Trompo

Trompo is an online marketplace for cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and caravans.
It connects buyers and sellers with a simple, user-friendly platform.
The service also integrates financing and insurance options for a complete experience.

Reinventing vehicle trading with a reliable platform

Trompo is an online marketplace for buying and selling vehicles of all kinds, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and caravans.

Initially envisioned as a paid-listing business, Trompo is currently experimenting with different ways to grow and sustain its platform. Thanks to the stable foundation we built together, the company is now in a position to explore new revenue streams such as advertising and complementary services like financing and insurance.

Our Solution

We rebuilt Trompo’s platform using our Rails API template for the backend and our Next.js template for the frontend. This allowed us to deliver a clean, scalable, and cost-efficient solution with fast and reliable search powered by Algolia for an enhanced user experience.

This setup not only reduced technical debt but also validated our internal templates in real-world production.

Tech stack

The technologies we used in this project

Ruby on rails

Backend powered by our proven Rails API template, ensuring scalability and maintainability.

Next.js

Frontend built with our internal Next.js template, optimized for performance and reusability.

AI-generated Design (v0)

Leveraged AI-assisted design tools to accelerate prototyping and deliver polished interfaces.

From frustration to growth

Before partnering with MarsBased, Trompo had a rough start. Their first attempt with another agency resulted in a platform that was plagued with performance bottlenecks and technical issues.

This meant the client couldn’t focus on their business goals and was stuck fighting with the product instead. Our mission was to change that, and we did. Today, Trompo’s team is free from software headaches and focused on what matters most: building their business and growing their market.

Results

Trompo is more than just another marketplace, it’s proof that small businesses can compete if they’re equipped with the right technology. By combining lean infrastructure, smart monetisation experiments, and a stable foundation, Trompo is now set up for sustainable growth.

As a bonus, this project helped us polish our MarsBased Rails API and Next.js templates, strengthening our toolkit for future clients.


Key wins

A second chance

Trompo recovered from a failed agency engagement and regained confidence in their product.

Business focus restored

The founders now concentrate on customer acquisition and strategy, instead of firefighting technical issues.

Market penetration

Trompo is expanding in Andorra with strong local referrals.

Technical validation

The project provided us with valuable learnings about scaling infrastructure for small businesses while keeping costs under control.