B2B MARKETPLACE: REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL TEMPLATE

BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

STEPS TO FOLLOW: Responses Due by: MONTH/DAY/YEAR

1. Please make a copy of the spreadsheet and rename the file to "B2B eCommerce RFP Response _VENDOR NAME.xls"
2. Fill in the appropriate 'Response' for questions in subsequent spreadsheets. See a list of 'Response' types below
3. Once all questions are answered, please send the completed spreadsheet to FIRSTNAME.LASTNAME@YOURCOMPANY.COM
4. Please email FIRSTNAME.LASTNAME@YOURCOMPANY.COM for any questions or issues.

RESPONSE WHAT IT MEANS

Yes (No Configuration or Customization Required) No additional workarounds or customizations are required.
Yes (With Configuration Only) Requires configuration changes within the system without the use of custom coding.
Yes (With Custom Coding) Requires Customizations, moderate workarounds, customizations /enhancements are required.
Not Feasible Feature not in scope for your solution.
Not Applicable Feature is not applicable to your system/solution.
Need more information There is not enough information provided.
 Software Vendor Profile

Category

GENERAL INFORMATION

CONTACT INFORMATION

COMPANY INFORMATION

PRODUCT INFORMATION

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

REFERENCES
REFERENCES
 Software Vendor Profile

Question
Company Name
Company Address
Company Phone
Company Website
Solution Partner Name (if applicable)
Solution Partner Address (if applicable)
Solution Partner Phone # (if applicable)
Solution Partner Website (if applicable)

Primary Contact Name

Primary Contact Role
Primary Contact Phone
Primary Contact Email Address
Secondary Contact Name
Secondary Contact Role
Secondary Contact Phone
Secondary Contact Email Address

Ownership Structure (i.e., private/public)

When was the company established?
Geographical Office Locations
# of Employees

What is the name and version of the solution(s) for this proposal?
Is the product a proprietary software or open source?
Describe the onboarding process for your new customers.
Discuss what's included in your short-term (1 yr) and long-term (3 yr) product roadmap strategy.
Is your solution PCI-compliant?
Explain how your solution can address GDPR requirements.

Briefly tell us about your company and experience in eCommerce and marketplace management.
What are your key differentiators compared to other vendors in the market?
Which industries are your current client base in?
Please provide an example of an implementation timeline.
What is your pricing structure like?

Company Name 1
Reference Name 1
Title 1
Email 1
Phone 1
Company Name 2
Reference Name 2
Title 2
Email 2
Phone 2

Company Name 3
Reference Name 3
Title 3
Email 3
Phone 3
Response Notes
 Operator Features

Category

GENERAL

SELLER MANAGEMENT

CONTENT MANAGEMENT
 PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

SITE NAVIGATION

SITE SEARCH

SITE DESIGN

QUOTING/ORDERING/CHECKOUT
QUOTING/ORDERING/CHECKOUT

SHIPPING/FULFILLMENT

PAYMENTS MANAGEMENT

TAXES

MARKETING MANAGEMENT

NOTIFICATIONS
 NOTIFICATIONS

FEES/COMMISSIONS

MEMBERSHIPS/SUBSCRIPTIONS

REPORTS/ANALYTICS
 Operator Features

Question
Do you support sub-brands within sellers?
Do you support multiple languages?
Do you support multiple locations?
Do you support multiple currencies?
Do you support multiple tax rules?
Do you support multiple warehouses?
Can sellers set their SEO tags?
Can search engines crawl seller site maps?
Are all website pages SEO-friendly?
Is the site mobile-friendly?
Do you support omnichannel (click-collect, ship/return to store, POS payment, etc)?

What are your platform's access control options?

Do you support unique business higherarchies for vendors?
Can operators onbord sellers and buyers within the system?
What onboarding features are available (approve/deny vendors, product categoris, SKUs, prices, etc)?
What seller vetting features are availble to identify dishonest sellers, limit misuse and fraud?
Can you set different approval and rejection workflows?
For bookings marketplaces, do you support service timeslots?

Is a headless CMS supported?

