Module 22: B2B Supply Chain & Brokerage

Abstract

The existing CiteMap v2.0 spec covers businesses that make things (Ecommerce), serve people locally (Local Business), and operate as software (SaaS). But there's a significant category of business that sits between producers and consumers: brokers, distributors, wholesalers, and manufacturer representatives.

When someone asks ChatGPT "Who can supply basalt veneer in Central Oregon?" or Perplexity "Find a natural stone broker near me," the answer depends on structured data that doesn't exist in the current spec. No existing module captures supply chain role, materials brokered, sourcing regions, buyer types, or order logistics.

This proposal defines Module 22: B2B Supply Chain & Brokerage, a new module designed for intermediary businesses that connect suppliers to buyers.

Who This Module Serves

This module applies to any business whose primary role is facilitating the movement of goods or services between producers and end buyers, rather than manufacturing or retailing directly.

Target Business Types

Why This Module Is Needed

Intermediary businesses have a fundamentally different relationship to the products they deal in compared to manufacturers or retailers. They need to describe what they broker, where they source from, who they sell to, and how the logistics work — none of which maps cleanly to existing modules.

Key AI Queries This Module Enables

• "Who can supply [material] in [region]?" — Matches supplyChainRole + materialsHandled + serviceRegions
• "Find a [material] broker near me" — Matches supplyChainRole + materialsHandled + Local Business location
• "Best wholesale supplier for [industry] in [state]" — Matches supplyChainRole + industriesServed + serviceRegions
• "Does [company] ship nationally?" — Matches logistics.deliveryScope + serviceRegions
• "Who has a sample program for [material]?" — Matches sampleProgram fields
• "What's the minimum order for [material]?" — Matches logistics.minimumOrder

Field Reference

All fields are namespaced under the b2bSupplyChain top-level key. Fields marked Required are essential for AI discoverability.

1. Identity & Role

Establishes what the business does in the supply chain and how AI should classify it when matching buyer queries.

2. Materials & Products Handled

Describes what the business brokers, distributes, or wholesales. These fields drive product-specific AI matching.

3. Sourcing & Supply Network

Describes where goods come from and how broad the supply network is. Critical for AI to match geographic sourcing queries.

4. Buyer Types & Service Area

Defines who this business sells to and where. More granular than brand.audiencePrimary — these fields tell AI whether a buyer query is a match.

5. Logistics & Ordering

Covers the practical details of how to do business with this intermediary. These are the fields AI needs to answer "How do I order from them?"

6. Sample Program

Many brokers differentiate on their sample process. These fields let AI recommend businesses that offer hands-on evaluation before purchase.

7. Certifications & Compliance

Industry certifications and compliance credentials that build trust and match specialized queries.

Example: Cascade Stone Supply

Below is an illustrative citemap.json excerpt showing how a fictional natural stone broker in Portland, OR would populate this module alongside Local Business:

{
  "@type": "Citemap",
  "citemapVersion": "2.x",
  "brand": {
    "name": "Cascade Stone Supply",
    "url": "https://cascadestonesupply.com",
    "siteType": "broker",
    "aiSummary": "Cascade Stone Supply is a natural stone brokerage..."
  },

  "localBusiness": {
    "location": { "address": "Portland, OR", "serviceArea": ["Portland Metro"] },
    "services": [{ "name": "Natural stone sourcing & logistics" }]
  },

  "b2bSupplyChain": {
    "supplyChainRole": "broker",
    "roleDescription": "Sources natural stone from regional quarries...",
    "industriesServed": ["construction", "landscaping", "architecture"],
    "materialsHandled": [
      {
        "name": "Basalt Veneer",
        "aiSummary": "Premium basalt veneer sourced from Pacific NW...",
        "bestForQueries": ["best basalt veneer Oregon", /*...*/],
        "sourcingOrigin": "Pacific Northwest quarries"
      }
    ],
    "buyerTypes": ["general contractors", "architects", "landscape designers"],
    "serviceRegions": ["Central Oregon", "Pacific Northwest", "Western US"],
    "deliveryScope": "regional",
    "sourcing": {
      "regions": ["Pacific Northwest", "Western US"],
      "directRelationships": true
    },
    "logistics": {
      "minimumOrder": "1 pallet",
      "leadTime": "1–2 weeks stocked, 4–6 weeks custom",
      "quoteProcess": "request-quote",
      "fulfillmentModel": "drop-ship"
    },
    "sampleProgram": {
      "available": true,
      "description": "Free samples shipped within 48 hours"
    }
  }
}

Compatibility with Existing Modules

This module is designed to be used alongside existing modules, not to replace them. A broker like Cascade Stone Supply would typically combine:

Implementation Notes

New siteType Values

This module introduces four new siteType values: broker, distributor, wholesaler, and manufacturer-rep. These would be added to the siteType enum in the Universal Core brand object and mapped to the b2bSupplyChain module in the generator's module picker.

Generator Integration

The module would appear in the generator's module picker when any of the new siteType values are selected. It could also be manually selected by any siteType (a SaaS company might also be a distributor, for example).

Validator Checks

The validator should check: supplyChainRole is a valid enum value; materialsHandled has at least one entry with a name; buyerTypes and serviceRegions are non-empty arrays; deliveryScope is a valid enum value when present.

Schema Package

The @citemap/schema npm package would need a new JSON Schema definition for b2bSupplyChain, following the same pattern as existing modules. The @citemap/validator CLI would gain checks for the new required fields.

Field Summary

(+N) indicates sub-fields within materialsHandled array items. Total: 23 top-level fields + 7 sub-fields = 30 fields.

Next Steps

1. Review and refine field definitions based on real-world testing with broker and distributor businesses
2. Add b2bSupplyChain JSON Schema to @citemap/schema package
3. Implement generator form UI with sections matching this spec
4. Add validator checks for required fields and enum values
5. Add new siteType values to Universal Core enum
6. Publish as part of citemap.json v2.x spec update