MarketVerse Help

AI shop assistant and human handoff

Approved store owners manage generated starter FAQs under Messages → Manage shop assistant and FAQs. Replies use enabled store FAQs; optional OpenAI replies can be enabled by an administrator in Configuration after migration 045 and a saved API key. The assistant sends only the current question and approved FAQ text, with response storage disabled. It hands order/payment questions, complaints, requests for a person and repeated unanswered questions to the store owner. The owner replies in Messages. AI answers remain disabled until explicitly enabled. The public site assistant answers from marketplace help and store FAQs, then hands complaints, order/payment concerns, explicit human requests and repeated unanswered questions to Messages.

v0.90.16 · Offline marketplace and local business directory.

Worldwide locations

MarketVerse includes 252 countries, 3,865 named first-level divisions, 78 fallback divisions and 235,915 GeoNames city/populated-place records. Same-named places within one first-level division share one city row. On WAMP, run `tools/import-world-locations-wamp.bat` once after installation; Setup check reports completion. Business and store owners select a country and state/province, then search for the city. Directory visitors can filter by country/state/city. Store product displays may show an indicative estimate in the seller country currency when a recent reference rate exists. Exchange estimates can differ from the final order amount. Smaller settlements and admin levels below the first division may be incomplete.

Advert metric estimates

After migration 038, visible impressions require one second at 50% visibility. Obvious bots and prefetch requests are filtered; events are deduplicated per advert, browser session and UTC day. Older totals are labeled legacy. These counts do not prove human traffic and are not billable.

Golden Store sample catalog

The Golden Store seller can create individual illustrative demo products in every product category currently configured. The Golden Store storefront shows Amazon-style horizontal category cards with sample product ideas and the bundled category images, including when the products are still drafts. These previews are not orderable. Demo draft records have zero stock and a ₦0.01 placeholder price; the Golden Store seller must replace sample details, set real prices and stock, and submit each item for approval before customers can buy it. No other seller account can use this demo seed.

Themes and navigation

Administrators can open Configuration → Themes & navigation to choose Amazon-inspired, eBay-inspired, Walmart-inspired, Etsy-inspired, C-Goldsoft Blue or C-Goldsoft Gold. The C-Goldsoft themes use the logo palette of deep blue, bright blue and gold. Admins can select up to 20 product categories and order their links in the storefront navigation. Public pages and signed-in workspaces have separate Horizontal, Compact pills or Vertical sidebar navigation choices. Save changes with the administrator password; the selected styles are stored for the whole site.

Subscriber password assistance

Administrators can send active subscribers an expiring reset link from Manage accounts after a request. The feature needs migration 028, secured HTTPS/SMTP and a running email queue worker.

Private seller document images

Sellers open Workspace → Private seller documents to upload registration/identity supporting images. JPEG/PNG/WebP up to five MB; PDFs are not accepted. Check readability after normalization. Administrators view and review pending submissions under Seller documents. Replacements start pending again. Documents remain private after approval; this does not grant a public verification badge or change store publication. Setup check identifies migration 021.

In-app order notifications

Buyers and sellers see new orders and actual status changes under Notifications. Filter All/Unread/Read and explicitly mark entries read or unread. Mark all applies only to your account. Opening the inbox or an order does not acknowledge notices. Reload for fresh counts. Notices start after migration 020; past events are not backfilled. This is an offline inbox without SMS or push delivery. WhatsApp order alerts require separate opt-in and secured online activation.

Shipping zones

Administrators configure state/LGA zones with flat NGN charges per store order, then enable shipping. Customers select the actual zone and review shipping/grand totals in Cart before ordering. Rates start disabled and can be zero. Changes require a fresh quote; old order charges and zone labels are preserved. This does not verify addresses, book couriers or calculate by weight. Sellers may add a courier name and HTTPS tracking link when marking an order shipped; automatic booking, rate calculation and live carrier status need an external courier integration. Setup check identifies migration 041. Setup check identifies migration 019.

Private fulfillment notes

Sellers add permanent private notes from their own order details. Notes are excluded from buyer views, other sellers, shared prints and order reports. They do not change order status, stock or payment. Notes use UTC timestamps, twenty per page and a five-hundred note limit per order. Use Messages to communicate with customers. Setup check identifies migration 018 when needed.