Can the CMS be accessed according to roles and permissions?
Describe your static and dynamic content types (return policy pages, vendor pages, etc)
Can opreators build branded (manufacturer) landing pages?
Can operators build landing pages for promotions?
Can operators control content publishing dates?
Can operators control the URL (slug) of site content?
Can operators hide pages from search engines?
Can operators view versions of seller content?
Can operators change default strings (ie. add to cart)
Can operators hide some pages from buyers behind pasword access?
Can different product cateogiries have different templates?
Is it possible to configure the approval process before content is published?
List supported SEO features (eg. sitemap generation, SEO meta tags, etc)
Is there a content audit log?

How do duplicate products from different sellers get managed?

Can products, digital products, services, subscription services, events be bought together?
What product attributes do you support? (eg. numeric, date, drop downs, etc.)
Do you support custom/dynamic attributes? (eg. localized, globalized, per product type: eg. faimly size: 3
people)
Can you manage relationships with other products (eg. cross seling, upgrades, added services)?
Can operators manage product types with unique structures and attributes?
Can you exclude certain products/brands from being displayed if they aren't sold in certain regions?
Does the platform support faceted/taxonomy based filtering when navigating through products?
Does the platform support multiple product catalogs according to location and customer account?
Can operators change content limits? (eg. title 10 characters, description 200 characters)
Can operators manage product categories by global and category level?
Do you support modifying images to conform to operator standards?
Do you support bulk editing of product information? (ie. titles, descriptions)
Can you hide products when changes are being made? In bulk?
Do you have an approval and rejection workflow for products? In bulk?
Can opreators manage product quality control? In bulk?
Do you support modifying seller uploads (ie. images) to conform to standards?
Do you support product information syndication from external sources? (i.e. content delivered by
manufacturers)
Do you have versioning control for products?

Can you browse the site by product category and type? (eg. by price, brand, size)
Can you browse the site by recommendations (eg. people also bought, most popular this month, etc)
Can the storefront be divided into departments, service areas, product categories, types, and so on?
Can operators group and display products according to attribute?
Does the platform have a customizable menu function?
Can you view products by list or grid view?
Does the site offer breadcrumb navigation?
What are the default sorting options (eg. newest, newest version)

Does the serch engine support searching by SKU, part number, keyword, and attributes?
Does the search engine account for similar words and synonyms?
Does the platform suggest popular searches?
Does the serch support category weight?
Can searches be filtered by most viewed, sold, etc?
Can search suggest landing pages when searching specific keyword?
Can you search and browse by product attributes?
Can you browse the site through landing pages?

Is the website responsive (front-end and back-end)?

Is the website accessible with Google's ADA content accessibiliy guidelines?
Is there design assistance (UI kit, templates, etc)?
Does the site support RTL (rigt-to-left) languages?

Does the platform support matrix ordering for complex product configurations?
Can orders get routed according to different criteria (seller, product type, delivery adress, round robin,
etc?)
Can operators offer shipping SLAs to sellers?
Can orders be shipped partially among sellers?
Can orders get split among sellers?
Can the operator manage spending limits for customers?
Can the opreator set minimum and maximum purchase limits per cart?
Can the operator set an out-of-stock message?

What wharehouse management features are there? (eg. ability to select optimal warehouse)
Can opeartors set shipping classes and tiers?
Can products be linked with shipping classes?

How are operator finances managed (fees, commissions, etc)?

How are pay-outs (partner, agent, seller disbursements) managed?
What are the accepted payment options?
Can customers apply for credit or financing through the website?
Can customers pay in installments?
Can opreators collect recurring payments from customers?
Does the platform support paying invoices using ACH?
Can the platform perform automatic refunds?
Can the platform manage a customer wallet for refunds?

Can the platform set different tax rules by location (country, state, locale, etc.)?
Can the platform display the tax calculation breakdown at checkout?
Can your platform integrate into 3rd party tax management systems?

Can operators perform A/B testing?

Can operators segment customers for separate marketing efforts and campaigns?
Can the operator use CRM capabilities, or CRM integration?
Can the operator create their own loyalty coupons?
Can the operator create promotions by product brand, supplier, or any other attribute?
Can the operator define the duration and end date of promotions?
Can the operator exclude products from promotions?
Can operators generate systems emails for sellers and their customers?
Can email templates be customized?
Do you support reviews or integration with review platforms?

Can operattors generate transactional emails for sellers' customers?

