Whitelabel

White-label refers to products or services produced by one company and sold under another company's brand. The producer makes the product but leaves branding, packaging, and sometimes customization to the client, who markets it as their own brand.

Common in consumer goods and software, white-label arrangements let firms expand offerings quickly without developing from scratch. In software, a white-label solution is a platform or application built by one vendor and marketed by another as a branded solution. The client typically controls branding, domain, support, and customer-facing materials, while the original provider handles development and infrastructure. Depending on the arrangement, customization ranges from simple branding to feature toggles or localized content; deeper changes may be limited by a multi-tenant architecture or licensing terms.

Business considerations include cost savings, faster market entry, and the ability to offer new capabilities without internal development. Revenue often comes from licenses or subscriptions paid by the reseller, sometimes with revenue sharing. Risks include reliance on the supplier for performance, security, and compliance, potential brand risk if the underlying product suffers issues, and contractual limits on branding, data ownership, or intellectual property.

Legal and ethical issues involve trademark permissions, data privacy, SLAs, and warranties. Companies should clearly define branding guidelines, support responsibilities, data handling, and indemnities. White-label can blur brand ownership in customer relationships, which may affect customer service and accountability.

Origins of the term are often linked to the practice of selling products with blank or white labels to be printed by resellers; the concept has since broadened to software, digital services, and manufacturing. It is distinct from private labeling in some contexts, though usage varies by industry.