Product rating filters

Marketplace and approved stores offer minimum approved rating and highest-rated sorting. Approved reviews from active customers count. Unrated products are excluded by a minimum rating and sorted last by highest rating. Displayed averages are rounded; filtering uses the full average. Combine with price, brand, sale and availability filters. No new SQL is needed beyond existing reviews 011.

Weekly business opening hours

Business owners set daily statuses and times with an explicit hours timezone in Add/Edit business. Open at set times requires closing later on the same day; choose Open 24 hours for all-day opening. Hours notes retain breaks, overnight arrangements and holiday exceptions. Saving requires approval. Approved profiles and print records show the schedule. Setup check identifies migration 017 when needed.

Message reporting

Choose Report message on a received message and explain the concern. Administrators see that selected message and your reason. Your message reports shows decisions and review notes. Administrators use Message reports to resolve or dismiss open reports. Reporting does not delete messages, suspend accounts or remove blocks. Setup check identifies migration 016 after messaging 004.

Private message search

Open Messages → Search your messages, or Search this conversation. Search your own messages by text with sent/received filters. Results open the matched message in historical context. Search does not mark messages read. Blocked contact history remains searchable. No new migration is needed beyond existing messaging.

Advert scheduling

Administrators can set optional start/end times in Nigerian time when editing an advert. Blank dates allow immediate/open-ended placement. End must be later than start. Visibility switches still apply. New page/image requests use the database clock; reload an open page to reflect expiry. Setup check identifies migration 015 after advert sidebars 014.

Advert sidebars

Administrators manage adverts under Advert sidebars. Create an advert, choose placement/visibility/order and optionally upload a local image. Visibility and appearance controls enable/disable left, right and mobile placements and set colours, density, corners, width and sticky positioning. Global visibility starts disabled. Adverts stay off checkout, account, messages and print pages. Setup check identifies migration 014 when needed.

Messaging controls

Open a conversation and expand Conversation controls to block or unblock the contact. Blocking stops new messages in both directions and retains history/read receipts. Unblocking removes only your own block. Reload an already-open conversation to update its composer. Setup check identifies migration 013 when needed.

Sale pricing

Sellers can enter an optional Original price strictly above the selling Price (NGN). Changes require approval. Approved cards/details display savings and marketplace/store filters offer On sale only. Checkout charges the selling price. Blank original price removes the sale. Setup check identifies migration 012 when needed.

Order disputes and MarketVerse intervention

After delivery is marked complete, report an issue within 14 days. A 48-hour buyer-seller resolution window begins when you submit the report. The seller may respond once; use Messages to continue discussing the issue. If you cannot agree, the buyer can invite MarketVerse after 48 hours. Administrators target acknowledgment within one business day and resolution within three business days. You and the seller receive in-app notifications. Admin support decisions do not automatically issue refunds or change balances; refunds use verified payment operations. Intervention needs migration 046 after existing support-case migration 043.

Customer reviews

Customers can review products after a delivered order. Each review needs administrator approval before publication. One review per customer/product; submitted text and ratings cannot be edited. Administrators use Product reviews to approve/reject with a reason. The badge verifies recorded delivery history, not payment. Setup check identifies migration 011 when needed.

Product video links

Sellers can enter optional HTTPS demonstration-video links in Add/Edit product. Changes require approval. Approved details show Watch product video and its destination website. External videos require internet and open in a new tab. Migration 010 is required only if Setup check says Not installed. Blank removes the link.

Product brands

Sellers can enter optional Brand / manufacturer in Add/Edit product. Changes require approval; blank means unknown or unbranded. Approved details display the brand and marketplace/store pages offer a Brand filter. Migration 009 is required only when Setup check says Not installed. Brands are seller-supplied names.

Product measurements

Sellers can enter optional weight in kg and dimensions in cm from Add/Edit product. Positive amounts have up to two decimals; blank means unknown. Changes require approval. Administrators enable migration 008 only when Setup check says Not installed. Measurements do not calculate shipping charges.

