Rice & Stapes Retail and wholesale Platform : Project Requirements details MVP for Website & Mobile apps (Andriod , IOS) Purpose To build a highly automated, user-friendly platform for selling rice and staples. The platform will ensure that every customer enjoys a seamless buying experience. 1. Key Objectives Facility to operate Flexible Sales Points:Open and close location-based or distinct sales points as needed. -Real-time notifications, backups, and analytics for admin stack (Google Analytics, Microsoft Power BI). Viral Potential:Simple, shareable, and engaging user experience, inspired by successful social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram ) 2. Core Features Sales Point Management The platform will allow the owner and senior administrator to create, open, close, and manage location-based or distinct sales points. This includes overseeing inventory, performance, and operational status for each point, following multi-location inventory management best practices (SAP, 2023; Oracle, 2023). Shipping Origin Selection For each order, we will select the optimal sales point (warehouse or location) based on the buyer’s location, inventory availability, and shipping speed. Chatbot An autonomous, multilingual text,voice , chatbot will be available 24/7 to provide customer support and sales assistance. The chatbot will be built using the best freely available ambient AI agents, such as Rasa Open Source or OpenAI’s ChatGPT (OpenAI, 2023; Rasa, 2023). The chatbot will remember past interactions, offer personalized recommendations, and handle common queries and issue directions and answers. Inventory Management Inventory levels will be manually which data will be readily available for the admin stack (SAP, 2023; Oracle, 2023). Security & Compliance The platform will implement advanced fraud detection, SSL encryption, regular security audits, and maintain second-by-second encrypted backups. All necessary certifications (FSSAI, ISO, HACCP) and data protection regulations (GDPR, local laws) will be strictly followed, as recommended by OWASP and NIST (OWASP, 2023; NIST, 2023). 3. Customer-Facing Features - Quick Purchase Flow: Customers can buy staples in three clicks or fewer. Repeat customers can use a one-tap “Buy Again” feature, following e-commerce best practices (Shopify, 2023; Amazon, 2023). - Personalized Recommendations: AI-driven product suggestions based on browsing and purchase history, powered by open-source recommendation engines (TensorFlow, 2023; scikit-learn, 2023). - Product Catalog: High-quality images, detailed descriptions, Filter by type, price etc. - Search & Navigation:Intuitive search, category navigation, following UX best practices. - User Accounts:Secure registration/login (Mobile No, email, social login, whats app login). Profile management, order history, saved addresses, Bank Account , upload profile pic. - Checkout:Guest and logged-in checkout. Multiple payment options (credit/debit, PayPal, UPI, etc.). Save payment methods. - Order Management: Real-time order status, tracking, and notifications. - Customer Support: Chatbot for 24/7, multilingual support, built with Rasa or OpenAI (OpenAI, 2023; Rasa, 2023). - Reviews & Ratings:Customer feedback system. - Promotions:Automated discount and offer management. - Multi-language & Currency Support. 4. Staff & Admin Features - Sales Point Management:Super Admin and Senior admin, Admin, can create, open, close, and manage location-based or distinct sales points. Dashboard to view all sales points, inventory, and performance. - Cost Price Entry: Super Admin and Senior admin, Admin can enter/update cost prices for each variety and location. - Order Routing & Fulfillment: Manual selection of the optimal sales point for each order based on buyer location, inventory, and shipping speed. Real-time inventory sync and reservation. - Notification System: In-platform , email, and SMS, Whatsapp notifications for all stakeholders. Customizable preferences. Notification logs for audit. - Backup System: Second-by-second encrypted backups, following data protection best practices (NIST, 2023; OWASP, 2023). - Security & Fraud Prevention: Advanced fraud detection, SSL encryption, PCI-DSS compliance, GDPR/data privacy compliance. Regular security audits. - Bank Deposit Automation: Automatic / Manual transfer of funds from all payment gateways and UPI to the business bank account. Reconciliation with order records. 5. AI & Automation Features . Chatbot: Autonomous, multilingual customer support and sales assistance, built with Rasa or OpenAI (OpenAI, Rasa,). - Inventory & Supply Chain Management:Manual inventory management, demand forecasting, using open-source AI frameworks (TensorFlow, scikit-learn). - Order & Shipping Management: Automatic / Manual -powered order confirmation, shipping label generation, and tracking updates, leveraging logistics APIs (Shiprocket, DHL etc ). - Accounting Automation: Automatic / Manual invoice generation, payment recording, reconciliation, and tax calculation, following accounting best practices (QuickBooks, Xero, ). 