Can transactional email templates be customized?
Can sellers be notified of messages, returns and payments from customers?
Can sellers notify buyers by email, app, sms or phone call?
Can sellers be notified by email, app, sms or phone call?
Can customers be notified of order status, and return status?

Does the marketplace support transaction fees, warehouse fees, or added services?
Does the marketplace support metered usage, subscription, freemium models?
Can opeartors charge different commission fees to vendors? (eg. tiered, calculated, custom prices)
Can operators charge analytics, marketing, featured product, banner, and email campaign fees?
Can operators control pricing models according to vendor?
Can opeartors limit fees for select vendors?

Does the marketplace support memberships/subscriptions for buyers?

Does the marketplace support memberships/subscriptions for vendors?
Can opeartors charge different membership fees to vendors? (eg. tiered, calculated, custom prices)
Can operators limit fees or reduce prices for select buyer members?
Can operators offer additional value added services for buyer members (free shipping)?
Can different sections of the site be available to members only?
Can members recieve notifications by app, sms, or phone call?

What out-of-the-box reporting and dashboard offerings are available in your platform?
Can operators monitor business-critical and eCommerce KPIs?
Can operators visualize vendor operations, sales performance, and revenues?
Can operators customize reports and limit who has access to them?
Can opreators segment sellers?
Can opreators generate reports on search performance?
Can opreators generate reports on website performance?
Can opreators generate reports on channel performance?
Can operators generate reports on their marketing campaigns?
Can opreators generate reports on customer LTV?
Can opreators generate reports on inventory?
Can opreators generate reports on products?
Can opreators generate reports on orders?
Can opreators generate reports on order fulfillment?
Can opreators generate reports on customer service?
Response Notes
 Vendor Features

Category

CATALOG/PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

QOUTING/ORDERING/CHECKOUT

SELLER INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

SELLER SHIPPING/FULFILLMENT
 SELLER PRICING

CUSTOMER SERVICE/MANAGEMNET

SELLER PROMOTIONS

SELLER PAYMENTS

TAXES

MARKETING MANAGEMNET
CONTENT MANAGEMENT

PERSONALIZATION

REPORTS/ANALYTICS
 Vendor Features

Question
Can sellers set products with multiple variants/configurations (eg. color, size, length, etc.)?
Can sellers set multiple units of measure (eg. box, crate, item, etc.)?
Can seller set kits and related products? (eg. displaying seller's other products)
Can sellers set shipping attributes? (i.e. dimensions)
Can sellers set different templates for their products?
Can sellers set key attributes for product type?
Can sellers set custom product attributes?
Can sellers group products according to attribute?
Can sellers import/export product lists? (product SKUs, images, descriptions, details, etc.)
Can sellers define ralationships between other products through sets and themes?
Do sellers have inventory management features?

Can sellers use configure price quote (CPQ) capabilities?

What quoting (RFQ), ordering, and negotiation features are available to sellers?
Can sellers enact a quoting (RFQ), ordering, and fulfillment approval process?
Can sellers set order, checkout flows for different customer groups/customers?
If products are not in stock, can customers purchase on lead time?
Can sellers set an out-of-stock message?
Can sellers change orders?
Can sellers set order routing logic?
Can sellers accept pre-orders?
Can sellers accept back-orders?

Can sellers manage inventory from multiple warehouses?

Can sellers route orders between warehouses?
Can sellers set stock buggers?

Can the platform support dynamic custom shipping rules? (eg. engine)
Does the platform support setting up approval workflows for different steps of the fulfillment process?
Can sellers manage shipping and see shipment tracking information?
Can sellers display a shipping pricing table by order amount?
Can sellers display Proof of Delivery signatures specific to an order?
Can sellers display real-time shipping costs at checkout?
Can sellers ship orders partially?
Can orders be splitted and routed to different sellers and shippers?
Can drop-shipping be split between operator and vendor?
Can sellers initiate reverse logistics for refunds?
Can sellers integrate with their shipping solutions?
Can sellers set and manage multiple price lists for customer segments?
Can a seller's product or SKU support multiple prices?
Does your platform support batch and real-time pricing updates?
Can sellers create and build dynamic pricing/price rules? (eg. engine)
Can sellers set tiered prices for products?
Can pricing information stored in the ERP be synchronized with the eCommerce pricing?

