Marketplace
The marketplace brings together stores by category, country and region. It gives buyers a central place to discover products, stores and promotions while maintaining a structured, scalable model.
How Sapio Commerce Works
A marketplace of specialised stores, organised by category, country and region.
Sapio Commerce connects independent stores, professional buyers and regional partners through a structured marketplace model. Each store belongs to one business category, aligned with its economic activity, and can sell both to final customers and to approved professional clients.
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Business categories
Stores are grouped into clearly defined categories aligned with company activity.
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Category per store
Each store belongs to one category only, ensuring clarity and consistency.
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B2B price levels
Stores may define up to five professional pricing levels beyond the retail price.
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Core actors
Marketplace admin, VAP and store owner each have distinct responsibilities.
Who is involved
Sapio Commerce combines a central marketplace with regional business development and independent store operations.
VAP - Regional Partner
The VAP operates at regional level. It identifies businesses, creates stores for clients, supports onboarding and monitors aggregated sales totals for the stores it manages.
Store Owner
Each store owner manages products, pricing, customers, approvals for professional clients, branding and store-level sales. Detailed store data remain private to the store.
Why this model is different
Sapio Commerce is not a generic marketplace where any seller can upload any product. It is a structured commerce model built on category specialisation, regional partner development and store-level autonomy.
- Each store is linked to a single business category aligned with its activity code.
- Products flow from specialised stores into the central marketplace.
- Regional partners help the marketplace scale by creating and supporting stores.
- B2C and B2B sales can coexist in the same store with controlled access to professional pricing.
How the process works
From partner onboarding to product discovery, the model follows a clear commercial flow.
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A VAP is created for a region
Sapio Commerce appoints or approves a regional partner to develop the marketplace in a specific territory. The VAP becomes responsible for identifying and onboarding stores in that region.
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The VAP creates a new store for a client
When a business joins the platform, the VAP creates its store, assigns it to one of the marketplace categories and sets up its initial identity, such as store name, logo and basic commercial settings.
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The store manages its own products and customers
The store owner controls products, stock, prices, promotions, terms and customer approvals. The store is autonomous in its own commercial operation and keeps detailed information private.
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Products become visible in the marketplace
As products are added to the store, they can also appear in the central marketplace under the correct category, country and region, making discovery easier for both final and professional buyers.
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Customers discover stores and products
Buyers can browse by category, country, region and store. This structure supports local discovery while also allowing the marketplace to grow internationally in a controlled way.
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B2C and B2B pricing work together
A non-registered buyer can see the retail price and an entry-level professional price linked to a minimum quantity. Approved professional clients can access additional price levels and negotiate directly with the store.
Pricing and access logic
The pricing model supports both retail and professional commerce while keeping store control at the centre.
What public visitors can see
Visitors can see the B2C price and the highest visible entry-level B2B price linked to a minimum quantity. This makes the marketplace transparent and encourages professional buyers to register.
What approved professional clients can see
Once approved by a store, a professional client can access further B2B price levels, based on the commercial policy defined by that store. The approval process is managed by the store itself.
Store-led approval
Professional validation is not controlled centrally. Each store decides whether to approve a business client and which B2B level to assign, preserving commercial autonomy and confidentiality.
Confidential commercial data
Detailed customer and transaction data remain at store level. VAPs and marketplace administration only access aggregated totals needed for management, commissions and performance monitoring.
Data visibility and governance
The platform is designed to balance marketplace coordination with store confidentiality.
Store Owner
Sees all operational and commercial detail for the store, including products, customers, approvals and store sales.
VAP
Sees aggregated totals for the stores it created and manages, enough to track commissions and performance by period.
Marketplace Admin
Sees aggregated totals across stores, segmented by VAP and store, without access to confidential customer detail at store level.
Frequently asked questions
Key points that help visitors, stores and partners understand the model quickly.
Can any business open a store?
Stores are normally created through a VAP and are assigned to one category aligned with the company's activity.
Can one store sell products from several categories?
No. In this model, each store is linked to a single category in order to preserve clarity, consistency and alignment with business activity.
Who approves professional buyers?
The store itself. Each store decides how to validate professional clients and which price level they can access.
Does the marketplace see all store sales in detail?
No. Marketplace administration works with aggregated totals, while detailed operational data remain private to the store.