A HubSpot CMS Platform Connecting Users to Local Services

the starting point

Originally, Pala functioned primarily as a contact tool where users searched for services and left a request for a quote. This model created friction in the buying journey. Sociala’s goal was to modernize the customer experience to meet today’s expectations and enable users to purchase services directly from the site.

Handling an ecosystem of multiple independent service providers created competing needs:

• End customers expect one smooth checkout, regardless of how many providers the customer buys from. 
• Providers need to be paid correctly and automatically, with no reconciliation headaches. 
• The business needs every order to land in HubSpot as a Deal, linked to the right Company and Products, so the sales pipeline stays accurate without manual work.

Additionally, the visual identity needed an update to better resonate with different user personas while ensuring full accessibility.

the solution

We built a solution that hides technical complexity behind a clear, user-friendly interface. 

Phase 1: Building the foundation

We designed the service from the ground up, starting with a brand refresh with new fonts, colors, and illustrations to make the platform approachable. We developed a custom HubSpot theme with a block-based structure. This simplified the daily work for Sociala’s content editors, giving them the freedom to modify and create new pages independently without needing coding skills.

Phase 2: The e-commerce solution

To solve the checkout friction, we built a custom e-commerce layer on top of the HubSpot site, connecting an end-to-end checkout experience to Paytrail for payments and HubSpot CRM for deal management. The entire solution runs on serverless Microsoft Azure Functions and feeds into our internal monitoring tool for error logging.

The setup uses Paytrail’s Shop-in-Shop account structure, which unlocks one unified checkout for the user, automatic revenue splitting between providers, and centralised payment orchestration. All payment handling happens server-side, giving the client full control over payment logic, security, and data flow.

the impact

The transformation turned Pala from a passive directory into an active business platform where data is at the center of everything. Deals, Products, and Companies now live and update together in HubSpot, kept in sync in real time with zero manual entry.

Adding a new provider to the marketplace happens now at the same time when a provider applies to Pala, a custom HubSpot workflow triggers a sub-merchant creation in Paytrail. No engineering touch is required for each sign-up, meaning the business can scale the marketplace on its own. 

For strategic leadership, the most significant benefit is transparency: all transactions and orders sync automatically to HubSpot’s Deals section, enabling real-time tracking of sales. Operational efficiency improved significantly as manual steps were eliminated and all data stays in one place. The flexible architecture ensures the service is ready for future expansions.