Check the real source
Open the original disclosure and the exact edition 1.1 row for Squarespace and Stripe.
Original disclosure (opens in a new tab)Edition 1.1 rowDataset CSV
Labs · Interactive example
Who actually supplies this brand?
A shared checkout shows who processes the payment. It does not show who supplied the shop’s software. Test the difference with a real brand, then with a fictional ten-shop count.
- Credit
- Acquiry
- Version
- 1.0
- Date
- 13 November 2026
- Built on
- Provider map, edition 1.1
The finding
When many shops share one checkout, counting them as customers of a software supplier is a mistake. In the fictional case below, a count of 10 falls to 3 supported shops once only independent evidence is allowed, and a supplier with no new customers moves into the top three.
Real source
Start with a real brand: Squarespace
This is the edition 1.1 record for Squarespace and Stripe, quoted from the dataset. Everything in this section comes from that row and the source it cites.
| Platform and product | Squarespace, Squarespace Payments |
|---|---|
| Provider named | Stripe |
| Role in the map | Embedded infrastructure |
| Time scope | Branded rollout began in 2023 |
| What the source says | Stripe says its Connect and Payments products provide payments infrastructure for Squarespace merchants. Squarespace launched its branded payments offering in 2023. |
| Evidence checked | 13 November 2026 |
| Links | Stripe Squarespace case study (original disclosure, opens in a new tab) |
What the source establishes
Stripe publicly says that its Connect and Payments products provide payments infrastructure for Squarespace merchants, and that Squarespace launched its branded payments offering in 2023. In plain English: when you read about payments on Squarespace, one named company behind that layer is Stripe.
What it leaves open
The disclosure identifies infrastructure and a launch date. Whether Stripe is the only provider (exclusivity), how much revenue the relationship carries for either company, and who the contracting parties are would each need further evidence.
That is the right size of claim for a payments disclosure. The same habit matters in the next example, where a shared checkout is easy to mistake for a software supplier.
Fictional case
Investigate a ten-shop count
Simulation: every shop, supplier and number below is invented for teaching. It describes no real company.
An analyst found ten online shops with the same checkout and counted all ten as customers of one commerce software supplier, Brightwell Commerce. A correction then pointed out that the shared checkout identifies the payments provider, Kestrel Pay, not the commerce supplier. Three of the shops also have independent evidence for Brightwell Commerce. Apply the correction and watch the count.
Before the correction. The analyst counted all 10 shops as Brightwell Commerce customers because they share one checkout.
- Counted by analyst
- 10
- Supported
- Not checked yet
- Unresolved
- Not checked yet
The ten shops
Every shop uses the same checkout, run by Kestrel Pay. Choose “Inspect evidence” to see what each shop’s case really rests on.
- Alder & Oak HomewaresCounted by the analyst
- What the checkout shows
- The payment is processed by Kestrel Pay. The same checkout appears on all 10 shops.
- Independent evidence for Brightwell Commerce
- Supplier case study. Brightwell Commerce publishes a case study naming this shop as a customer.
- In the analyst’s count
- Counted as a Brightwell Commerce customer because the shop uses the shared checkout. The checkout was the only thing the analyst checked.
- Brindle Pet SupplyCounted by the analyst
- What the checkout shows
- The payment is processed by Kestrel Pay. The same checkout appears on all 10 shops.
- Independent evidence for Brightwell Commerce
- None found. The checkout is run by Kestrel Pay, which serves many commerce suppliers. No independent source names Brightwell Commerce for this shop, so the count cannot include it. It could still be a customer.
- In the analyst’s count
- Counted as a Brightwell Commerce customer because the shop uses the shared checkout. The checkout was the only thing the analyst checked.
- Copperline CyclesCounted by the analyst
- What the checkout shows
- The payment is processed by Kestrel Pay. The same checkout appears on all 10 shops.
- Independent evidence for Brightwell Commerce
- Storefront theme credit. The shop page source credits a Brightwell Commerce storefront theme.
- In the analyst’s count
- Counted as a Brightwell Commerce customer because the shop uses the shared checkout. The checkout was the only thing the analyst checked.
- Daybreak Coffee RoastersCounted by the analyst
- What the checkout shows
- The payment is processed by Kestrel Pay. The same checkout appears on all 10 shops.
