Poké Queen Shop

E-commerce platform designed for micro-businesses

Solving for: small businesses and solo ventures

DesignDevelopmentAPI & Database Integration

Problem

E-commerce platforms like Shopify are economically unsustainable for micro sellers whose monthly revenue may be lower than platform fees.

My role

Product Designer and Developer

What I built

A zero platform fee e-commerce system optimized for Pokémon collectors, with custom metadata, automated inventory ingestion, and streamlined shipping.

Outcomes

$260 revenue in month one
96% revenue retained
Inventory time reduced from ~10 minutes per card to ~30 seconds
Projected savings of $700–950 per year vs. Shopify

Design Goals

Zero Platform Fees
Collector Information Hierarchy
Operational Efficiency
Trust Signals

Brand Discovery

Based on what I've seen on Facebook and other major platforms, Pokémon collectors are typically buying their cards from eBay, TCGPlayer, Mercari and Shopify stores

Unfortunately, these platforms don't serve small-scale collectors who want a branded experience with proper card metadata at sustainable economics.

How collectors evaluate cards

Through my own experience (25+ years collecting), I mapped the decision hierarchy:

Information Architecture

Card Data Model

Type Iconography

Instead of text labels ("Fire," "Water," "Psychic"), I used the official Pokémon type icons. Collectors recognize these instantly through a shared visual language that reduces cognitive load when scanning 100+ cards.

Holo Differentiation

Most platforms treat holos as a binary (yes/no). But collectors know Reverse Holos and Masterball Holos have different values and appeal. I built explicit variant tracking into both the database and UI.

Pack Progress Tracking

I sell curated packs (sets of related cards). A progress bar component shows how close each pack is to selling out, with a sidecar displaying remaining cards.

This does two things:

Gamifies the experience (completion motivation)
Creates urgency without fake scarcity

Mobile First Layout

Collectors browse on their phones. Card grids adapt to thumb-friendly tap targets, filters collapse into accessible sheets, and card details open in modals rather than new pages.