Multi-Vendor Marketplace

Proposal for VLTD

Web-based marketplace for collectible cards with customer storefront, vendor dashboards, and admin control over approvals, commissions, payouts, disputes, moderation, and reporting.

Jump to acceptance
Prepared for VLTD
Prepared by Muhammad Zaid
Date 9 Jan 2026
Version V1.0
2) Executive Summary

Executive Summary

This proposal outlines the delivery of a web-based multi-vendor marketplace for collectible cards. The platform provides distinct vendor dashboards, a customer storefront, and an admin console with full control over approvals, commissions, payouts, disputes, moderation, and reporting.

What we are building

  • Customer marketplace: browse, search, product pages, cart, checkout, order tracking, returns/refunds requests.
  • Vendor portal: vendor signup/approval, store profile, catalog and inventory, vendor order management, payout visibility, basic analytics.
  • Admin console: vendor approvals and KYC, commission rules, payout controls, disputes, refunds, moderation, reports, audit logs.

Who it serves

  • Customers: card collectors and buyers.
  • Vendors: card store sellers with dedicated dashboards.
  • Admins: VLTD operations, finance, and support teams.

What success looks like

  • Fast vendor onboarding with clear approval and KYC workflow.
  • Higher checkout completion via simple, reliable checkout.
  • Fewer support tickets through self-service tracking and policies.
  • Faster order processing through structured vendor dashboards.
3) Business Goals & Metrics

Goals and Success Metrics

KPIs tracked from day one; baseline captured in the first two weeks after launch.

Visitor → signup conversion Visitor → add-to-cart Product page → add-to-cart Checkout completion Vendor activation rate Order fulfillment time Refund/return rate Support tickets per 100 orders Repeat purchase rate Vendor retention rate
4) Platform Overview

High-Level Architecture

The platform combines a customer marketplace, vendor portal (separate dashboards per vendor), and admin console. It includes notifications, analytics, and a security layer to protect data and control sensitive actions.

Modules

  • Customer: browse, categories, filters, search, product pages, cart, checkout, orders, returns/refunds.
  • Vendor: onboarding/approval, store profile, listings, inventory, orders, payouts visibility, vendor analytics.
  • Admin: approvals, commissions, payouts, disputes, refunds, content pages, user management, reports, audit logs.

Supporting layers

  • Notifications: transactional email included; SMS/WhatsApp optional (Phase 2 unless confirmed).
  • Analytics: GA4 ecommerce, Meta Pixel, Conversion API for conversion tracking.
  • Security: RBAC, audit logs, rate limiting, backups, and environment separation (dev/staging/production).
5) Roles & Permissions

RBAC and Audit

Roles

  • Super Admin (full platform control, limited accounts)
  • Admin / Operations (approvals, moderation, platform rules)
  • Finance (payouts, holds, schedules, exports)
  • Support Agent (tickets, disputes, returns; no finance permissions)
  • Vendor Owner (full access to their vendor dashboard)
  • Vendor Staff (optional, limited access within a vendor account)
  • Customer (account and order access only)

Audit logs (critical actions)

  • Commission rule changes
  • Payout holds, releases, adjustments
  • Refund approvals and overrides
  • Vendor approvals, suspensions, reactivations
  • Admin settings and policy changes
6) Core Features (V1.0)

Core Features

A) Customer

  • Signup/login with email/password (phone/social optional).
  • Marketplace browsing with categories and filters.
  • Advanced search (keyword plus filters).
  • Product page: images, description, vendor snippet, policies, reviews, availability.
  • Cart and checkout (guest checkout optional).
  • Payments via one confirmed gateway for Kuwait.
  • Order history, tracking, cancel rules (policy-driven).
  • Returns/refunds workflow (rule-based).
  • Ratings and reviews with moderation.
  • Wishlist and address book.
  • Transactional email notifications.

