Packsia - Optimizing a Stock Video Library for Growth
Overview
Client
Caitlin Timmins
Year
2024
Key Services
Platform
Webflow
Caitlin Timmins is the founder of Packsia, a stock video library offering high-quality vertical videos for social media backgrounds. Packsia operates on a membership and credit system, providing businesses and creatives with a curated selection of cohesive and royalty-free video content. Initially built using no-code/low-code tools, Packsia's platform began encountering technical issues as the user base grew. These issues included download security flaws and functionality limitations, necessitating a more robust solution.
Packsia's user base comprises businesses and creatives seeking visually appealing content for their social media posts. As the platform's popularity increased, so did the need for a seamless and secure user experience. Caitlin realized that to maintain growth and user satisfaction, Packsia needed to address these technical challenges effectively.
Problems we solve
Sfera Studio first collaborated with Caitlin to fix minor issues with Packsia's filter functionality. During this time, the platform was undergoing live stress-testing, revealing more significant problems affecting user experience. Specifically, users were unable to list the videos they had already downloaded on their profile page, and there was a vulnerability allowing unlimited downloads without using additional credits. These issues prompted Caitlin to seek a more comprehensive solution to ensure the platform's reliability and security.
Team PDC Creative, Caitlin's primary design partner, consulted with Sfera Studio on an approach that would work seamlessly with Webflow. Sfera Studio proposed a technically feasible solution that included restructuring the tech stack and addressing the identified vulnerabilities. After presenting the plan, Caitlin gave the green light to proceed with the necessary updates and improvements.
The Process
The frontend development was minimal as the design was already established. The main focus was on backend development, which involved stress-testing and troubleshooting to determine the ideal user flow based on Caitlin's requirements. Despite the significant time zone difference between the US and Malaysia, Sfera Studio and Caitlin maintained effective communication through Loom.
Sfera Studio suggested using Supabase for backend automation and API functions, providing a reliable and cost-effective solution. The development process included migrating video assets from Vimeo to Bunny.net, transferring user and transaction databases from Airtable to Supabase, and copying automations from Make and Airtable to Supabase as Edge functions. These steps were carried out in stages to avoid disrupting the live platform. Once the migration was complete, thorough testing was conducted to ensure the new setup mirrored the live environment. The transfer from Memberstack to Supabase was then made live, with ongoing monitoring to address any issues promptly.
The Outcome
The updated Packsia platform features improved filter functionality, a more secure and efficient video library hosted on Bunny.net, and a robust user management system powered by Supabase. Custom edge functions and user authentication were integrated seamlessly, and the credit management system was enhanced to prevent abuse. The transition resulted in a faster, more secure platform that could handle a growing number of users without compromising performance.
One significant improvement was the management of credits for downloads. Previously, users could exploit a loophole by opening multiple tabs, allowing them to download more videos than their credits allowed. Sfera Studio addressed this issue by implementing server-side checks for credit verification before each download, ensuring a single source of truth for the credit amount.
The Impact
The revamped Packsia platform offers a smoother user experience, with the filter and downloaded library of assets functioning as intended. The improved credit system is now robust, preventing any potential abuse. Operational costs have been reduced by consolidating multiple services (Memberstack, Make, Airtable) into Supabase, and the platform is better equipped for future growth.
Caitlin and her team can now focus on expanding Packsia's user base, confident in the platform's ability to handle increased demand and provide a seamless experience for both contributors and end users. The improvements have positioned Packsia as a reliable and scalable solution in the stock video library market, empowering creatives and businesses with high-quality vertical video content.
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