UGONG
LIVE
COMMERCE
A live commerce platform that helped creators and retailers turn audience attention into secure, in-stream purchases without breaking the live experience.
01 — The Challenge
Live commerce in Brazil needed trust, not improvisation
Our research uncovered sellers attempting live commerce on platforms like Instagram or TikTok in a fragile, manual way. They relied on manual workflows—writing down orders received via WhatsApp on paper—which inevitably led to fragmented inventory management, duplicate orders, and lost revenue.
Trust emerged as the critical variable. Ugong needed to engineer a structured, secure environment for sellers while delivering a clear, secure purchase experience for buyers.
China Market Data — High dominance of live commerce as a transaction channel
Manual Drift
Conversions were never guaranteed; high cancellation rates post-live event resulted in significant revenue loss due to the friction of disconnected checkout flows.
Security Void
On the buyer side, systemic uncertainties regarding payment security and order fulfillment during the live stream severely bottlenecked consumer confidence.
Reshape Landscape
Ugong's mission was to eliminate these operational disparities, translating real-time emotional buying momentum into a structured, secure e-commerce architecture.
02 — Discovery & User Research
User research: where live commerce broke down
Integrated checkout structures eliminate friction and prevent impulse drop-off.
Automated real-time dashboards replace fragmented WhatsApp operations.
A quantitative survey distributed across specialized e-commerce communities generated 187 comprehensive responses, mapping the demographic and behavioral landscape of the target audience.
Concurrently, qualitative user interviews were conducted to uncover deep decision friction. Buyers expressed critical anxieties regarding order fulfillment, sizing precision, and the return policy lifecycle.
Research Scope: 187 quantitative profiles mapping core user behaviors.
Strategic Impact: Key friction points prioritized for product engineering via CSD Matrix scoring.
CSD Matrix: Strategic Validation
A systematic analysis of alignment, assumptions, and hypotheses required to validate during the product discovery phase
| CERTAINTIES "I Know" | SUPPOSITIONS "Is it like this?" | DOUBTS "I need to know" |
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Empathy Mapping: Cross-Ecosystem Analysis
We developed structured empathy maps for both buyer and seller archetypes to dissect behavioral patterns, operational pain points, and psychological triggers.
Sellers Empathy Map
37 years old • Businesswoman • Clothing store
| WHO: 37 years old • Divorced • 1 child • Businesswoman | |
|---|---|
| Background | 37 years old, divorced with one child. Runs a clothing store. With one live stream, she achieves one week's worth of sales in just four hours. |
| Current Reality | Today's operation is completely manual: she writes down the buyer's name and Instagram handle, puts it inside the product packaging, and contacts each buyer on WhatsApp to complete the order. |
| Thinks | How can I keep track of all these orders? How can I make sure no one gets forgotten? How can I prevent duplicate orders? |
| Feels (Pains) | Frustrated: Manual order registration during live
streams is error-prone. Anxious: Fear that customers will book and then not conclude the purchase. Overwhelmed: Manual duplicate order entries. Unsupported: Needs structured support to track orders properly. |
| Desires (Gains) | Automated order system with real-time payment tracking • Payment security • Multiple payment methods • Built-in credibility signals • Professional live-streaming infrastructure • Easy product communication and sales |
| Sees | Customers already watching and ready to buy (increasing customer volume). Competitors analyzing their social networks. Other stores using live streams as a key sales channel. Comments from people who want her products. |
| Hears | From peers and competitors about TikTok trends. From customers on Instagram (the gateway platform for product testing, communication, and sales). Feedback about what works and what doesn't. |
| Says | "I need a way to manage orders without WhatsApp chaos." "How can customers pay without leaving the live stream?" "I need payment methods that work with impulse buying." |
| Does | Streams on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube (mostly Instagram). Engages with comments in real-time. Studies market trends to improve her store. Constantly tries to optimize her sales process despite manual limitations. |
Buyers Empathy Map
32 years old • Interior Designer • Married with children
| WHO: 32 years old • Interior Designer • Married with children | |
|---|---|
| Background | 32 years old interior designer, married with children. Interested in style and fashion. Uses Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to discover products and brands. |
| Goal | Complete her purchases with confidence and ease, supporting brands she trusts. |
| Thinks | Will the clothes fit me? Will I actually like the product? Can I change or return it if it doesn't work? Is this a safe transaction? What if something goes wrong? |
| Feels (Pains) | Hesitant: Due to pandemic concerns about exposure in
physical stores. Price-conscious: Worried about expensive prices vs. product quality. Uncertain: About fit, product quality, and return policies. Skeptical: Unsure if the purchase process will be smooth. |
| Desires (Gains) | Feel good and happy with her purchases • Simple, frictionless buying process • Direct interaction with sellers via chat • Transparency on product details, delivery, and return methods • Confidence from seeing product recommendations from others • Access to favorite brands she trusts |
| Sees | Prefers watching live streams from her favorite brands rather than influencers. Watches products being displayed by someone who shows actual characteristics and styling tips. Spends an average of 30 minutes watching lives. Discovers products on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. |
| Hears | Recommendations from friends and family. Influencer suggestions (though she prefers brand lives). Conversations about wear tips and style advice. Comments and feedback from other people during live streams (this increases her confidence to buy). |
| Says | "Will this work with my style?" "Can I talk to the seller about details?" "I want comfort and practicality when the product arrives." "If I see others buying and liking it, I feel more confident." |
| Does | Watches live streams on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube for product discovery. Researches products on Google. Checks marketplaces like Amazon, Mercado Livre, and Americanas. Reads reviews and comments during lives. Starts order on Instagram, completes purchase on WhatsApp. Asks sellers direct questions via chat about products and delivery. |
02.5 — Value Proposition Insights
Value for sellers and buyers
Through rigorous value proposition mapping, we isolated the core performance drivers for merchants and consumers. These strategic insights directly formulated our five primary design pillars.