B) Vendor

  • Vendor signup with verification and admin approval (KYC docs).
  • Store profile management (logo, banner, about, contact).
  • Product listing management (create/edit/publish/unpublish).
  • Inventory and pricing management.
  • Vendor-level order management (accept, pack, ship, complete).
  • Payout dashboard (earnings, fees, payout schedule visibility).
  • Vendor analytics (sales, top products, conversion basics).
  • Vendor support tickets/escalations to admin.

C) Admin

  • Vendor approvals and KYC management (approve/reject/suspend).
  • Category and attribute management.
  • Listing and review moderation.
  • Commission rules: global default plus vendor overrides (category-level optional).
  • Payout management: hold, release, partial release, schedules.
  • Dispute and refund management with RBAC controls.
  • CMS pages: About, Terms, Privacy, Help Center.
  • Reports: GMV, commission revenue, refunds, disputes, vendor performance, operational KPIs.
  • Admin audit logs and activity tracking.

Scope & Deliverables Summary

Area Included in V1.0 Deliverables
Customer marketplace Yes Browse, search, product pages, cart, checkout, order tracking, returns/refunds
Vendor dashboards Yes Onboarding/approval, listings, inventory, orders, payout visibility, basic analytics
Admin console Yes Approvals, moderation, commissions, payouts, disputes, refunds, reports, audit logs
Payments Yes (one gateway) Gateway integration, payment confirmation, end-to-end paid order flow
Shipping Yes (basic) Vendor-managed delivery status updates
Analytics Yes GA4 ecommerce events, Meta Pixel, Conversion API
Security & reliability Yes RBAC, audit logs, rate limiting basics, daily backups, restore procedure
SEO & content Yes SEO-ready structure, sitemap, core templates, CMS pages
7) Commission, Payouts, Economics

Marketplace Economics

Commission types

  • Percentage commission
  • Fixed fee per order
  • Tiered commissions based on volume (Phase 2 unless confirmed)

Payout schedule and controls

  • Weekly or monthly payouts (client to confirm)
  • Optional hold period to cover returns/disputes (client to confirm)
  • Refunds reduce vendor payout or create a next-payout adjustment
  • Ledger history for all payout and adjustment events
  • Vendor statements/export (basic exports included; advanced invoicing optional)
8) Payments & Checkout

Payments and Checkout (Kuwait)

Gateway options

  • Default recommendation: Tap or MyFatoorah for KNET and cards (confirm)
  • Alternatives: Stripe (cards), PayPal (use-case dependent)

One gateway is included in V1.0. Platform will not store card details; the gateway handles tokenization and sensitive data.

Payment flow

  • Customer pays the platform at checkout.
  • Platform records commission and vendor earnings in a ledger.
  • Payouts released via finance workflow (scheduled or manual).

Basic fraud controls

  • Rate limiting for checkout attempts.
  • Flagging repeated failed payments for review.
9) Shipping / Delivery

Shipping Models

Path A: Vendor-managed (recommended V1.0)

  • Vendors handle shipping and update order status.
  • Customers receive status updates via email.
  • Admin can intervene for disputes.

Path B: Platform-managed (Phase 2 unless confirmed)

  • Admin manages zones, delivery rules, and rates.
  • Requires additional testing and operational alignment.

Courier integrations

Integrations with couriers (Aramex, DHL, local couriers) are not included in V1.0 unless explicitly added as Phase 2.

10) Content, SEO, Growth

Content, SEO, and Growth Tracking

SEO readiness

  • Clean URLs, meta titles/descriptions, sitemap.xml, robots.txt.
  • Structured data basics for product pages.
  • Core Web Vitals focus: image optimization, lazy loading, CDN for assets.

