Baazizi CMS

The Problem

Modern e-commerce businesses face several critical challenges:

1. Vendor Management Complexity: Managing multiple sellers, each with their own product catalogs, shipping methods, and business processes
2. Fragmented Systems: Separate tools for product management, order processing, customer relationships, and content management
3. Limited Analytics: Lack of real-time insights into sales performance, inventory levels, and customer behavior
4. Security Concerns: Need for enterprise-grade authentication and role-based access control
5. Scalability Issues: Traditional platforms struggle to handle growing product catalogs and increasing order volumes

Business Objectives

The platform was designed to address these challenges by providing:

• A unified management system for all marketplace operations
• Scalable architecture to support business growth
• Comprehensive analytics for data-driven decision making
• Secure, role-based access for different user types
• Flexible content management for dynamic pages and marketing materials

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Bzz Co. represents a comprehensive solution to the complex challenges of multi-vendor marketplace management. By leveraging modern web technologies and cloud infrastructure, the platform delivers:

• Unified Operations: Single platform for all marketplace needs
• Enterprise Security: Auth0-powered authentication and role-based access
• Scalable Architecture: MongoDB and AWS S3 for growth
• Rich Analytics: Real-time insights for data-driven decisions
• Flexible Content Management: Dynamic pages and marketing tools
• Developer-Friendly: Clean MVC architecture and modern JavaScript

The platform successfully bridges the gap between complex business requirements and user-friendly interfaces, providing administrators, sellers, and customers with tailored experiences that drive efficiency and growth.

With its robust foundation and extensible architecture, Bzz Co. is positioned to evolve alongside the changing demands of modern e-commerce, making it a sustainable long-term solution for marketplace operations.

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• Data Models: 14 Mongoose schemas
• Controllers: 15 business logic modules
• Routes: 17 route definition files
• Admin Views: 33 EJS templates
• File Upload Limit: 5MB per file
• User Roles: 3 (Admin, Seller, Customer)
• Subscription Plans: 4 (Plan A/B/C/D)

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Platform Name: Bzz Co. Version: Production Architecture: MVC (Model-View-Controller) Deployment: Cloud-ready (AWS S3, MongoDB Atlas compatible) License: Proprietary

Last Updated: January 2025

Bzz Co. delivers a complete multi-tenant e-commerce management solution with three core components:

1. Administration Dashboard

A powerful admin interface providing full control over:

• Merchant and seller onboarding and management
• Product catalog oversight
• Order processing and fulfillment
• Customer management with plan-based subscriptions
• Content management system (CMS) for pages, sliders, and team profiles
• Notification broadcasting system
• Real-time analytics and reporting

2. Seller Portal

Dedicated interface for vendors featuring:

• Product listing and inventory management
• Order fulfillment tracking
• Seller-specific analytics dashboard
• Application and onboarding workflow
• Business verification and approval process

3. Customer Interface

Backend Architecture

Core Framework:

• Node.js with ES6 Modules - Modern JavaScript runtime
• Express.js 5.1.0 - Web application framework
• MongoDB with Mongoose 8.17.0 - NoSQL database and ODM

Authentication & Security:

• Auth0 - Enterprise-grade authentication platform
  • express-openid-connect for session management
  • jsonwebtoken for API authentication
  • jwks-rsa for key validation

Product Management

• Comprehensive Product Catalog with SKU tracking, variants, and inventory management
• Multi-variant System: Size, Color, Material, and custom attributes
• Special Product Handling:
  • Fragile items flagging
  • Biodegradable product marking
  • Frozen items with temperature control specifications
• Pricing Engine: Base pricing, discounts, and tax configuration
• Image Management: Multiple product images with AWS S3 storage
• Delivery Options: Worldwide, selected countries, or local delivery
• Shipping Methods: Seller-fulfilled or company-fulfilled

Order Management

MVC Pattern Implementation

bzz_co/
├── models/              # Data Layer (14 Mongoose schemas)
│   ├── Products.js
│   ├── Orders.js
│   ├── Customers.js
│   ├── Sellers.js
│   ├── Merchants.js
│   ├── Categories.js
│   ├── Notifications.js
│   └── ...
├── controllers/         # Business Logic (15 controllers)
│   ├── productController.js
│   ├── orderController.js
│   ├── sellerController.js
│   └── ...
├── routes/              # Request Routing (17 route files)
│   ├── products.routes.js
│   ├── orders.routes.js
│   ├── auth.routes.js
│   └── ...
├── views/               # Presentation Layer
│   ├── admin/          # Admin dashboard (33 views)
│   ├── seller/         # Seller portal
│   └── customer/       # Customer interface
├── middleware/          # Authentication & Authorization
│   ├── authMiddleware.js
│   └── verifyToken.js
├── config/              # Configuration
│   └── auth0.config.js
├── assets/              # Static Resources
│   ├── css/
│   ├── js/
│   └── img/
└── utils/               # Helper Functions