- Independent evidence for Brightwell Commerce
- None found. The checkout is run by Kestrel Pay, which serves many commerce suppliers. No independent source names Brightwell Commerce for this shop, so the count cannot include it. It could still be a customer.
- In the analyst’s count
- Counted as a Brightwell Commerce customer because the shop uses the shared checkout. The checkout was the only thing the analyst checked.
- Elmstead Kids ClothingCounted by the analyst
- What the checkout shows
- The payment is processed by Kestrel Pay. The same checkout appears on all 10 shops.
- Independent evidence for Brightwell Commerce
- None found. The checkout is run by Kestrel Pay, which serves many commerce suppliers. No independent source names Brightwell Commerce for this shop, so the count cannot include it. It could still be a customer.
- In the analyst’s count
- Counted as a Brightwell Commerce customer because the shop uses the shared checkout. The checkout was the only thing the analyst checked.
- Foxglove Garden CentreCounted by the analyst
- What the checkout shows
- The payment is processed by Kestrel Pay. The same checkout appears on all 10 shops.
- Independent evidence for Brightwell Commerce
- Published customer list. Brightwell Commerce lists this shop on its public customer page.
- In the analyst’s count
- Counted as a Brightwell Commerce customer because the shop uses the shared checkout. The checkout was the only thing the analyst checked.
- Granary Lane BooksCounted by the analyst
- What the checkout shows
- The payment is processed by Kestrel Pay. The same checkout appears on all 10 shops.
- Independent evidence for Brightwell Commerce
- None found. The checkout is run by Kestrel Pay, which serves many commerce suppliers. No independent source names Brightwell Commerce for this shop, so the count cannot include it. It could still be a customer.
- In the analyst’s count
- Counted as a Brightwell Commerce customer because the shop uses the shared checkout. The checkout was the only thing the analyst checked.
- Harbourside Outdoor GearCounted by the analyst
- What the checkout shows
- The payment is processed by Kestrel Pay. The same checkout appears on all 10 shops.
- Independent evidence for Brightwell Commerce
- None found. The checkout is run by Kestrel Pay, which serves many commerce suppliers. No independent source names Brightwell Commerce for this shop, so the count cannot include it. It could still be a customer.
- In the analyst’s count
- Counted as a Brightwell Commerce customer because the shop uses the shared checkout. The checkout was the only thing the analyst checked.
- Ivywood LightingCounted by the analyst
- What the checkout shows
- The payment is processed by Kestrel Pay. The same checkout appears on all 10 shops.
- Independent evidence for Brightwell Commerce
- None found. The checkout is run by Kestrel Pay, which serves many commerce suppliers. No independent source names Brightwell Commerce for this shop, so the count cannot include it. It could still be a customer.
- In the analyst’s count
- Counted as a Brightwell Commerce customer because the shop uses the shared checkout. The checkout was the only thing the analyst checked.
- Juniper Row StationeryCounted by the analyst
- What the checkout shows
- The payment is processed by Kestrel Pay. The same checkout appears on all 10 shops.
- Independent evidence for Brightwell Commerce
- None found. The checkout is run by Kestrel Pay, which serves many commerce suppliers. No independent source names Brightwell Commerce for this shop, so the count cannot include it. It could still be a customer.
- In the analyst’s count
- Counted as a Brightwell Commerce customer because the shop uses the shared checkout. The checkout was the only thing the analyst checked.
What it does to the ranking
Four fictional commerce software suppliers, ranked by shops with supporting evidence. The count for Brightwell Commerce is the only one that changes.
- Rank 1Brightwell Commerce10shops countedFlagged: includes 7 shops counted from the checkout alone. This was the analyst’s mistake.
- Rank 2Corvane Storefronts8shops counted
- Rank 3Halden Cart6shops counted
- Rank 4Pennyfield Retail Cloud4shops counted
The result as plain tables
The same before and after, without any buttons or scripts. These tables are part of the page itself.