Analytics & marketing

  • GA4 ecommerce tracking and funnel events.
  • Meta Pixel plus Conversion API (server-side events).
  • Transactional emails: order confirmation, shipping update, refund update, password reset.
  • Optional automation (abandoned cart, email automation) is Phase 2 unless confirmed.
11) Security, Privacy, Reliability

Security and Reliability

  • HTTPS everywhere.
  • Secure authentication (hashed passwords). Optional 2FA for admin roles (Phase 2 unless confirmed).
  • RBAC with least privilege for admin and vendor portals.
  • Input validation and OWASP-style controls.
  • Rate limiting and brute-force protection.
  • File upload controls: allowed types, size limits, storage isolation.
  • Audit logs for sensitive actions (payouts, refunds, commission edits, approvals).
  • Daily backups with retention policy (client to confirm days).
  • Disaster recovery: documented restore procedure and restore test before go-live.
  • Privacy handling: access and deletion request process.
  • Environment separation: dev, staging, production.
12) Performance & Scalability

Performance and Scalability

  • Basic caching for frequent marketplace pages.
  • CDN for static assets (images and frontend assets).
  • Database indexing approach for search, product listings, and order lists.
  • Target performance goals measured in staging and reviewed in UAT.
  • Scaling plan available after launch based on real usage and growth.
13) UI/UX

UI/UX Deliverables

  • Responsive design (mobile-first).
  • Consistent UI kit for buttons, forms, tables, modals, alerts.
  • Key screens: customer marketplace, vendor dashboard, admin console (Phase 1 prototype).
  • Accessibility basics: readable contrast, clear form errors, keyboard-friendly navigation for core flows.
  • Content placeholders supported. Client provides brand assets and policy text.
14) Project Plan & Milestones

Phased Delivery

Phase 0: Discovery & scope lock (Week 1)

  • Confirm payment gateway and required approvals.
  • Confirm shipping model (Path A or Path B).
  • Confirm commission rules, payout schedule, hold period, refund rules.
  • Confirm vendor KYC requirements and required documents.
  • Finalize V1.0 scope checklist and acceptance criteria.
  • Client checkpoint: scope sign-off required to start development.

Phase 1: UI/UX & prototype (Week 1-2)

  • Clickable prototype for key flows: browse, product page, cart, checkout, vendor onboarding, admin approvals.
  • UI kit and design system baseline.
  • Client checkpoint: prototype approval required to proceed.

Phase 2: Core build (Week 2-6)

  • Customer marketplace core flows to staging.
  • Vendor portal core flows to staging.
  • Admin console core flows to staging.
  • RBAC and audit logs baseline implemented.
  • Client checkpoint: mid-build review and feature checklist sign-off.

Phase 3: Payments, notifications, tracking (Week 5-7)

  • Payment gateway integrated in staging.
  • End-to-end paid order flow validated.
  • Transactional emails enabled.
  • GA4 plus Meta Pixel and Conversion API events implemented.
  • Client checkpoint: checkout and payment flow sign-off.

Phase 4: QA, security, UAT (Week 7-8)

  • Functional QA and regression testing.
  • Security checklist review (auth, RBAC, rate limiting, file uploads).
  • UAT support with bug fixes.
  • Client checkpoint: UAT sign-off before go-live.

Phase 5: Launch & handover (Week 8)

  • Production deployment and launch checklist.
  • Monitoring and log review during launch window.
  • Admin training session and handover pack.
15) Timeline

Timeline

Target launch: within 2 months (typical delivery 6-8 weeks after Phase 0 scope sign-off). Timeline depends on gateway approvals, policy content readiness, and client review turnaround.

Dependencies impacting timeline

  • Payment gateway account approval and credentials availability.
  • Client delivery of policies, categories, and branding assets.
  • Decisions on shipping model and commission rules in Week 1.
  • UAT participation and sign-off within agreed review windows.
16) Assumptions & Client Responsibilities

Assumptions and Client Responsibilities

Assumptions

  • English-only platform for V1.0.
  • Web-only (no native mobile apps).
  • One payment gateway integration included for V1.0.
  • Shipping model Path A (vendor-managed) for V1.0 unless Path B is confirmed.
  • Courier integrations are Phase 2 unless confirmed.

