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Revenue sharing is a marketplace mechanism that can allow B2BCMarket participants to participate in revenue generated through marketplace activities.
B2BCMarket is designed as a connected marketplace ecosystem in which businesses, companies, branches, products, buyers, sellers, and merchants can participate in different ways. Revenue sharing provides a commercial layer that can connect eligible participants with marketplace activity.
Revenue sharing is an arrangement in which revenue generated from an eligible marketplace activity may be distributed among participants according to applicable rules, agreements, or commercial terms.
The purpose of revenue sharing is to provide a structured mechanism for recognizing the contribution of participants who help create, facilitate, promote, or support marketplace activity.
Revenue sharing can operate alongside the B2BCMarket Connected Entity Architecture (BCEA).
BCEA defines the public relationship between marketplace entities:
Business
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Company
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Branch
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Product
Revenue sharing is a separate commercial layer. It does not replace the public identity or relationship of these entities.
Depending on the applicable marketplace program, revenue-sharing opportunities may involve different types of participants.
Eligibility, participation requirements, and revenue-sharing terms depend on the applicable program or commercial arrangement.
Revenue sharing can be particularly relevant to merchants who contribute to marketplace activity.
A merchant may participate in activities that generate eligible marketplace revenue and may receive a defined share when the applicable conditions are met.
The merchant relationship is therefore separate from the public Business, Company, Branch, and Product identities.
Sellers may participate in revenue-sharing arrangements where their marketplace activities qualify under an applicable program.
Revenue sharing does not change the seller's underlying catalog structure. Products remain connected to their applicable branch, company, and business.
Businesses may be associated with revenue generated by marketplace activities involving their companies, branches, and products.
The applicable commercial arrangement determines whether and how revenue is allocated.
Revenue-sharing calculations may be associated with marketplace transactions.
An order represents a particular commercial transaction, while revenue sharing represents the distribution or allocation of eligible revenue resulting from marketplace activity.
Marketplace Activity
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Order
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Eligible Revenue
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Revenue-Sharing Calculation
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Participant Allocation
Revenue sharing and payment processing are related but different concepts.
Payment processing handles the movement or collection of funds associated with a transaction. Revenue sharing determines how eligible revenue may be allocated according to the applicable arrangement.
A revenue-sharing program can define rules that determine how revenue is calculated and distributed.
Such rules may consider factors such as:
The actual rules depend on the particular revenue-sharing arrangement.
A revenue-sharing arrangement may use a percentage to determine the portion of eligible revenue allocated to a participant.
For example, if an applicable arrangement defines a participant share as a percentage of eligible revenue, that percentage can be applied according to the program's calculation rules.
The applicable agreement or program determines the actual percentage and calculation method.
Not every amount associated with a marketplace transaction necessarily represents revenue available for sharing.
A revenue-sharing calculation may first determine the amount that qualifies as eligible revenue under the applicable rules.
Fees, refunds, taxes, adjustments, or other amounts may be treated separately depending on the applicable commercial terms.
Refunds or transaction adjustments can affect revenue-sharing calculations.
If a transaction that previously generated an allocation is later refunded or adjusted, the corresponding revenue-sharing amount may also require adjustment.
The exact treatment depends on the applicable revenue-sharing rules.
Revenue sharing and subscriptions represent different commercial concepts.
Subscription
Represents an ongoing service or participation relationship.
Revenue Sharing
Represents an allocation of eligible marketplace revenue.
A participant could potentially have a subscription and also participate in a revenue-sharing program where the applicable conditions are satisfied.
Products are marketplace offerings within the B2BCMarket catalog.
When an eligible transaction involving a product generates revenue, the transaction may become part of a revenue-sharing calculation if the applicable program includes that activity.
Revenue sharing does not alter the product's public identity or catalog URL.
The relationship between public catalog architecture and revenue sharing can be viewed as separate but connected layers.
Public Entity Layer
Business → Company → Branch → Product
Transaction Layer
Buyer → Order → Payment
Commercial Allocation Layer
Eligible Revenue → Revenue Sharing → Participant Allocation
A revenue-sharing system may maintain records that identify the transaction, eligible revenue, applicable participant, calculation, and resulting allocation.
These records can provide a basis for accounting, reporting, reconciliation, and participant visibility where applicable.
Clear revenue-sharing rules can help participants understand how allocations are calculated.
Depending on the applicable program, participants may be provided with information about eligible activity, calculations, allocations, adjustments, and payment status.
A simplified revenue-sharing lifecycle can be represented as:
Marketplace Activity
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Eligible Transaction
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Revenue Determination
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Revenue-Sharing Calculation
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Allocation
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Settlement / Payment
An allocation does not necessarily mean that payment occurs immediately.
A revenue-sharing system may have a separate settlement process that determines when an eligible allocation becomes payable.
Settlement timing can depend on transaction completion, refunds, payment confirmation, minimum thresholds, verification, or other applicable rules.
Revenue sharing provides a mechanism for recognizing commercial relationships around marketplace activity without changing the underlying public entity graph.
This separation allows B2BCMarket to maintain a consistent catalog architecture while supporting different commercial participation models.
Public catalog pages are designed primarily for marketplace discovery and navigation.
Revenue-sharing information may contain private commercial, financial, or participant-specific information and therefore does not need to be part of public Business, Company, Branch, or Product catalog representations.
Keeping revenue sharing separate from public catalog entities provides several architectural benefits.
B2BCMarket can therefore be understood as a marketplace in which multiple architectural layers work together.
Business
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Company
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Branch
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Product
Buyer
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Order
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Payment
Eligible Marketplace Revenue
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Revenue Sharing
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Participant Allocation
Each layer has its own purpose while remaining part of the larger B2BCMarket ecosystem.
Continue exploring the B2BCMarket introduction: