Planning & implementation decisions
Do you need a store, marketplace or custom ordering platform?
A store suits one merchant selling its own catalogue. A marketplace introduces independent sellers, settlement responsibilities and dispute handling. A custom ordering platform is appropriate when quoting, approvals or fulfilment cannot fit a conventional checkout.
| Model | Use case | Extra decisions |
|---|---|---|
| Single-merchant store | One business owns sales and fulfilment | Catalogue, tax configuration, stock and returns |
| Multi-vendor marketplace | Independent sellers serve customers | Seller roles, settlement responsibilities and disputes |
| Custom ordering platform | Quotes, approvals or unusual fulfilment | Pricing rules, account permissions and operational APIs |
- Step 1 →
Order and reserve
Validate items, quantities and stock policy.
- Step 2 →
Confirm payment
Match provider evidence to the order once.
- Step 3 →
Fulfil and notify
Record dispatch or collection and communicate status.
- Step 4
Handle returns
Link approved refund and inventory adjustments to the original order.
Exception & recovery path
Payment after reservation expiry → review availability → agree fulfilment or an authorized refund. A failed notification must not repeat payment allocation.
When should stock be reserved and released?
Agree the source of stock availability and the point at which an order reserves it. Define reservation expiry and recovery when payment arrives after expiry. Never assume that a checkout success screen proves either payment or stock allocation.
How should M-Pesa checkout connect to fulfilment?
Create the order reference before requesting payment. Validate confirmation and match it once, then release the order only under the agreed fulfilment rules. Keep pending and unmatched payments visible to operations and the customer.
What changes the scope of a marketplace?
Seller onboarding, catalogue moderation, split shipments, commissions, refunds and settlement reconciliation add operational requirements. Confirm the responsible merchant and supported provider arrangements before building a payment or payout flow.
What must continue after launch?
Assign owners for catalogue quality, stock conflicts, returns, customer communication, hosting and provider updates. Test partial cancellation and failed fulfilment as well as a successful order. Compare platform licences and ongoing integrations in the proposal.
Take this into your project discussion
- Choose merchant, seller and fulfilment responsibilities.
- Define stock reservation and expiry rules.
- Map pending, paid, cancelled and returned states.
- Test duplicated payment, split fulfilment and stock conflict.
- Agree provider, hosting and operations ownership.
Planning content reviewed . Confirm current provider requirements and project-specific assumptions before implementation.
Product Discovery That Helps Customers Choose
We plan categories, product detail pages, search, filtering, variants and clear calls to action around your catalogue and customers. High-value products, configurable items and wholesale enquiries may require different buying flows from simple retail checkout.
Checkout, M-Pesa and Order Status
Digital commerce depends on more than a payment button. We design the relationship between orders, chosen payment providers, confirmation, delivery or collection, customer messages and exceptions, with methods and integrations selected for the merchant’s accounts and processes.
Inventory, Administration and Supplier Workflows
An effective storefront needs a back office. Depending on the project, we scope inventory visibility, price updates, order management, returns, supplier records and POS or ERP integration to reduce repeated work between systems.
Stores, Multi-Vendor Marketplaces and Custom Platforms
The right solution may be a configured commerce platform, a custom storefront or a multi-vendor marketplace with supplier and fulfilment rules. We recommend a technical approach based on ownership, scale, integrations and ongoing operational costs.
Frequently asked questions
Can you build a marketplace rather than a single-store website?
Yes. We can scope multi-vendor listings, catalogue ownership, commission rules and order workflows as a custom project.
Can you integrate M-Pesa into an online store?
We can plan supported M-Pesa or other payment connections using the merchant’s approved provider access.