Shop Marketplace
Version: v1.0
Last Updated: May 30, 2026
An overview of how the shop marketplace works and how the parties interact. For step-by-step guides, see the Customer Guide and the Shop Partner Guide.
What it is
The shop marketplace lets customers buy physical products from retailers for delivery or customer pickup. Unlike food, products come from a stocked catalogue with inventory counts, so availability is driven by stock levels.
📸 Screenshot: Shop customer-facing browse screen
Who the parties are
| Party | Role |
|---|---|
| Customer | Browses the catalogue, orders, pays, and receives the products |
| Shop (partner) | Picks and packs the order, hands it to the rider or customer |
| Rider | Collects from the shop and delivers to the customer |
| Delivery company | Employs the rider; assigned by the shop to handle dispatch |
| Platform (BookMaMe) | Runs the marketplace, processes payment, deducts the service charge, settles the partner |
End-to-end flow
Customer browses the catalogue and builds a cart
→ Places the order (delivery or pickup) and pays
→ Shop accepts → picks and packs the items
→ Shop marks ready for dispatch
Delivery: rider collects (pickup PIN) → delivers (customer PIN)
Pickup: customer collects in person
→ Order completes → partner is paid automatically
Inventory model
Products are organised as category → product → variant, each with a stock quantity. When stock hits zero, the product is hidden automatically. This is the key difference from restaurants: shop availability is inventory-driven, and an item can sell out mid-day.
How payments flow
- Customer pays by online card, mobile money, cash/card on delivery, or cash/card on pickup
- The platform deducts the service charge and settles the rest after completion
- Partial fulfillment: if an item is out of stock during picking, the shop can remove it; the customer is refunded for that item and the rest of the order proceeds — settlement is based on what was actually fulfilled
How delivery works
Same as restaurants: the shop assigns delivery companies, the platform routes the dispatch task, and handoff is secured by pickup and delivery PINs. Failed deliveries go to the depot for a retry/return decision.
What's unique about this marketplace
- Inventory-driven availability with per-variant stock
- Partial fulfillment when some items are out of stock
- Picking and packing rather than preparing/cooking
- No per-branch model like restaurants — a shop is a single catalogue (with delivery coverage)