BulkBazaar
A B2B wholesale marketplace connecting verified suppliers and manufacturers with bulk buyers — discover products, request quotes, order at MOQ-based wholesale prices, and pay securely with trade protection. This document specifies the Buyer app and the web-based Admin panel.
1. Overview
1.1 Purpose
This document defines the product requirements for BulkBazaar, an Alibaba-style B2B wholesale marketplace. Buyers (retailers, resellers, businesses) discover products from verified suppliers and manufacturers, compare wholesale prices and minimum order quantities (MOQ), raise Requests for Quotation (RFQ), place bulk orders and pay through a protected trade flow. The platform spans a Buyer mobile app, supplier accounts, and a web-based Admin panel for the operations team.
1.2 Product vision
To be the most trusted way for Indian businesses to source in bulk — pairing a large, verified supplier base with tiered wholesale pricing, an RFQ engine that puts buyers in control, and trade-assured payments that protect both sides — backed by an operations console that gives the business full control of catalogue, suppliers, orders, payments and disputes.
1.3 Scope
In scope: buyer onboarding & KYB; category & full-text product search; verified supplier storefronts; product detail with tiered/MOQ pricing and specs; RFQ & quotation engine with negotiation; cart & bulk ordering; trade-assured payments (escrow-style) via Razorpay/UPI/cards/net-banking; order & logistics tracking; in-app messaging; ratings & supplier verification; and the Admin panel (dashboard, supplier KYC, catalogue moderation, buyers, orders, RFQs, payments & settlements, disputes, commissions, coupons, content, reports).
Out of scope (v1): cross-border trade & customs, multi-currency, a separate logistics/freight marketplace, and B2C retail checkout — BulkBazaar v1 is bulk B2B only.
2. Personas
Five primary actors interact with the platform.
| Persona | Description | Primary goals |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer | Retailer, reseller or business sourcing in bulk. | Find the right product & supplier, best wholesale price, safe payment, on-time delivery. |
| Procurement manager | Buys for a larger business; compares multiple quotes. | Run RFQs, compare quotes, negotiate, track multiple orders. |
| Supplier / Manufacturer | Lists products and fulfils bulk orders. | Get qualified leads, respond to RFQs, manage orders & payouts. |
| Ops / Catalogue | Verifies suppliers and curates the catalogue. | KYC suppliers, moderate listings, resolve disputes. |
| Super Admin | Business operator running the marketplace. | Control commissions, monitor GMV, manage users & settings. |
3. Discovery & Search
3.1 Search, categories & storefronts
Buyers find products through full-text search and a deep category tree (e.g. Electronics → Mobile Accessories → Chargers). Each verified supplier has a storefront showing their catalogue, response rate, transaction level and certifications. Results can be filtered by price, MOQ, supplier location, certification and rating.
3.2 Product detail & tiered pricing
A product page shows specifications, images, the minimum order quantity (MOQ), and tiered wholesale pricing (e.g. 100–499 units @ ₹85, 500–999 @ ₹78, 1000+ @ ₹72). Buyers can request a sample, add to cart at a quantity tier, or raise an RFQ if they want a custom quote. See product → quote → order play out in the demo →
4. RFQ & Quotations
For custom requirements, a buyer posts a Request for Quotation — product, quantity, target price, delivery location and notes. Matching suppliers respond with quotes (unit price, MOQ, lead time, validity). The buyer sees all quotes side by side, can negotiate in chat, and converts the winning quote into an order in one tap. The RFQ engine is what makes wholesale efficient — one request, many competing offers.
5. Bulk Ordering & MOQ
The cart enforces each product's MOQ and applies the correct price tier for the chosen quantity, recalculating the total live as the buyer adjusts quantities. Orders can combine multiple products from the same supplier; mixed-supplier carts split into separate orders. The order summary itemises unit price, quantity, tier discount, taxes (GST) and shipping before checkout.