6. Technical Implementation - Sales Point Management:Secure, role-based interface for Super Admin, Senior admin and Admin to manage sales points. Bulk upload/edit via CSV/Excel. - Manual Shipping Origin Selection: Manually select the optimal sales point for each order based on buyer location, inventory, and shipping speed. Update in real time as sales points are opened or closed. - Inventory Management:Sync inventory levels across all sales points and reserve inventory for confirmed orders. - Shipping Integration: Manual / Automatically generate shipping labels and send order details to logistics providers (e.g., Shiprocket, DHLetc). - Tracking Updates: Provide real-time tracking updates to buyers and staff and admin stack. -Chatbot: Deploy an autonomous, multilingual chatbot for customer support and sales, using Rasa or OpenAI. - Security & Compliance:Implement advanced fraud detection, SSL encryption, and regular audits. Maintain second-by-second encrypted backups. - User-Friendly Dashboards:Provide dashboards for Super Admin, Senior admin, Admin and location staff to monitor sales, inventory, and performance. 7. Instructions for Developers Build a platform where every customer gets rice and staples while the business maintains operational efficiency. Use the best freely available ambient AI agents and chatbots (e.g., Rasa, OpenAI) to, inventory, support, and fraud prevention. Ensure the platform is simple, secure, and scalable, following industry best practices and authoritativeness. For Buyers & Location Staff: Enjoy a fast, intuitive, and highly automated experience, with ambient agentic AI handling and providing personalized, secure, and reliable service. --Technical Recommendations for Developers -- Core Platform Components and Recommended Technologies Platform Foundation For building a robust and scalable platform, you should consider using open-source frameworks such as Sales, Medusa, or SpreeCommerce. These frameworks offer modular architectures, extensive customization options, and strong community support. Other reputable options .These platforms provide the essential features needed for product, inventory, and order management, and can be extended with custom modules as required. Chatbots To implement advanced, multilingual chatbots for customer support and sales assistance, you should use the Rasa open-source framework, which is highly customizable, multi-platform chatbot solutions Recommendation Systems To enhance the customer experience with personalized product suggestions, you should implement recommendation systems using open-source frameworks such as Universal Recommender, Spotlight, or Implicit. Fraud Detection and Security To protect platform from fraudulent activities and ensure data security, use open-source machine learning frameworks like TensorFlowand PyTorch to build custom fraud detection models. Additionally, consider using Explainable AI (XAI) frameworks to ensure transparency and regulatory compliance in risk assessment processes. Implementing SSL encryption, regular security audits, and maintaining encrypted backups are also essential for compliance with industry standards and data protection regulations. - Recommended Languages, Frameworks, and Tools - Programming Languages: - Python (for AI, machine learning, and backend services) - JavaScript/TypeScript (for frontend and full-stack development) - Ruby (if using SpreeCommerce) - - Java/Kotlin (for Android app development) - Swift (for iOS app development) - Frameworks and Libraries: - Saleor (GraphQL-based, Python/Django) - Medusa(Node.js/TypeScript) - SpreeCommerce (Ruby on Rails) - React/Vue.js/Angular(for modern frontend development) - Django/Flask(Python backend frameworks) - Express.js(Node.js backend framework) - Rasa(Python-based chatbot framework) - TensorFlow, scikit-learn, PyTorch (machine learning and AI) - Universal Recommender, Spotlight, Implicit(recommendation systems) - Database Solutions: PostgreSQL - MySQL - MongoDB (for scalable, flexible data storage) - Hosting and Deployment: - AWS - Google Cloud - Azure - DigitalOcean - Heroku(for quick prototyping and small-scale deployments) - DevOps and CI/CD: - Docker(containerization) - Kubernetes (container orchestration) - GitHub Actions - GitLab CI/CD - Jenkins - Security and Compliance: - Let’s Encrypt(SSL certificates) - OWASP ZAP (security testing) - NIST/OWASP guidelines (security best practices) - Explainable AI (XAI) frameworks (for transparent AI models) - Monitoring and Analytics: - Google Analytics - Microsoft Power BI - Prometheus/Grafana (system monitoring) - Sentry(error tracking)