The ten shops, before and after
| Shop | Independent evidence for Brightwell Commerce | Before the correction | After the correction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alder & Oak Homewares | Yes: supplier case study | Counted by the analyst | Supported |
| Brindle Pet Supply | None found | Counted by the analyst | Unresolved (could still be a customer) |
| Copperline Cycles | Yes: storefront theme credit | Counted by the analyst | Supported |
| Daybreak Coffee Roasters | None found | Counted by the analyst | Unresolved (could still be a customer) |
| Elmstead Kids Clothing | None found | Counted by the analyst | Unresolved (could still be a customer) |
| Foxglove Garden Centre | Yes: published customer list | Counted by the analyst | Supported |
| Granary Lane Books | None found | Counted by the analyst | Unresolved (could still be a customer) |
| Harbourside Outdoor Gear | None found | Counted by the analyst | Unresolved (could still be a customer) |
| Ivywood Lighting | None found | Counted by the analyst | Unresolved (could still be a customer) |
| Juniper Row Stationery | None found | Counted by the analyst | Unresolved (could still be a customer) |
| Total | 10 counted | 3 supported, 7 unresolved |
The ranking, before and after
| Rank | Before: supplier (shops counted) | After: supplier (supported shops) | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brightwell Commerce (10) | Corvane Storefronts (8) | Before: flagged, 7 of the 10 came from the shared checkout alone (the analyst’s mistake) |
| 2 | Corvane Storefronts (8) | Halden Cart (6) | No change to this supplier’s count |
| 3 | Halden Cart (6) | Pennyfield Retail Cloud (4) | Pennyfield Retail Cloud enters the top three with no new customers |
| 4 | Pennyfield Retail Cloud (4) | Brightwell Commerce (3) | No change to this supplier’s count |
Counts before the correction: 10, 8, 6, 4. Counts after, in rank order: 8, 6, 4, 3.
The scoring rule
- A shop counts as a supported customer of a commerce supplier only when at least one independent source names that supplier for that shop.
- The checkout is not independent evidence. A shared checkout identifies the payments provider, not the commerce supplier.
- A shop with no independent evidence is unresolved. It is not counted, and it is not ruled out. It could still be a customer.
- Suppliers are ranked by supported shops, highest first. Ties break by supplier name, A to Z.
- Before the correction the analyst counted every shop that used the shared checkout for Brightwell Commerce. That was the analyst’s mistake.
Three ways to verify this work
Reproduce the example
Download the fictional inputs, the scoring rule and the expected before-and-after output. This is a simulation, built from the stated arithmetic. With Node installed, run node reproduce.mjs in the folder and compare the result with expected-output.json.
- shops.csvThe ten fictional shops2.3 KB · SHA-256 e87aaa49d68e
- suppliers.csvThe four fictional suppliers and their counts214 B · SHA-256 359592da19d4
- scoring-rule.mdThe scoring rule and how to run it1006 B · SHA-256 9c1466d5e994
- expected-output.jsonExpected before-and-after output1.3 KB · SHA-256 d858c409b221
- reproduce.mjsA short script that recomputes the output2.4 KB · SHA-256 8cf1ee04f544
- who-supplies-this-brand-example.zipAll five files in one archive3.4 KB · SHA-256 0af6035912a4
Cite this edition
- Stable page URL
- https://www.acquiry.com/labs/who-supplies-this-brand/
- Version
- 1.0
- Published
- 13 November 2026
Acquiry (2026). Who actually supplies this brand? [interactive teaching example, simulation], version 1.0, 13 November 2026. https://www.acquiry.com/labs/who-supplies-this-brand/
The Squarespace record comes from the dataset, which has its own citation:
Acquiry (2026). Embedded Payments Provider Map for Software Platforms, edition 1.1 [dataset]. Evidence checked 13 November 2026. https://www.acquiry.com/data/embedded-payments-provider-map/editions/1.1/
Use the canonical URL until a DOI resolves publicly and matches this edition.
About this work
- Material type
- Interactive example: a sourced example and a labelled simulation
- Credit
- Acquiry (organisational)
- Version
- 1.0, 13 November 2026
- Canonical URL
- https://www.acquiry.com/labs/who-supplies-this-brand/
- Real data
- Embedded Payments Provider Map, edition 1.1, record squarespace-stripe, evidence checked 13 November 2026
- Simulation
- Simulation: every shop, supplier and number below is invented for teaching. It describes no real company.
- Limits
- The Squarespace section reports what one public source says. The fictional case shows how a counting rule works. Neither measures any market.
Related: What a payments integration tells an acquisition buyer and the embedded payments provider map.