Needs Marketplace
Pro feature. Available in Listora Pro.
Availability: Pro only. Requires Listora Pro. Free sites support standard listing submission from businesses outward.
What it does
The Needs Marketplace is a reverse directory: instead of businesses posting listings, visitors post what they're looking for. A need might be "Looking for a caterer for 200 guests in Austin, budget $5,000." Business owners browse posted needs and respond to the ones they can fulfill.
Why you'd use it
- Creates a two-sided marketplace dynamic - value flows from visitors to businesses and back.
- Businesses in your directory see active demand they can respond to directly.
- Users who post needs are highly motivated buyers, making each need a qualified lead opportunity.
- Needs have urgency levels, so businesses can prioritize time-sensitive opportunities.
How to use it
For site owners (admin steps)
- Listora Pro registers a Needs section in the admin automatically when Pro is active.
- Go to Listora → Needs to see all posted needs, moderate them, and manage responses.
- Use Approve and Reject controls on each need to control what appears publicly.
- Needs can expire automatically - the expiration system runs in the background and marks needs as Expired after the configured period.
The Needs feed lives at /needs/ - that's the CPT archive of listora_need posts and works out of the box once Pro is active. To accept new buyer-posted needs from visitors, create a normal WordPress page with the [listora_post_need] block (or the legacy listora-pro/post-need block) - Pro doesn't auto-register the post-need page, so you choose its slug and placement.
For end users (visitor/user-facing)
Posting a need:
- Navigate to the Needs page on your directory (created or linked by the site owner).
- Click Post Your Need.
- Fill in the need details:
- Title - a short description of what you need.
- Description - details about your requirement, timeline, and budget.
- Type - the type of service you're looking for (matches your directory's listing types).
- Location - where you need the service.
- Budget - optional budget range.
- Urgency - Flexible, Normal, or Urgent.
- Submit. After admin approval, your need appears publicly.
Urgency levels:
| Urgency | Display |
|---|---|
| Flexible | Default appearance |
| Normal | Standard badge |
| Urgent | Highlighted badge - appears prominently |
Responding to a need (business owners):
- Browse the Needs page to find relevant needs.
- Click a need to view its full details.
- Click Respond and submit your offer or message.
- The need poster receives a notification with your response.
Need statuses:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Open | Accepting responses |
| Fulfilled | The poster found what they needed |
| Expired | Past the expiry date, no longer active |
Tips
- Set urgency to Urgent on your need to make it stand out in the list - urgent needs appear with a highlighted badge.
- Business owners: respond to urgent needs quickly. Time-sensitive buyers are more likely to convert from a fast response.
- As site owner, moderate needs promptly - long moderation queues discourage users from posting.
- Encourage business owners to check the Needs page regularly as part of their directory participation.
- Needs are stored as the
listora_needcustom post type. They support all standard WordPress moderation tools (bulk actions, filtering by status).
Common issues
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
| Needs page not visible | The site owner must create a page for needs browsing - this is not created automatically by the Setup Wizard |
| "Post Your Need" button not visible | Confirm Listora Pro is active and the user has the required capability |
| Need stuck in Pending | Go to Listora → Needs in the admin and approve it manually |
| Responses not sending notifications | Check WordPress email configuration; use WP Mail SMTP for reliable delivery |