Built A B2B SaaS Platform That Simplifies How UK Parents Find And Book Trusted Nurseries
We designed and developed a full-stack nursery discovery and booking marketplace for the UK - connecting parents with nurseries through advanced search, appointment booking, subscription-based provider tools, and data-driven performance rankings.
Introduction
Finding the right nursery in the UK is a stressful, fragmented experience for parents.
Information is scattered, comparisons are difficult, and booking visits means phone calls and emails. On the provider side, nurseries lacked a centralized platform to manage leads, showcase their strengths, or understand how they stacked up against local competition. The client wanted to solve both sides with a single digital marketplace - free for parents, subscription-powered for nurseries, and built to scale across the UK.
The goals were to:
- Give UK parents a single platform to search, compare, and book nursery visits
- Provide nurseries with profile management, lead tracking, and performance analytics
- Build a subscription model with Stripe to monetize premium nursery features
- Integrate location-aware search powered by Google Places API
- Deliver admin oversight with user management, content control, and support ticketing
The Challenge
Building a three-sided marketplace that serves parents, nurseries, and platform admins — each with distinct needs and workflows.
- Appointment booking UX: deciding between a dedicated page and a pop-up form for the "Book a Visit" flow without hurting conversion
- Data-driven ranking: developing a fair ranking algorithm that aggregates appointment conversion rates, localized search demand, and verified parent feedback
- Subscription enforcement: designing a flow that nudges nursery users toward premium plans without creating friction
- Review moderation: the initial static reviews section needed to be architected for future dynamic UGC and moderation at scale
- Multi-stakeholder complexity: three distinct portals (parent, nursery, admin) each requiring tailored UX and permissions
Our Approach
7Span delivered the platform as a full-stack B2B SaaS marketplace - Next.js and Node.js at the core, PostgreSQL for structured data, AWS for infrastructure, and Stripe for monetization.
Parent Discovery Experience
Built an advanced search system powered by Google Places API with tabs for nurseries, preschools, and all childcare options - plus location-based "Top Picks Nearby" recommendations and multiple filtering options.
Comprehensive Nursery Profiles
Designed detailed profile pages with logically segmented sections - overview, pricing, funding, capacity, Ofsted ratings, opening hours - with a dedicated navigation header for quick access.
Conversion-Optimized Booking Flow
Implemented "Book Visit" with flexible date selection and nursery-defined time slots, alongside frictionless direct CTAs - Call Nursery, WhatsApp, Request a Brochure - removing forms from high-intent actions.
Tiered Subscription & Stripe Integration
Built a subscription system with Stripe that manages nursery tiers, unlocking premium features and enhanced visibility to help providers stand out to more parents.
Performance Analytics & Rank Benchmarking
Delivered a data-driven dashboard for nurseries and admins that tracks appointment and enquiry trends, with a unique ranking feature benchmarking nurseries against local competitors.
Guided Nursery Onboarding
Designed a multi-step stepper flow that simplifies nursery registration, ensuring all critical business data and documentation are captured efficiently during setup.
The Impact
The platform launched as a comprehensive digital marketplace for UK childcare - giving parents confidence in their nursery choice and giving providers the tools to compete.
3
distinct portals (parent, nursery, admin) delivered with tailored UX and permissions
16
team members collaborating across design, frontend, backend, and cloud
100%
uptime from day one, handling high appointment booking volumes without downtime
6 months
from kickoff to live platform with full search, booking, subscriptions, and analytics
Build SaaS Marketplaces With Us
From multi-stakeholder platforms to subscription-powered SaaS, we help businesses build marketplaces that scale.
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