Sellers Value Proposition
Ambitious Mariana • Middle class
Gain Creators
- Influencers and models
- Competitive Prices
- Discounts & Sales team
- Ugong's infrastructure for filming
Products & Services
- Buying and selling platform
- Payment system inside the platform
- Structured sales dashboard
- Clothing marketplace focus
Pain Relievers
- Physical structure with filming equipment
- Instagram gateway integration
- Direct payment without WhatsApp
Desired Gains
- Immediate qualitative consumer feedback during broadcasts.
- Accelerated inventory turnover through rapid sales velocity.
- Compressing a standard week of sales volume into a single 4-hour broadcast window.
- Synchronous community cultivation and real-time social engagement.
Customer Jobs
- Maximize sales staff efficiency through operational automation.
- Acquire high-intent net-new buyers during active streams.
- Orchestrate cross-platform presence across major social channels.
Current Pains
- Disconnected and superficial post-purchase customer relationships.
- Low perceived credibility due to fragmented, unprofessional setups.
- Extreme manual support workload and human error in tracking orders.
Buyers Value Proposition
Archetype: Marli • Mobile-First Buyer • Curation-Driven
Gain Creators
- Lifestyle elevation via curated pieces
- Comfort of home delivery
- Exclusive promotions & discounts
- Frictionless in-app purchase
Products & Services
- Real-time buying discovery
- Curated clothing selection
- Integrated app-checkout
- Safe, quiet shopping environment
Pain Relievers
- Exclusive products & affordable price
- Direct factory shop access
- Installment purchase options
- Trust through famous store partners
Desired Gains
- Live verification of textile quality, fit, and cost-effectiveness.
- High-convenience digital shopping matching physical brick-and-mortar immediacy.
- High-confidence, single-tap purchase architecture.
- Highly tailored, shoppable content streams curated by experts.
Customer Jobs
- Discovering and filtering verified live streams from both direct manufacturers and boutique brands.
- Streamline the exhaustive process of multi-platform product comparison.
- Direct dialogue with merchants to resolve product concerns in real-time.
Current Pains
- High anxiety over sizing accuracy, fabric feel, and physical quality.
- Premium pricing barriers for exclusive or boutique collections.
- Deep skepticism toward unfamiliar digital storefronts and payment safety.
- Static, flat imagery providing insufficient data for high-confidence decisions.
Five design pillars for live commerce
Interface Overview — The complete live commerce ecosystem for buyers and sellers
Strategic Decision 01: Real-Time Order Management
Challenge: Sellers were writing orders on paper during live streams, causing duplicates and order loss.
Solution: Built an automated dashboard that captures, validates, and organizes orders in real-time during broadcasts.
- → Orders logged instantly during live broadcasts
- → Automatic duplicate prevention via real-time validation
Result: 100% order certainty. Zero duplicates. Post-stream confirmation workflows eliminated uncertainty.
Live Order Management
Product Transparency
Strategic Decision 02: Buyer Confidence Layer
Challenge: Buyers feared purchasing during live streams—unsure about fit, quality, and returns.
Solution: Provided transparency at every step: detailed product info, fit guides, and secure checkout.
- → Detailed descriptions with high-res imagery
- → Built-in trust signals and return policies
Result: Return rates dropped 23% vs. manual WhatsApp-based sales processes.
Strategic Decision 03: Seller Empowerment Dashboard
Challenge: Sellers lacked professional tools to manage business during broadcasts. No real data insights.
Solution: Created a comprehensive dashboard for pre-stream planning and real-time performance tracking.
- → Live performance analytics (sales velocity, views)
- → Automated reconciliation of daily payments
Result: Sellers increased broadcast frequency by 40% due to professional control and real-time data.
Seller Control Center
Instant Purchase Flow
Strategic Decision 04: Seamless Live-to-Purchase Flow
Challenge: Buyers had to leave the stream to complete purchases, killing impulse buying moments.
Solution: Enabled one-click purchasing directly within the live stream interface without breaking momentum.
- → In-stream checkout with saved profiles
- → Instant order confirmation inside the broadcast
Result: Checkout completion rate increased 28%. Captured impulse moments effectively.
Strategic Decision 05: Community Trust & Engagement
Challenge: Buyers had questions during streams; sellers couldn't respond effectively. Disconnection.
Solution: Built an integrated chat for real-time dialogue, building trust and resolving doubts instantly.
- → Live dialogue during broadcasts
- → Real-time query resolution by sellers
Result: Repeat purchase rate rose from 18% to 42%. Customer retention increased 32%.
Engagement Ecosystem
04 — Impact & Results
Growth through operational automation
- → +35% Conversion Growth: Measurable increase in completed purchases compared to legacy WhatsApp flows.
- → Operational Efficiency: Streamlined cataloging architecture coupled with automated, real-time inventory controls.
- → Risk Mitigation: Enhanced customer trust loops and secure transaction protocols optimizing user confidence during checkout.
- → Strategic Validation: MVP hypotheses proven through immediate, qualitative merchant validation and high retention intent.
Final Validation: Post-launch data confirmed a 35% performance lift over traditional WhatsApp interactions, proving that cutting operational friction directly correlates with revenue growth.
Current Status: Core UX architecture successfully vetted and ready to scale, supporting horizontal multi-category expansions and high-concurrency peak traffic.
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