How i95Dev Transformed a Partner App Marketplace into a Self-Service Commerce Experience 

The client is an enterprise security software provider that helps organizations manage and secure access to applications and systems. 

As part of its partner ecosystem, the company operated an app marketplace where customers could discover applications and solutions. While the marketplace supported application discovery, the purchasing process required additional manual coordination across quoting, approvals, purchase orders, and fulfillment.

The existing marketplace was effective for discovering partner applications, but the commercial journey required additional manual coordination. The client needed to create a more connected experience while maintaining the flexibility and operational controls required for enterprise software sales. 

Key Challenges

• Discovery Without Transaction: Customers could discover partner applications, but moving from interest to purchase required human intervention. 
• Manual Quote & PO Processes: Quoting, purchase-order processing, and fulfillment coordination involved manual steps. 
• Multiple Pricing Models: The marketplace needed to support both defined-price and negotiated custom-price solutions. 
• Limited Customer Visibility: Customers needed visibility into quote status, documents, and orders. 
• Administrative Control: Internal teams needed control over pricing, quote lifecycles, documents, and commercial workflows. 

Solution: Extending the Existing Shopify Plus Marketplace with a Commerce Layer 

i95Dev extended the client’s existing Shopify Plus partner app marketplace with a self-service commerce layer that connected application discovery with quote management, purchase-order submission, and order tracking. 

The approach focused on enhancing the existing marketplace rather than replacing it. i95Dev built both the customer-facing commerce experience and the operational capabilities required to support the vendor’s commercial workflow.  

1. Connected App Discovery with Commerce 

i95Dev extended the existing marketplace so customers could move from discovering partner applications to starting a commercial transaction. 

The solution included: 

• 10 partner app listings with complete metadata  
• Application discovery within the existing marketplace  
• Request a Quote functionality  
• A connected quote-to-purchase-order journey  
• Integration with the existing Shopify Plus environment  

2. Created a Self-Service Quote-to-PO Journey 

The new experience connected the key stages of the customer buying journey: 

• Browse: Customers discover partner applications and solutions. 
• Request: Customers submit a quote request through an admin-configurable form. 
• Manage: Customers can view quote status, expiry information, and PDF quote documents through My Quotes. 
• Submit PO: Customers can upload validated PDF or DOCX purchase orders. 
• Track: Customers can view order and fulfillment status through My Orders.  
• Quote-to-PO Flow: Request → Administrator Prices Quote → Approval → PO Upload  

3. Supported Flexible Pricing Models 

The commerce layer was designed to support different purchasing scenarios. 

It included: 

• Defined-price solutions  
• Negotiated custom-price solutions  
• API-based price updates  
• Pricing updates applied to Shopify draft orders  
• Administrative control over pricing  

4. Added Quote & Document Management 

i95Dev introduced controls to help administrators manage the quote lifecycle and related documentation. 

• Quote Management: Administrators could publish, activate, and cancel quotes before expiry, providing better control over the quote lifecycle. 
• Document Management: Documents could be linked to quotes, uploaded after approval, validated, and managed with editing controls. 
• Notes & Bookkeeping: Administrators could also maintain notes and bookkeeping attachments associated with quote records.  

5. Improved Customer Visibility 

The solution gave customers greater visibility into their commercial activity. 

• My Quotes: Through My Quotes, customers could access their quote status, expiry dates, and PDF quote documents. 
• My Orders: The My Orders section allowed customers to view order information and fulfillment status, giving them a centralized view of their purchasing activity throughout the marketplace. 

6. Built an Operational Commerce Layer 

Beyond the customer-facing experience, i95Dev created the operational capabilities needed to support the commercial process. 

The solution provided controls for: 

• Pricing  
• Quote lifecycle management  
• Document management  
• Administrative notes  
• Bookkeeping attachments  
• Quote and order visibility  
• Notifications  

7. Extended Shopify Plus Without Replacing the Existing Marketplace 

The solution was designed around the client’s existing Shopify Plus environment. 

• Shopify Plus handled the marketplace storefront, customer data, draft orders, metafields, and order records.
• AWS Lambda provided serverless backend processing for controlled commerce, pricing, and order workflows. 
• APIs and Webhooks supported commerce integration and status updates. 

The marketplace also remained behind the client’s existing SSO, and no external customer database was introduced.