5 Must-Haves in the Modern E-commerce Stack

March 1, 202238

Over the past ten years, the tremendous growth of eCommerce has proven its role as an essential asset for businesses as they adapt to innovate and thrive in an increasingly digital world.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, eCommerce emerged as a powerful tool to survive challenges, and yet, it remains the same. In 2020, when the restrictions and limitations on in-store shopping were low, many consumers were forced to try & shop online, and now they haven’t looked back.

As a result, global eCommerce revenue increased significantly by 19% in 2020. So, if you want to build an eCommerce ecosystem that helps make your brand from zero to retail hero, you need the right eCommerce tools and tech stack.

To develop an eCommerce solution, ensure that your eCommerce tech stack should have all different software, programming languages, frameworks, and more. These tools work together to create a fully functioning system, and each has a direct impact on how your application work. So it is required to hire an efficient software developer who has done certification in a Python course to manage your e-commerce website.

Choosing the right eCommerce stack is also important as the minor performance issues on the application can seriously impact your user’s experience, conversions rate, etc. And the right tech stack can help your eCommerce business improve logistics efficiency, automate time-consuming processes, and save on costs.

Table of Contents

Let’s dive into the eCommerce technology stack

1. Frontend tech stack

The frontend is what your users see when they visit your website to shop. So, your frontend must be impeccable because it can make or break your customer engagement. You should ensure that it looks searchable, visually appealing, and unique. For this, you’ll need an experienced frontend developer that helps to drive these results. Three main front end technologies that you can use apace with each other: –

CSS (short for Cascading Style Sheets, which determines the layout and the design of the HTML elements).
HTML (short for HyperText Markup Language, which defines the content and the structure of a page).
JavaScript and its popular frameworks and libraries like React, Vue, Angular, and jQuery.
In addition, you should also try SCSS, SASS, LESS, and tools like Gulp or WebPack.

2. Backend eCommerce stack

Backend is quite complex, as it consists of a server, database, and an application. Without the skeleton, an eCommerce website would not perform well. The application’s backend is responsible for various tasks, such as order management, adding products to the catalog, SEO settings, editing of website pages, online shop scaling, payments, and user registration. The slight issues on the backend can also seriously impact on website’s performance. The backend tech stack for websites or applications encompasses various frameworks that make your application perform smoothly. Here’s what you must take into consideration: –

Select an operating system
Picking a web server
Maintaining and processing data through databases
Selecting storage for gathered data
Deciding on a programming language, you’ll use.

You can also choose programming languages, like Java, Python, PHP, or Ruby. According to Statista, Python is the most used language. Its key frameworks to help your dev team include Django, Pylons, and Flask.

3. Operating systems

Selecting operating systems are also an important step that you need to take. Operating systems provide access to the computing power and resources needed to function. Various operating systems for e-commerce out there, such as: –

Linux: – It is an open-source operating system used for servers, Kubernetes, and Docker containers.
Windows: It is also an operating system powered by Microsoft, widespread among both consumer and commercial technologies.
MySQL is an open-source relational database management system, which has become the best choice for retailers as it ensures a seamless integration.

Additionally, there are four major operating systems today, which share in the global operating system market in June 2020 are shown in brackets: –

Android [38.3%]
Windows [36.55%]
macOS & iOS [iOS 14.4%, macOS 8.35%]
Linux [0.81%].

4. Third-party services

Sometimes, an eCommerce website needs different technologies to meet the business requirement, such as payment gateway, etc. A few third-party services are available for your online store that you can integrate into your website.

Payment gateways
Shipping modules
Analytics tools
CRM
Social networks
Multi-vendor stores such as eBay and Amazon

These payment integrations can also enhance your customer’s shopping experience and conversion rate. Here are some of them:

Stripe- It is the suit of payment APIs, designed to accept payments, send payouts, and manage businesses online.
Authorize.Net- It is also a secure payment gateway that serves you a flexible, secure and easily integrated payment solution.
PayPal – It can make online payments safe and fast.
Braintree– A global and online payment solution gateway can help you reach more buyers and drive higher conversion. Square Online: Square payment processing fees provide a transparent and efficient payment solution to further optimize your online store’s performance.

5. Databases

Databases are an essential part of the server ecosystem, allowing multiple data points to be maintained and processed. It enables the business to store, analyze and manage critical information about your products.