Channel network
Model parties, locations, supply edges and per-relationship price books, then give each partner a scoped login.
The network is the configuration
Everything in Trade OS hangs off a channel graph: parties, the locations they operate from, and the supply edges that connect them. Adding a super-stockist, a sub-distributor or a direct-to-retailer route is a configuration change on that graph, not a new product.
| Object | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Party | A brand, C&F agent, super-stockist, distributor, sub-distributor, retailer, HORECA or institutional buyer |
| Location | A warehouse, depot, branch or delivery point belonging to a party |
| Supply edge | A permitted seller-to-buyer relationship, with its own terms |
| Price book | The prices and lines that apply to one relationship |
A party can hold more than one role. The same business can buy from a brand and sell to retailers, and each edge carries its own terms.
Scoped partner logins
Each partner signs in to its own workspace view. A distributor sees its buyers, stock, orders and collections. It does not see another distributor's business, and a brand does not automatically see a distributor's private commercial detail.
Grant a login by inviting the party against its node in the network. Scope follows the graph, so revoking an edge revokes what that login could reach.
Relationship pricing
Prices are defined per relationship rather than per product alone. The same SKU can carry one price to a distributor, another to a sub-distributor and another to a retailer buying direct, without duplicating the catalog.
Price evaluation is deterministic and explainable. When a buyer sees a price, that number can be traced to the price book line and the edge it came from, which is what makes disputes resolvable.
Design guidance
Model the real trade route before entering data. A common mistake is to create a separate catalog or a separate customer list per tier; in Trade OS that produces duplicate SKUs and prices that drift apart. One catalog plus per-relationship price books keeps the network correct as it grows.
Next: Orders and inventory.