Buyer journey
What a buyer can do on the storefront website and in the buyer app, step by step, as the platform implements it today.
1. Account and sign-in
- Website: register with email and password (email verified by code), or sign in with a one-time code sent by email. Buyers can turn on an authenticator-app second factor (TOTP) under Account → Security.
- Buyer app: sign in with a one-time code sent by SMS to the phone, or with a password; the app can be locked with the device's biometrics.
- Guests can browse and build a cart without an account. On sign-in the guest cart is merged into the account cart.
The API supports Google and Apple sign-in and SMS codes, but the storefront has no buttons for them yet. Facebook sign-in is not implemented.
2. Finding products
- Browse by category (with breadcrumbs), by brand, or from the home page.
- Search runs on Meilisearch with suggestions as you type, and filters for category, brand, seller, attributes and in-stock. Arabic spelling variants (alef and hamza forms, diacritics, Arabic-Indic digits) are normalised for search analytics.
- Product page: choose a variant (size, colour…). The Buy Box shows the best offer for that variant; other sellers' offers for the same item are listed below it.
- Wishlists: several lists per account, each private or shareable by link.
- Questions and answers on product pages, and verified-purchase reviews with helpful votes and reporting.
3. Cart
- Add, change quantity, remove, or move a line to saved for later and back.
- If a price changed since the item was added, the buyer is asked to accept the new price before checking out.
4. Checkout
- Start — stock for every line is reserved for the checkout session. Reservations expire on their own, so an abandoned checkout releases stock automatically.
- Address — choose or add a delivery address.
- Shipping — choose a shipping method per seller, because each seller ships separately.
- Discounts and balances — apply a coupon, redeem a gift card, or use loyalty points.
- Pay and confirm — the order is placed with one order number and split per seller behind the scenes.
5. Payment methods
| Method | Status |
|---|---|
| Cash on delivery (COD) | Live The method available to buyers today. Not offered for digital goods, only in enabled countries (Qatar and Egypt by default), and not above a configured maximum order value. |
| Gift card | Live Admin-issued cards redeemed at checkout; applied before points. |
| Loyalty points | Live Can pay up to 50% of an order (placeholder values, see Money rules). |
| Card via Stripe | Built, not live for QAR Real integration (3-D Secure), but Stripe is not enabled for Qatari riyal and needs a production key. |
| Card via Paymob | Not implemented Placeholder adapter only. |
A development-only "sandbox card" exists for testing and cannot be switched on in production.
6. After the order
- Order pages list each order with its per-seller groups, statuses and shipment tracking. Shipments also have a public tracking page by shipment number.
- Notifications by email, in-app, push and SMS as the order moves (see Notifications).
- Delivery code: the buyer receives a 6-digit code by SMS and gives it to the driver at the door; that code is the proof of delivery.
- Invoices, messages with sellers, support tickets, disputes and a privacy area (data export) are all in the account section of the website.
7. Cancelling
A buyer may cancel free of charge until a seller accepts the order. After acceptance the order can no longer be cancelled by the buyer — it can only be returned after delivery. If payment had already been captured, a cancellation is refunded; otherwise the payment is voided.
8. Returns and refunds
- Request a return within 14 days of delivery from the order page.
- The seller (or an admin) approves or rejects. A rejected return can be escalated to a dispute, which an admin resolves; the seller has 72 hours to respond.
- The buyer ships the item back and marks the return as shipped.
- The seller confirms receipt, and the refund is issued.
The refund covers what was paid for the returned units (the discounted price plus tax) and a proportional share of shipping, split back across the ways the order was paid. Card refunds go back through the provider; COD refunds are recorded as owed to the buyer and paid by bank transfer by staff. See Money rules.
What the buyer app covers
Sign-in, onboarding, catalogue and search, product page with Buy Box, cart, addresses, checkout, orders, returns (view, cancel, mark shipped) and notifications. Wishlists, messaging, Q&A, and creating returns or reviews are on the website only for now.