Business Topologies
Last refined  ·  2026·05·12
Business Model Canvas  ·  Working model

Direct-trade open-web schema

The first canonical model. Open schema, seller-owned data, no marketplace layer in the middle. Eighteen months in, 62 active makers — the model is holding, with two refinements since launch.

Brad Arner  ·  Simple Product Feeds  ·  Commerce
FIG The canvas, in full Nine blocks · click to read
Key Partners I
  • 62 independent makers — the participating sellers
  • AI assistants (Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity) — feed readers
  • Search engines — secondary, still important
  • Schema.org / JSON-LD — the open standards we stand on
Open ›
Key Activities II
  • Schema design and maintenance (the open SPF schema)
  • Maker intake and feed shaping
  • Education on structured-data publishing
Open ›
Key Resources III
  • The SPF open schema (intangible, durable)
  • 62-maker network — proof the schema works at scale
  • 14-day median to first AI-assistant referral
  • The simpleproductfeeds.com documentation
Open ›
Value Propositions IV
  • Structured product data published at the seller's own URL
  • Legible to AI assistants, search, and any future agentic reader
  • No marketplace fee, no ranking rent, no platform middleman
  • Owned by the seller in perpetuity
Open ›
Customer Relationships V
  • High-touch onboarding — currently, by hand
  • Schema-evolution feedback loop with active makers
  • No subscription dashboard, no account-management theater
Open ›
Channels VI
  • The seller's own domain — where the SPF feed lives
  • Direct maker referral — the network propagates itself
  • Open documentation at simpleproductfeeds.com
  • AI assistants as the new dominant referrer channel
Open ›
Customer Segments VII
  • Independent makers in describably-distinct categories
  • Now: handmade furniture, specialty pantry goods, small-batch beauty
  • Queued (2026 H2): apparel, small-format consumer electronics
  • Excludes: commodity sellers (no per-product distinction to surface)
Open ›
Cost Structure VIII
  • Schema engineering — the largest line, by design
  • Maker intake — high-touch, currently
  • Education programming and documentation
  • Open-source maintenance of the schema repo
Open ›
Revenue Streams IX
  • Flat per-maker fee (annual; modest at the seller level)
  • No transaction take, no ranking sponsorship
  • Optional education / consulting (small)
  • Revenue tracks maker count, not maker volume
Open ›

Refinement history

How this model has changed over time. Newest first.

  1. Finding 2026·05·12

    AI assistants recognized as the dominant referrer channel (Week-32 field note). Channels block updated to surface them explicitly; the design did not anticipate this, but the schema was already structured the way they want to read.

  2. Refinement 2026·04·15

    Segment definition tightened after the Week-28 finding. Structured data favors discriminating attributes, not numerous ones — so the segment isn't 'independent retailers,' it's specifically sellers whose products differ in describable ways. Commodity sellers excluded from intake going forward.

  3. Launch 2024·11·04

    First three makers onboarded with the hand-rolled SPF schema across furniture, pantry goods, and small-batch beauty. The hypothesis is on paper; the test will run for at least two years.