Core Concepts
Learn the fundamental concepts and terminology of Gloyd.
Core Concepts
Understanding Gloyd's core concepts will help you get the most out of the platform.
Bi-Directional Trade
Every organization on Gloyd can operate in both directions simultaneously:
- Purchase (Buying): You create RFQs and send them to suppliers, receive quotes, and place purchase orders
- Sales (Selling): Customers send you RFQs, you create and send quotes, and receive sales orders
Key Entities
Contacts
Contacts are the companies and individuals you do business with:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Customer | Companies that buy from you |
| Supplier | Companies you buy from |
| Partner | Companies that are both customer and supplier |
RFQ (Request for Quotation)
An RFQ is a request for pricing. It can flow in both directions:
- Purchase RFQ: You send to suppliers asking for pricing
- Sales RFQ: Customers send to you requesting pricing
Quotes
A quote is a formal pricing proposal:
- Purchase Quote: Received from a supplier in response to your RFQ
- Sales Quote: Created by you and sent to a customer
Orders
An order is a confirmed transaction:
- Purchase Order (PO): You place with a supplier
- Sales Order (SO): A customer places with you
Document Flow
The standard workflow follows this path:
RFQ → Quote → Order → Fulfillment
Each step has defined status transitions that ensure proper tracking and accountability.
Portal
The portal is a self-service interface for your external contacts (customers and suppliers). Through the portal, they can manage their RFQs, quotes, and orders.
O2O (Organization-to-Organization)
O2O connects Gloyd organizations directly. When two organizations trade over O2O, documents are created on both sides automatically (mirroring) — each side owns its own copy and works from its own Gloyd workspace. Live status sync between the two copies is on the roadmap. O2O is free and unlimited on all plans.
Channels
Every document records how it arrived: platform, portal, O2O, api, email, edi, or manual entry. The api and edi channels become relevant as the integrations roadmap ships.