Voursa: A New Marketplace Experience for Mauritania
How a decade-old local leader in e-commerce transformed its outdated platform into a modern, user-focused experience while preserving the unique habits of its loyal customer base in a culturally specific market
Overview
Vorsa is a well-known online marketplace in Mauritania. It has been in the market for more than ten years and has built a strong reputation in the region. The business became popular because it served local needs well. However, even with its success, the digital platform had fallen behind. The original website looked outdated and was difficult to use. While users had grown used to its problems, it was clear that the time for change had come.
People expect modern features and smoother user experiences now, especially as more Mauritanians get used to newer technology. To keep up with user needs and new standards, Vorsa had to take action. A new version of the website needed to look better, be easier to use, and still feel familiar to long-time users.
This project aimed to fully redesign and rebuild the Vorsa platform to meet modern design and technical standards while keeping its core user base happy. We partnered closely with the client throughout the entire journey, from research to launch.
Problem
The biggest issue facing Voursa was the state of its old website. It was clear that the design and structure were from an earlier era of the internet. The layout was confusing, the visuals were outdated, and using the platform felt slow and awkward.
Still, many users had been using the platform for years and were used to how it worked. This created a big challenge: how do you upgrade the website without scaring away users who have gotten used to the old way? There were also cultural differences in how online shopping works in Mauritania.
For example, the way addresses are used in the region is different from what you might find in Western countries. Standard e-commerce platforms like Amazon or Shopify could not simply be copied and pasted here. Voursa’s users had habits and expectations that had to be understood deeply.
If we moved too far from what they were used to, we could lose them. So the real problem was not just about bad design. It was about updating the whole platform in a way that felt both new and familiar.
Solution
To solve the problem, we began by doing a lot of research. We needed to understand the users—how they thought, what they needed, and how they were already using the platform. We worked closely with the Voursa team to learn more about how things like shipping addresses, product browsing, and order tracking worked in Mauritania.
Once we had this information, our design team created several new versions of the platform. These designs were tested and improved many times. We didn’t just want something that looked nice. We wanted something that worked well for the people already using the site. After finalizing the design, we teamed up with Voursa’s backend engineering team. Together, we built the actual platform using the designs and existing APIs.
The most important thing we kept in mind was not to shock users. We made sure the platform still felt familiar, even if it was now faster, more modern, and easier to use. Once the product was ready, we launched it. So far, it has been working well and users are adapting smoothly to the changes. This project showed that even in specific, local markets, modern design can succeed when it is built with deep respect for the people using it.
