely with their team, we had to find the right balance between the experience we wanted to create and what the API could realistically support.
Research
The authentication process
We spent a lot of time with the Legitmark team going through each step of their authentication process — uncovering every status, trigger, and edge case that would require communication with the API.
Competitive analysis
While looking at how other peer-to-peer marketplaces implemented authentication, we documented the patterns users were already familiar with — directly influencing how we surfaced authentication in Collect.
Community expectations
The authentication feature was largely driven by user feedback — it was clear that buyers needed more assurance. We just needed to make the experience feel as credible as the authentication services they already used.
Ideation
User flows
Our goal was to make every step of Legitmark's process feel native to Collect. We started by mapping the authentication flow, from every user action to each API call.
Cross-team collaboration
We then sat down with the Legitmark team again to align on which API customizations would be possible — leaving both teams with a shared source of truth and a path forward.
Design
Photo submission flow
Our research gave us a clear direction for how the photo submission flow needed to work. Users would be guided through a step-by-step process with one objective per screen, supported by examples that would reduce the chance of mistakes.
We integrated the flow seamlessly into the screen users already used to manage their sneaker listings, making it easy to request authentication for both new and existing pairs.
Order flows
The order flow was the key conversion moment for authentication, where buyers had to decide whether they wanted that additional assurance.
Through many rounds of A/B testing, we found the right way to talk about authentication to buyers. Our most effective messaging stayed concise, focusing on assurance and the exclusive 48-hour purchase window once authenticity was confirmed.
In-review state
Once sneakers are submitted for authentication, they enter the review state. During this period, users can't edit, delete, or use them in another transaction — keeping each pair locked into the deal up until the exclusive 48-hour purchase window.
Resubmission flow
When Legitmark flagged photos for resubmission, they triggered a flow we built into Collect that notified users and guided them through retaking each required photo.
Our priority was preventing the same mistake from happening twice. We clearly explained what went wrong, showed users how to correct it, and only resurfaced the photos that needed attention — keeping the recovery process focused and easy to complete.
Authentication result
Once authentication was complete, Legitmark triggered a status change indicating whether the sneakers were authentic or fake.
Authentic sneakers received a Legitmark approved badge, increasing their credibility and desirability in the marketplace. On the other hand, fakes were automatically unlisted from the marketplace — cancelling any associated transactions.
In-app messenger
Shortly after authentication, we also launched an in-app messenger to support the public launch. Buyers and sellers needed a way to discuss deals directly in Collect, since not every user would have access to the wider SoleSavy community. This also gave users a way to ask questions, request more photos, or even ask sellers to cover the authentication cost.
Impact
Authentication not only addressed the biggest hurdle we faced, but also unlocked a new revenue stream for the business. By helping Legitmark pilot their API offering, we were also able to shape the integration around our needs.
Confident transactions
We gave buyers assurance, while also giving sellers a way to build credibility and stand out from other listings. After launch, we saw our transaction rate increase by over 24%.
A new revenue stream
Each authentication we processed generated a referral payment, allowing us to improve trust in the marketplace while also contributing directly to our business targets.