Do you offer CRM capabilities? If not, which CRMs can you integrate with?
Can seller's customer-facing team generate their own quotes/orders from the platform?
Can seller's customer-facing team manage Request for Quotes (RFQ) submitted by customers from the
website?
Can sellers manage customer tickets or messages?
Can sellers modfidy customer profile details, order details, returns, and more?
Can sellers manage customer returns?

Can sellers set thier own promotion and dates?

Can sellers define where to run their campaigns according to attribute?
Can sellers run discounts based on order quantities?
Can sellers run promotions on product sets?

Can sellers offer buyers credit?

Can sellers accept numerous credit cards and payment opitions?
Can sellers accept multiple currencies?

Can sellers set different tax rules by location (country, state, locale, etc.)?
Can sellers offer customers a tax calculation breakdown at checkout?
Can sellers integrate integrate into 3rd party tax management systems?

How SEO-friendly is your platform for the seller?

Can sellers perform A/B testing?
Can sellers set their own brand pages?
Can sellers create additional landing pages? How many?
Can category landing pages have hero images, banners, videos, or multimedia?
Can sellers select highlited products in landing pages?
Can sellers select highlted products in product listds?
Can sellers select attributes to highlight on product pages?
Can sellers set marketing configurations (ie. bundles, options, services, or memberships?)
Can the seller control their product editorial process?
Can sellers launch and hide products?
Can sellers create promotions by product brand, supplier, or any other attribute?
Can sellers segment marketing, promotions, and prices according to customer?
Can sellers establish their own promotions and coupon codes?
Can sellers create their own loyalty programs?
Can sellers control price and sale durations?
Can sellers exclude items for promotions?

Can sellers translate their listings to different languages?

Can sellers control content launch and publish dates?
Can sellers set static content (eg. about us, faq, policies)
Can sellers manage their content slug (URL)?
Can sellers save product drafts?
Can sellers build pages from reusable components, and can they be arranged?
Do sellers have bulk import and export options for content elements?
Can sellers use API to modify content?

Can sellers customize how the storefront looks for different customers and customer groups?
Can sellers set different/multiple product page themes?
Can sellers set different/multiple homepage, website themes?
Can sellers display different products to users based on which group they fall into?
Can sellers display different prices to users based on which group they fall into?
Can you dynamically assign promotions by different products or product categories?
Can you dynamically assign promotions by customer or customer group?
Can custom catalogs be defined for different customer types or specific customers? (eg. customer-
specific, industry-specific, and user-specific catalogs)

Can sellers generate reports on taxes?

Can sellers generate reports on customers LTV?
Can sellers generate reports on their sales performance?
Can sellers generate reports on their channel performance?
Can sellers generate reports on their marketing campaigns?
Can sellers generate reports on inventory?
Can sellers generate reports on order fulfillment?
Can sellers generate reports on customer service?
Response Notes
 Buyer Features

Category

QUOTING/ORDERING/CHECKOUT

CUSTOMER PORTAL
 Buyer Features

Question
Does the platform support anonymous checkout?
Can customers upload CSV orders to checkout?
Can customers checkout using a single page or quick order form?
Can customers quickly repeat their orders?
Can customers set wish lists, shopping lists, and share them in their company?
Can the customer input their PO number at the time of checkout?
Can a customer start an order on mobile and complete the same order online (or vice versa)?
Can customers place scheduled automatic orders on a weekly/monthly basis?
Can customers select a desired address where they want their orders to be shipped?
Can buyers use personalized coupons and promotions?
Can buyers add coupon codes to checkout?
Can buyers modify their carts?

Can customers set their own corporate accounts and business higheratchies?
Can customers create role-based permissions within their company?
Can customer profiles save multiple billing and shipping addresses?
Can end-users manage their cards i.e., add new card, edit cards, delete cards)?
Can customers access information like order history, previous purchases, quotes, invoices, etc.?
Can customers manage their personal accounts, communication and notification settings?
Can customers quickly see commonly ordered items and re-order the same items?
Can customers create RFQs and see the status for their RFQ's or existing quotes?
Can customers self-manage corporate accounts and add multiple users to their company account?
Can customers set their account hierarchy (i.e., sub-divisions, sub-departments, territory offices)?
Can a single customer or account have multiple users associated to it?
Can the platform send a notification via email, app, sms, phone call to cusotmer once order status is changed?
Can customers communicate with the operator and seller?
Can customers track shipments?
Can customers initiate returns?
Can customers track returns?
Can customers cancel marketplace services?
Response Notes
 Technical Features

