Feature Request: Vendor Fulfillment Integration
I would like the ability for bookstore items to be fulfilled directly by third-party vendors upon order placement. Specifically, we envision:
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Automated Order Relay
- When a customer places an order, Populi would automatically send order details to a designated vendor endpoint (API or URL).
- This would include item attributes such as size, color, quantity, and any customization fields.
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Vendor Endpoint Configuration
- Ability to assign a vendor to each bookstore item.
- Option to configure an API endpoint or URL per item (or per vendor) for order submission.
- Support for authentication (API keys, headers, etc.).
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Payment Handling
- Option to associate a vendor-specific billing or credit account number so the vendor can charge the institution directly.
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External Product Linking (Optional)
- Ability to associate a bookstore item with a vendor-hosted product URL, allowing Populi to act as the front-end while leveraging vendor product definitions.
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Order Status & Tracking (Future Enhancement)
- Optional support for receiving fulfillment status updates (e.g., shipped, tracking number) from the vendor.
This capability would allow institutions to offer a wider range of products (e.g., decorated apparel, print-on-demand items) without managing inventory, and would align well with modern fulfillment workflows.
I would be happy to provide additional use cases or participate in beta testing if helpful.