Authentication Flow

1. Session-based Authentication: Auth0 OpenID Connect for web sessions
2. JWT Token Verification: API endpoint protection
3. Role-based Access Control: Middleware checks for Admin/Seller/Customer roles
4. Optional Verification: Mixed public/private page support

Enterprise-Grade Authentication

• Auth0 Integration: Industry-leading identity platform
• Multi-factor Authentication: Support for MFA
• Social Login: Extensible authentication providers
• JWT Tokens: Secure API access

Access Control

• Role-based Permissions: Three distinct user roles
• Route Protection: Middleware-based authorization
• Session Management: Secure session handling with express-session
• CSRF Protection: Built-in session security

Data Security

• Password Hashing: bcrypt with salt rounds

Database Scalability

• MongoDB: Horizontal scaling through sharding
• Mongoose ODM: Efficient query optimization
• Indexing Strategy: Performance-optimized queries
• Aggregation Pipelines: Complex analytics at database level

Cloud Infrastructure

• AWS S3: Unlimited file storage capacity
• CDN-ready: S3 URLs compatible with CloudFront
• Stateless Design: Easy horizontal server scaling

Modular Architecture

• Separation of Concerns: Clear MVC structure
• Microservice-ready: Controllers can be extracted to services

Revenue Streams

1. Multi-tier Subscriptions: Customer plans (A/B/C/D) with varying features
2. Commission-based: Marketplace fee on seller transactions
3. Seller Onboarding Fees: Potential application or listing fees
4. Premium Features: Advanced analytics, priority support

Target Market

Primary:

• B2B marketplace operators
• Multi-vendor e-commerce businesses
• Enterprise retail operations

Secondary:

• Individual sellers seeking marketplace platforms
• Brands requiring vendor management systems
• Dropshipping businesses

Operational Efficiency

Before:

• Fragmented tools for product, order, and customer management
• Manual vendor onboarding and verification
• Limited visibility into business metrics
• Time-consuming content updates

After:

• Unified platform for all operations
• Automated seller application workflow with approval system
• Real-time dashboard with comprehensive analytics
• CMS for instant page updates and marketing content

Performance Metrics

Scalability:

• Supports unlimited products, sellers, and customers
• Cloud-based storage eliminates file size concerns
• MongoDB aggregation handles complex analytics efficiently

Advanced Features

1. Notification Broadcasting System

   • Multi-level targeting (role-based)
   • Priority queuing
   • Read/dismiss tracking
   • Scheduled delivery

2. Analytics Engine

   • Real-time data aggregation
   • Time-series analysis (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly)
   • Revenue trend tracking
   • Product performance insights

3. Flexible Product System

   • Multi-variant support (size, color, material)
   • Special handling attributes (fragile, frozen, biodegradable)

Based on Git commit history:

1. Notifications Management (Latest)

   • Complete notification system implementation
   • Multi-level targeting and tracking

2. Enhanced Pages Management

   • User profile integration
   • Dashboard improvements

3. Branding Updates

   • Logo refresh
   • Visual identity improvements

4. Code Quality

   • Console log cleanup
   • Login page refinements

Technical Decisions

What Worked Well:

• Auth0 integration simplified authentication complexity
• MongoDB provided flexibility for evolving data models
• AWS S3 eliminated file storage concerns
• Express.js enabled rapid development

Challenges Overcome:

• Multi-tenant data isolation through role-based access
• Complex product variant system requiring flexible schema design
• Real-time analytics requiring optimized aggregation pipelines

Best Practices Implemented

1. Separation of Concerns: Clear MVC architecture
2. Security First: Authentication middleware on all protected routes
3. Scalable Storage: Cloud-based file management

Planned Features

1. Enhanced Analytics

   • Predictive sales forecasting
   • Customer lifetime value analysis
   • Inventory optimization recommendations

2. Mobile Applications

   • Native iOS/Android apps leveraging existing API
   • Push notifications for orders and messages

3. Advanced Seller Tools

   • Bulk product import/export
   • Multi-warehouse inventory management
   • Automated pricing strategies

4. Customer Features