Client responsibilities

  • Provide brand assets: logo, colors, typography preferences.
  • Provide legal policy text: Terms, Privacy, Return/Refund policy, Vendor policy.
  • Confirm commission structure, payout schedule, hold period, dispute rules.
  • Create and approve payment gateway account(s) and provide credentials.
  • Provide categories, attributes, and any seed catalog rules.
  • Participate in UAT and provide sign-offs within agreed timelines.
  • Select and pay for hosting/server and domain costs (separate from development fee).
17) Out of Scope

Out of Scope (V1.0)

  • Native mobile apps (iOS/Android).
  • Complex courier integrations or shipping aggregators.
  • ERP/accounting integrations and custom finance systems.
  • Advanced recommendation engines and personalization.
  • Multi-warehouse WMS and advanced stock operations.
  • Custom AI features.
  • Fraud guarantee or chargeback insurance coverage.
  • Legal drafting of policies (client provides text).
  • Multi-language support (Arabic) unless added as Phase 2.
18) Tech Stack

High-Level Tech Choices

Frontend
Next.js / React
Backend
Node.js (or equivalent stable framework if confirmed)
Database
PostgreSQL
Hosting
AWS or DigitalOcean (client choice; hosting cost paid by client)
Storage
S3-compatible object storage
CI/CD
GitHub Actions
19) Support & Maintenance

Support, Warranty, Maintenance

Warranty

30 days post-launch bug-fix warranty for defects within the agreed V1.0 scope.

Maintenance options

  • Basic: monthly health checks and minor fixes.
  • Standard: faster response times, security patch cadence, monitoring review.
  • Priority: highest response priority and proactive performance tuning.

Response targets (example)

  • Critical (site down): response within 4-8 business hours.
  • High (checkout or payment impact): response within 1 business day.
  • Normal: 2-3 business days.
20) Commercials

Pricing and Payment Milestones

Fixed project fee for V1.0 scope: — (KD). Hosting and server costs are not included and are paid directly by the client.

Milestone Percent Amount (KD) Acceptance criteria (summary)
1) Kickoff (down payment) 40% — Scope sign-off completed. Project kickoff held. Phase 0-1 starts.
2) Core build delivered to staging 20% — Customer browse/search/product/cart ready. Vendor onboarding and dashboard basics ready. Admin approvals and moderation basics ready.
3) Payments and order flow complete (staging) 20% — Payment gateway integrated. End-to-end paid order validated. Vendor order management working. Transactional emails enabled.
4) Before go-live (UAT sign-off and launch readiness) 20% — UAT passed. Launch checklist approved. Production deployment scheduled.

Change requests: additions or changes after scope sign-off will be documented with impact on timeline and cost and require written approval before implementation.

21) Risks & Mitigation

Risks and Mitigation

  • Payment gateway approval delays — start application in Week 1 and confirm required documents early.
  • Scope creep — scope locked per phase with a change request process.
  • Vendor onboarding complexity (KYC, disputes) — define KYC checklist and dispute rules in Phase 0 and keep V1.0 simple.
  • Content delays (policies, categories, assets) — kickoff content checklist and clear sign-off deadlines.
  • External integration changes — use stable supported gateway flows, validate in staging, and retest before launch.
22) Next Steps

Immediate Next Steps

  • Confirm payment gateway choice for Kuwait and provide account readiness plan.
  • Confirm shipping model (Path A or Path B).
  • Confirm commission rules, payout schedule, hold period, and refund rules.
  • Provide brand assets, category structure, and policy texts.
  • Approve timeline and milestones.
  • Sign acceptance and schedule kickoff meeting.
23) Acceptance

Acceptance and Signature

For VLTD

Name: __________________________

Title: __________________________

Signature: ______________________

Date: __________________________

For Muhammad Zaid

Name: Muhammad Zaid

Signature: ______________________

Date: __________________________