Cross-Platform Web/Mobile App, Merlin and AI Chatbot Development

1. Project Overview
1.1 Objective
Develop a complete B2B wholesale ordering platform for pubs, restaurants, hotels, and bars enabling:
Order placement via Website, Mobile App, WhatsApp, and AI Chatbot
Automated sales, marketing, CRM, customer support, analytics
Full integration with Merlin ERP via its native Web Services API (no manual CSV)

1.2 Key Corrections
❌ No HubSpot / Zoho CRM – use internal WooCommerce CRM + custom tables
Mobile app: Cross-platform (Flutter) – iOS + Android from single codebase
Merlin integration via native SOAP/XML Web Service (not custom middleware guessing)


2. Technology Stack (Updated)
Category Technology
CMS & Ecommerce WordPress + WooCommerce
B2B Features B2BKing / Wholesale Suite
Mobile App Flutter (Dart) – crossplatform
Push Notifications Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM)
AI Chatbot OpenAI GPT4 API
WhatsApp Integration Twilio WhatsApp Business API
ERP Integration Aptean Merlin Web Service (SOAP/XML) – native
Payments Stripe, BACS, Trade Credit
Email WooCommerce + SMTP (SendGrid/Postmark)
Analytics Google Analytics 4 + WooCommerce Reports
Hosting Cloudways / Kinsta (optimized)

3. Merlin ERP Integration (Native, no Middleware Guesswork)
Based on the Merlin Web Services Toolkit document provided, the following native functions will be used:
3.1 Available Native Merlin Web Methods
Function Purpose
GetStock Get realtime stock, price, discounts for a product
GetStockList Search products with web_available flag
GetStockMulti Bulk pricing for multiple products
SetOrder Create sales order directly in Merlin (SOAP XML)
SetCustomer Create/update customer account
SetDelivery Create/update delivery address
CheckStatus Verify connection to Merlin
GetSql Readonly SQL queries for custom data
3.2 Integration Flow (Corrected)
text
WooCommerce → SetOrder (SOAP) → MerlinMerlin → GetStock/GetStockList → WooCommerce (realtime)
✅ No manual CSV exports/imports
✅ No custom “middleware engine” – use native Merlin Web Service
✅ No API guessing – exact XSD schemas available from Merlin
3.3 Dependencies (Client to Provide)
Merlin server networkaccessible (static IP or VPN)
Merlin datasource connection string
Merlin company number, depot code
Access to Merlin Web Service URL (e.g., http://server:8181/Merlin.asmx)

4. Functional Requirements
4.1 Website (WooCommerce B2B Portal)
FR1 – Trade Account Management
Registration with business details, VAT, trade license
Admin approval/rejection workflow
Customer portal: dashboard, order history, invoices, addresses, credit terms
FR2 – Product Catalogue
Hierarchical categories, brands, tags
Product images, descriptions, specifications (ABV, volume, pack size)
Tradespecific pricing (tiered, groupbased, customerspecific)
Stock visibility (realtime via Merlin GetStock)
FR3 – Ordering System
Shopping cart (Ajax), bulk order (CSV / SKU grid)
Quick reorder (1click, saved templates, favorites)
Checkout: address, PO number, delivery date, payment (Stripe/BACS/credit)
Order status flow: Pending → Processing → Shipped → Delivered

FR4 – Promotions & Inventory
Volume discounts, BOGO, seasonal offers
Low stock alerts, backorder management
FR5 – Admin Panel
Manage customers, products, pricing, orders
View sales reports, stock sync logs with Merlin
4.2 Merlin Integration (Native)
FR6 – Realtime Sync
Product search → calls GetStockList (web_available=1)
Cart price calc → calls GetStockMulti with quantities
Order placement → calls SetOrder (SOAP XML)
Inventory → calls GetStock for availability
FR7 – Customer Sync
New trade customer → SetCustomer
New delivery address → SetDelivery
4.3 Mobile App (CrossPlatform Flutter)
FR8 – User Features
Same login as website (JWT)
Browse products (grid/list), search, filters
Cart management, checkout, payment
Order history, track orders, reorder (1tap)
Favorites, profile, saved addresses
Push notifications (offers, order updates, delivery)
FR9 – Technical
Flutter (iOS + Android single codebase)
Firebase push + auth
WooCommerce REST API client
4.4 AI Chatbot (Website + WhatsApp)
FR10 – AI Assistant (GPT4)
24/7 FAQ, product search, recommendations
Order status lookup (via Merlin)
Live agent handover after 2 failed attempts
FR11 – WhatsApp Commerce
Product discovery, cart, order placement
Reorder last order, track order, get invoice link
Marketing broadcasts (optin, max 1/week)
4.5 Internal CRM (No HubSpot/Zoho)
FR12 – Customer Management (Custom)
Unified customer database (from web + app + WhatsApp)
Segmentation (by group, spend, last order)
Lead status, sales pipeline (simple stages)
Order frequency, average value, lifetime value
4.6 Email & Notifications
FR13 – Automated Emails
Transactional: order confirmations, shipping, delivery, invoices
Account: registration pending/approved/rejected
Marketing: abandoned cart, reorder reminder, reengagement (30/60/90 days), feedback
Admin: new registration, highvalue order, low stock, sync failure

5. Timeline (45–50 Calendar Days)
Phase Description Days Key Deliverable
Phase 1 Website Frontend (WooCommerce) 4–5 Fully coded frontend (home, products, cart, login/register) – responsive
Phase 2 Merlin Integration + WhatsApp + Full Web Backend 10–12 Realtime stock & pricing via Merlin, WhatsApp ordering, admin panel, complete website
Phase 3 CrossPlatform Mobile App (Flutter) 15–20 iOS + Android app built, tested, ready for store submission
Phase 4 Testing, QA, Bug Fixes, Handover 5–10 UAT passed, documentation, deployment
Buffer Unforeseen delays 3–5 –
Total 45–50 Full system live
Timeline assumes client provides Merlin access, API keys (Twilio, OpenAI, Stripe, Firebase) within 2 days of project start.

6. Cost Breakdown ($600–700 USD Fixed)
Component Cost (USD) Notes
Website (WooCommerce B2B) $100 Registration, catalogue, checkout, admin
Merlin Native Integration (SOAP/XML) $200 GetStock, GetStockMulti, SetOrder, SetCustomer
WhatsApp + AI Chatbot (GPT4) $150 Twilio + OpenAI
CrossPlatform Mobile App (Flutter) $200 iOS + Android, push, full ordering
Testing + Handover $50 UAT, docs, deployment
Total $700 No hidden costs

Excludes: hosting, domain, thirdparty API keys (Twilio, OpenAI, Stripe, Firebase), SSL certificate, app store fees.

7. Deliverables
Live B2B Website (WooCommerce + Merlin integration)
CrossPlatform Mobile App (Flutter – iOS & Android)
AI Chatbot (Website + WhatsApp)
Internal CRM (customer management, segmentation, analytics)
Email automation (transactional + marketing)
Admin panel (orders, products, customers, pricing, sync logs)
Documentation (user guide, API reference)
Source code (upon final payment)


do review the enclosed toolkit