Feature Request: Corporate Account with User Management

[stefanmuellerdo]

Feature Request: Corporate Account with User Management

Description

Implement a Corporate Account feature in Smartstore that allows businesses to have a main company account with multiple individual user accounts underneath it.

Motivation

Many B2B customers big and small require the ability to manage multiple users within their organization, each with different roles and permissions. This feature would significantly enhance Smartstore's appeal to business customers and improve their purchasing experience.

Proposed Functionality

Corporate Account Structure

• Create a top-level "Corporate Account" that represents the company
• Allow the creation of multiple individual user accounts within the Corporate Account

User Management

• Ability to add, edit, and remove user accounts
• Set different permission levels for users (e.g., admin, purchaser, viewer) (already done in --> Order Approval Workflows)
• Option to set spending limits for individual users or roles (done in --> Order Approval Workflows)

Order Management

• All orders placed by individual users should be associated with the Corporate Account
• Admins should be able to view and manage all orders placed under the Corporate Account
• Individual users should be able to view their own order history

Billing and Invoicing

• Option to set up centralized billing for the Corporate Account
• Generate consolidated invoices for all purchases made under the Corporate Account (wöchentl/monatliche "Sammelrechnung")
• Ability to split billing or assign cost centers if required

Approval Workflows

• Implement optional approval processes for orders above certain thresholds (done in --> Order Approval Workflows)
• Allow admins to review and approve/reject orders from team members (done in --> Order Approval Workflows)

Reporting

• Provide detailed reports on spending, popular products, and user activity within the Corporate Account

UI Integration

To integrate the Corporate Account feature into the existing customer account interface:

1. Left Menu:

   • Add a new menu item "Company Structure" under "Customer Information"
   • Include a dropdown to switch between "Personal Account" and "Corporate Account"

2. Main Area:

   • Add a new "CORPORATE ACCOUNT" section above or below "COMPANY DETAILS"
   • Include fields for:
     • "Company Role" (e.g., Administrator, Purchaser, Viewer)
     • "Parent Account" (for employee accounts)
     • "Managed Accounts" (for administrators to view subordinate accounts)

3. New Features:

   • Add an "Add Employee" button in the Corporate Account section for administrators
   • Display an overview of permissions and limits for the current account

4. Existing "COMPANY DETAILS" Section:

   • Expand to include company-specific information like department, cost center, etc.

5. Options:

   • Add checkboxes for features like "Orders require approval" (already done in --> Order Approval Workflows) or "Access to company discounts"

Technical Considerations

• This feature will require changes to the user management system, order processing, and billing modules
• Need to ensure data privacy and separation between different Corporate Accounts
• Consider implementing role-based access control (RBAC) for managing permissions

Potential Challenges

• Maintaining performance with increased complexity in the account structure
• Ensuring a user-friendly interface for managing Corporate Accounts and users
• Backward compatibility with existing individual user accounts

Benefits

• Increased attractiveness to B2B customers (often essential to get B2B customers to order online)
• saving time and improve online store usage by B2B customers employees
• Potential for higher order values and customer retention by B2B Merchant
• Improved account management capabilities for business customers and merchant

Acceptance Criteria

• Corporate Accounts can be created and managed through the admin interface
• Individual user accounts can be added to a Corporate Account with varying permission levels
• Orders are correctly associated with both individual users and the Corporate Account
• Billing and invoicing accurately reflect the Corporate Account structure
• Reporting provides insights at both the Corporate Account and individual user levels
• The UI successfully integrates the new Corporate Account features while maintaining the existing layout and functionality