add research folder with market docs, strategy notes, and KfW files

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

research/product_ideas.md

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+# Product Ideas & Future Work
+
+## Second Directory: Padel Venue Finder (player-facing)
+Current directory = B2B supplier directory (for project owners finding vendors).
+Future directory = consumer-facing venue finder (for players finding courts near them).
+
+Inspiration: thepadeldirectory.co.uk runs BOTH:
+- `/padel-court-construction` → B2B supplier directory (like our current one)
+- `/find-padel-courts` → consumer venue finder with map + filters (court type,
+  facilities: parking, changing rooms, bar, equipment shop, online booking;
+  distance radius 5/10/25/50/100 miles; sort by name/court count)
+
+Our B2B directory (suppliers) is already built. The venue finder would be a separate
+section — `venues/` — targeting players. Monetisation: venue operators pay a listing
+fee (similar to Basic tier for suppliers). Could cross-sell: padel court builders list
+in B2B directory, their completed venues list in the venue finder.
+
+Schema additions needed: `venues` table (name, address, lat/lng, court_count,
+indoor/outdoor, facilities_json, booking_url, claimed_by), geocoding, map embed.
+
+
+
+## Supplier Reviews
+- Gate review submission behind verified lead completion (avoid gaming)
+- After lead forwarded + 60 days → send entrepreneur an email with 1–5 star + short text form
+- Store aggregate on `lead_forwards` or a new `supplier_reviews` table
+- Display on directory card; only visible for paid-tier suppliers (Growth/Pro)
+
+## Getting Actual Quotes (closing the loop post-match)
+Three options in ascending build effort:
+1. **Email only** (current) — supplier emails entrepreneur directly, platform never sees the quote
+2. **Quote upload** (low effort, high signal) — prompt supplier to upload PDF quote in dashboard; entrepreneur confirms receipt; platform shows "X quotes received" on their dashboard
+3. **In-platform messaging thread** — full messaging between entrepreneur + supplier through padelnomics; data-rich but complex
+
+→ Start with option 2 (upload prompt in dashboard, confirmation from entrepreneur side)
+
+## Claim Verification (currently open to anyone)
+Options by friction/reliability:
+| Method | Friction | Reliability |
+|--------|----------|-------------|
+| Email domain must match company website | Low | Medium |
+| DNS TXT record | Medium | High |
+| Document upload (trade reg, VAT cert) | High | High — manual review |
+| Subscription (credit card) alone | Very low | Low |
+
+Recommended path:
+- Email domain check as a soft gate (warn but don't block)
+- Manual review queue in admin panel for first-time claims (add "mark verified" button to admin user/supplier detail)
+- Pro-tier upgrade requires document upload
+
+## Pricing Tier Restructure
+| Tier | Name | Price | What it includes |
+|------|------|-------|-----------------|
+| Free | — | — | Auto-imported unclaimed listing, no contact info |
+| New | **Listed** | ~€299/yr (annual) | Verified badge, logo, full description, website link; no leads |
+| Current Growth | **Growth** | €149/mo | Everything + 30 lead credits/mo |
+| Current Pro | **Pro** | €399/mo | Everything + 100 lead credits/mo; direct quote from listing page |
+
+Annual "Listed" tier = low-friction entry for suppliers who want visibility without monthly credit commitment. Mirrors competitor €600/yr Basic tier.
+
+## Direct Quote from Listing Page (premium feature)
+- Currently: "Request Quote" button on supplier detail goes to general wizard (country pre-filled)
+- For free/unclaimed suppliers: button is greyed out + popover (implemented 2026-02-19)
+- Future premium feature: route quote *directly and exclusively* to that specific supplier
+- Make it **Pro-only** as a built-in perk (headline differentiator for Pro upgrade)
+- Possibly also available as a paid add-on boost for Growth tier
+
+## Supplier Reviews (implementation sketch)
+- New table: `supplier_reviews (id, lead_forward_id, supplier_id, rating INT 1-5, body TEXT, created_at)`
+- Email trigger: worker job checks `lead_forwards` created 60+ days ago with no review → enqueue review request email
+- Submit endpoint: `POST /suppliers/<id>/review` (tokenised link in email, no login required)
+- Display: aggregate on directory card (star rating + count), full list on supplier detail page (Pro only)