Category

TECHNOLOGY

SECURITY

HOSTING
 INTEGRATIONS

UGRADES & SUPPORT

 Technical Features
Describe
Questionthe overall technical architecture of your solution. Include the main components of the system,
Can the architecture
operating handle large
system, databases, volumes etc.
applications, of partners, sellers, buyers, inventory, catalog items, orders, and
transactions?
What programming languages are used in the software solution?
What APIs are available? What API response format is supported? (JSON, XML, ODATA etc.)
Can the base source code be modified or extended?
What browsers and browser versions are supported?
Does your solution support EDI?
Do you have any PIM and DAM features for catalog management?
Does your solution support punch-out capabilities?
Will we get access to the source code regardless if deployed on-premise or in the cloud?

Does your platform offer seller access control (eg, access to system functions, order management, content
creation and approval, etc.)
Do you support profile level permissions for buyers? (eg. access to credit limits).
Describe how data is encrypted in your solution.
Can your solution support and configure security alerts and warnings on certain actions?
Describe the audit trail functionality.
Does your solution have role management/access control capabilities (i.e. ACL)?
Describe how user roles can be defined and what access restrictions can be configured by role.
Describe how the software supports federated identity and Single Sign On (SAML/OpenID/OAuth/etc.).
Does the platform support blocking by IP?
Does the platform support two-factor athentication?
What authentication optioncs (SSO) are offered?
Do you support service provisioning (MACD and CRUD)?
Does the solution offer PCI compliance?
What fraud detections is offered? Can cards be blocked for fraud?
Does the solution support SSL encryption?
Describe how security vulnerabilities are identified and mitigated.

Do you support cloud, on-premise, and/or hybrid deployment models?

Do you support headless deployment with decoupled front-end?
Do you support a SaaS based approach?
Which hosting provider do you use? Where are the data centers located?
How is your availability and resiliency guaranteed?
Provide Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery Plan (might be part of SLA)
How are your backups generated and at what checkpoints?
How is the performance of the IT components and supporting network monitored? How is capacity monitored?
Do you provide a staging and preview environment so we can test before launch?

What type of integration methods do you support and are most common?
Do you integrate with PIM, DAM, CMS, WHM, and other systems?
Can you integrate with ERP? What ERPs have you integrated with?
Can you integrate with CRM? What CRMs have you integrated with?
Can you platform integrate with finance/accounting systems?
Can you platform integrate with tax management systems?
Can you integrate with a third-party Email Service Providers (ESPs)?
How does our historical data (orders, customers, products) migrate to your solution?
Can you support synicated 3rd party catalogs?
Can you integrate with Google services like Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Data Studio?
Can you integrate with support/helpdesk applications?

What SLAs (service level agreement) is offered by your solution?

Describe your release secnario and how patches are typically released. List any details, hardware and software
requiremnets.
What is the avearage cost to perform an upgrade or specific upgrades.
What is the average downtime during patches or upgrades?
How often
Please are your
outline upgrades delivered
support model to clients?(basic, paid, in application, phone, web etc.). Do you offer 24/7
offerings
support?
Describe your company's process and guidelines for tracking customer issues and resolution of these problems
(corrective action process).
What documentation and/or user guides do you provide for your solution?
Response Notes
 Licensing & Pricing

Category

LICENSING

IMPLEMENTATION

TRAINING
 Licensing & Pricing

Question
Explain how your solution is licensed. What factors go into licensing?
Is there a separate charge for hosting? If so, what would be the estimated cost?
Is there an additional cost for application maintenance?
Are there any additional fees that we should be aware of?
Are there additional licensing costs for pre-production environments (e.g. development, test, UAT)?
Please provide information on who will be working on the implementation. (i.e., in-house services team or solution
partner)
What is your average cost for a project implementation?
What is the average timeframe a project takes from start to 'go live'?
Are there any other costs we should be aware of?

Describe the training provided for the use, administration, configuration, customization and maintenance of the
system. How will it be charged?
Response Notes