What Is a Discovery-First Marketplace?

For the last 20 years, the default way people found things online was search. You knew what you wanted, you typed it in, and you got a list of results. Google, Amazon, and most expert platforms were built for that behavior. But the way people find things is shifting, and it changes how you should look for an expert.

Short answer: A discovery-first marketplace lets you find people or products by seeing their content first, instead of searching for them by name or category. Search assumes you know what you're looking for. Discovery meets you before you do.

What is a discovery-first marketplace?

It's a marketplace built around a feed instead of a search bar. Rather than typing in exactly what you want, you scroll content, something resonates with you, and you tap through to learn more or buy. The content does the introducing.

How is discovery different from search?

Search works when you already know what you need. The trouble is that most of the time, we don't. We know the general shape of a problem, but the specific product that fits, or the specific person who could help, is hard to name before we see it. You don't know what you don't know, and a search bar can only return what you already know to type.

Why is discovery growing?

Shopping shows the shift clearly. TikTok Shop reached an estimated $13.2 billion in US sales in 2025, up 87 percent year over year. 72 percent of TikTok users say they discover new products on the platform, and 81 percent of Instagram users use it to discover new products or brands. Global social commerce spending reached an estimated $885 billion in 2025. More and more, people find what they want by seeing it first.

Why are most expert platforms search-first?

Most expert marketplaces, like Upwork, Fiverr, and Clarity.fm, are built like directories. You pick a category, filter by price and rating, and compare profiles that all start to look alike. Course platforms like Kajabi and Teachable are great for delivering content, but they aren't built for discovering experts. And while LinkedIn has a feed, most people open it to network or job hunt, not to hire an expert. Intent matters as much as the feed.

Why should posts come before profiles?

A bio tells you what someone does. A post shows you who they are. Profiles tend to read the same: polished, optimized, and hard to tell apart. Posts show how someone thinks, the opinions they hold, and the lessons they learned the hard way. Profiles are storefronts. Posts are windows into people's souls. When a post stops you, you tap through to the profile already knowing you want to.

How does ProPass use discovery to connect you with experts?

ProPass is a discovery-first marketplace built for real experts. You scroll a feed of posts from vetted experts. When one resonates, you tap through to their profile to book a session, buy a package, request custom work, or send a message. The post is the trailer. The profile is the storefront. The message is the conversation. The booking is the relationship. ProPass also asks every expert to offer a free 15-minute discovery call, so you can confirm the fit before you pay.