6. Payments & Trade Assurance
Payments use a trade-assured (escrow-style) flow: the buyer pays into a protected hold; funds release to the supplier on delivery confirmation, protecting both parties. Methods include UPI, cards, net-banking and (for qualified buyers) credit terms, via Razorpay. Advance/partial payment is supported for large orders. Every order produces a GST-compliant invoice.
| Step | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Order summary | Unit price, quantity, tier discount, GST & shipping shown before payment. |
| Trade Assurance | Buyer pays into a protected hold; released to supplier on delivery confirmation. |
| Methods | UPI, cards, net-banking, advance/partial; credit terms for qualified buyers. |
| Invoice | GST-compliant invoice per order, downloadable & shareable. |
7. Orders & Logistics
The Orders tab separates active and completed orders. Each order tracks its lifecycle — confirmed, in production, shipped, in transit, delivered — with shipment details and an estimated delivery date from the logistics partner. On delivery the buyer confirms receipt (releasing escrow), can rate the supplier, raise a dispute if needed, and re-order in one tap. A full order history is always available.
8. Messaging & Supplier Verification
Buyers chat directly with suppliers to negotiate, clarify specs and share documents. Suppliers carry trust signals — verified badge (KYC/KYB done), transaction level, response rate and buyer ratings — so buyers can judge reliability at a glance. Verification is performed and maintained from the Admin panel.
9. Admin Panel
The Admin panel is the web-based operations and configuration hub for the super admin and ops team, organized as a grouped left-sidebar navigation.
| Category | Items |
|---|---|
| Dashboard | KPIs: GMV, orders, RFQs, active suppliers & buyers, conversion. |
| Suppliers | Onboarding, KYC/KYB verification, transaction level, storefront moderation. |
| Products | Catalogue & category moderation, pricing tiers, MOQ, listing approval. |
| Orders | All orders, lifecycle, escrow status, fulfilment & logistics. |
| RFQs | Open requests, quotes received, conversion & matching quality. |
| Buyers | Profiles, KYB, order history, credit eligibility. |
| Payments | Trade-assurance holds, settlements to suppliers, commissions, refunds. |
| Disputes | Buyer–supplier disputes, evidence, resolution & refunds. |
| Reports | GMV by category, top suppliers, RFQ conversion, dispute & refund trends. |
| Settings | Commissions & fees, categories, coupons, content/banners, roles & access. |
10. Non-Functional Requirements
Performance
Search across large catalogues under 2 seconds; product & checkout interactive under 1.5 seconds.
Scalability
Millions of SKUs and concurrent search via a dedicated search index; horizontal scaling of catalogue & orders.
Security & payments
PCI-aligned payment handling, escrow integrity, encrypted PII/KYC, RBAC for admin.
Reliability
99.9% uptime; idempotent payments & webhooks; consistent escrow ledger.
Compliance
GST-compliant invoicing, RBI payment-aggregator & escrow norms, KYC/KYB per regulation.
Observability
Audit logs for orders, payments, escrow & disputes; reconciliation & fraud alerts.
11. Order Status Model
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| RFQ open | Buyer posted a request; awaiting supplier quotes. |
| Quoted | One or more suppliers have responded with quotes. |
| Payment held | Order placed; buyer paid into trade-assurance hold. |
| Confirmed | Supplier accepted; order in production / processing. |
| Shipped | Dispatched; shipment & ETA available. |
| Delivered | Received by buyer; awaiting confirmation. |
| Completed | Buyer confirmed; escrow released to supplier. |
| Disputed / Refunded | Issue raised; resolved per policy, refunded if upheld. |
12. Open Questions
- Trade-assurance/escrow provider — Razorpay Route/escrow, a dedicated escrow partner, or marketplace settlement?
- Commission model — flat take-rate, category-wise, or supplier-tier based; and who bears the gateway fee?
- Supplier onboarding — self-serve with KYC review, or invite-only curated in v1?
- Logistics — integrate a freight/3PL aggregator at launch, or supplier-arranged shipping with tracking links?
- Which categories and supplier base launch first to seed liquidity?