Inventory reports

Sellers use Inventory to filter their own variant groups, standalone products, approval status and low stock. Search name, SKU or variant label. Download matching inventory CSV covers all matching pages up to 10,000 rows; narrow filters for larger inventories. The report is not the product-import template. Reporting does not change stock. No new migration is required; group filters use migration 022 when installed.

Product variants

Sellers use Workspace → Manage variant groups, then choose a group and label in Add/Edit product. Each SKU has its own price, stock and approval. Public product pages link approved variants; carts and orders show the chosen label. Group names remain private. Clear both fields to make a product standalone. Migration 022 is needed only when Setup check says Not installed.

WhatsApp order alerts

Open Account → WhatsApp order alerts to opt in with your phone number in international format. Only transactional order updates are sent. You can revoke consent at any time. Delivery requires migration 033, an enabled Twilio account and a secured online installation. Administrators monitor the redacted queue from Administration → WhatsApp queue. Accepted means the provider accepted the request; delivery is not guaranteed.

Configuration

Administrators open Administration → Configuration for encrypted hosting and provider settings. Secrets stay hidden after saving; blank preserves and Clear removes a saved secret. Current password and an enabled authenticator are required. Saving does not activate unimplemented integrations. Setup check identifies migration 025.

Account security

My account → Account security provides one-time emergency recovery codes and time-based authenticator setup. Save a recovery code before enabling two-factor login. Emergency recovery consumes the code, changes your password, revokes sessions and removes the authenticator. Codes and private settings require migration 023. Preserve the private encryption key in backups.

Private payout details

Sellers submit masked, encrypted Nigerian bank details from My account after password confirmation. Administrators manually review the current revision. Approval does not verify bank ownership or transfer money. Migration 024 is required when missing.

Getting started

1. Browse Marketplace for products or Directory for local services.
2. Create the appropriate account: Customer, Seller or Business owner. Each account has one role.
3. Sign in and use Workspace for your role’s activities.

Store branding

Sellers open Edit / resubmit store to upload one logo and one banner. JPEG/PNG/WebP uploads are normalized to JPEG; maximum 5 MB each. Replacing or removing branding sends the store back for approval and hides its public products until reapproved. Administrators enable this feature with migration 006 when Setup check reports it missing.

Product search

Marketplace and store pages offer minimum/maximum prices in NGN and price sorting. Available to order shows products with at least one unit in stock; checkout confirms current stock. Price boundaries are inclusive. Clear filters to reset your search.

Business email and website

Owners can enter optional email and a complete HTTP/HTTPS website during business submission or editing. Changes require approval. Approved directory cards, profiles and print records show contact links. Email opens your mail app; websites open in another tab. The application does not send emails through these links. Contact fields require no new migration.

Business photos

Business owners use Edit / resubmit to upload up to five JPEG/PNG/WebP photos, maximum 5 MB each. Adding/removing photos returns the profile to pending approval. Owners and administrators can preview pending photos; approved photos appear publicly. Setup check identifies migration 007 when the feature is missing.

Directory print and call

Select a business phone number to call using a supported device or app. Open Print business profile for a clean record of its address, hours, services and map links. Select Print / Save as PDF or press Ctrl+P. This prints saved business details; it does not generate route instructions or an offline Google map.

Directory maps

Directory cards and business profiles offer View on Google Maps and Get directions. Internet is required. Check the destination before travelling; links use the saved business address, city, state and country. Select Use my current location to request browser location permission and fill your starting point. Review the coordinates before preparing directions. If location is unavailable, enter your address. Use Plan your route to enter an optional starting address and choose driving, walking or public transport. Select Prepare directions, then open the planned route. Leave the address empty to choose your starting point in Google Maps. Public transport depends on local coverage. If an embedded map is configured, select Load Google Map on a business profile.

Directory Open now

Select Opening hours → Scheduled open now to find approved businesses whose weekly schedule includes the current local time in their saved timezone. Refresh the page to update results. Opening time is included and closing time excluded. Unknown hours stay unspecified. Regular schedules do not account for holidays or temporary closures; call to confirm. No new migration is required; weekly hours use migration 017 when installed.

Directory search

Filter by state, city or LGA. Submit a state to narrow location choices. A city or LGA alone selects its state. Clear conflicting choices when changing states.

Accounts and messages

Open My account → Profile / password to update your display name or change your password using the current password and confirmation. Your other sessions are signed out. Use Reset password by email on the sign-in page when outgoing email is configured.

Open Messages for permanent private conversations. Use Message seller on a public product, Message business owner on a public business, or Reply in Messages on an inquiry you received. Replies are text only. Automatic refresh requires browser JavaScript; ordinary send/read forms also work without it.

Saved products has private favourites, search and paging. Unavailable favourites can still be removed. Inquiries shows your sent history; business owners also see received history.

Customer workflow

1. Open an approved product and add a whole-number quantity from 1 to 100 to Cart.
2. Resolve unavailable/short-stock items, then enter your delivery address and phone. Use previous delivery details can fill your own earlier address/phone for review.
3. Place a cash-on-delivery order. Multiple stores create separate store orders. Successful checkout returns you to Marketplace and keeps you signed in.
4. Open Orders to search/filter, view the order progress and history, and follow the courier tracking number/link. Pending/confirmed orders can be cancelled.
5. After the seller marks an order shipped and you receive it, confirm delivery in its Details. This unlocks the verified-purchase review link. Sellers may also mark delivery complete.
6. In Details, open Print order record; use Ctrl+P to print or save a PDF.

Shipping starts disabled. When enabled, select a matching zone and review the per-store shipping quote in Cart. Confirm delivery arrangements with sellers. COD records remain unpaid; the app does not verify cash collection.

Seller workflow

1. Submit a store from Workspace and wait for administrator approval.
2. Add products with prices, stock, category and descriptions. Save drafts or submit for review.
3. Open Edit product to upload/remove photos. Changes require review before publication.
4. Use Inventory to search by name/SKU, filter approval status and review low stock. When changing existing stock in Edit product, provide a stock change reason. If the product changes while the editor is open, reload and check current values before saving.
5. Use Orders to confirm, pack, ship with tracking, then mark delivered. Each step must follow the previous one.
6. Use Edit / resubmit store to correct an application; it becomes pending again. Suspended stores require administrator intervention.

Stock may retain fractional quantities, but purchases require whole quantities. Editing is available only with an approved store. Viewing inventory does not change stock.

Business-owner workflow

1. Submit a business with a category and matching state, city and optional LGA.
2. Wait for administrator approval before public discovery.
3. Use Inquiries to search received requests, or review your own sent inquiries.
4. Select Reply in Messages to open a private conversation, then type and send your reply.
5. Use Edit / resubmit to correct your business details. Changes return the listing to review.

Suspended businesses cannot resubmit themselves; contact your administrator. Existing inquiries remain available.

Release boundaries

Included accounts, listings, inquiries, messages and COD workflows run locally after WAMP setup. Configured online checkout, Paystack transfer/refund workers, SMTP email and Google sign-in require secured online activation and actual provider acceptance. Private photo/PDF/voice attachments, opt-in presence, memberships with quotas and advert invoices/metrics are included. Memberships support manual review or optional Paystack monthly renewal after explicit opt-in; renewals activate only on verified provider payment. Advert invoices can use Paystack-funded prepaid credits; quoted campaigns remain disabled until publication review. The release includes GeoNames worldwide countries, first-level divisions and populated places plus an attributed Nigeria state/LGA seed. Smaller settlements, local boundaries and exact spelling review remain incomplete. WhatsApp delivery uses the consented Twilio adapter; automated courier/identity adapters and WebSockets remain outside this release. Localhost is limited to this computer. Public/LAN deployment requires a separately reviewed setup.

Exact Windows/WAMP, browser print layout and JavaScript refresh behaviour still require testing in your installation.

Account and growth configuration

Open Account for Google account links, Memberships and Advert bookings. Google login remains disabled on offline localhost. Administrators create plans and review manual invoices with password and enabled authenticator proof. A Paystack monthly plan code enables optional renewal when the amount and interval match. Customers must opt in at checkout and can manage/cancel the subscription through Paystack. Install migration 035 after 031 and migration 036 after 032. Paid campaigns start disabled; review them in Advert settings before publishing. Configuration controls membership defaults and optional aggregate advert metrics. Chat supports private attachments up to 5 MB, sender removal and presence only when both participants opt in. See the included upgrade and configuration guides for activation and limitations.