1. What is an e-commerce website?

In today’s world, the business model of buying and selling products or services through websites or mobile applications is becoming increasingly popular, commonly referred to as e-commerce. This channel allows you to buy and sell products 24/7 on a global scale—something that traditional stores are still limited in offering.

This trend has led to the emergence of e-commerce websites. So, what is an e-commerce website? It is a tool that supports businesses in online operations, making sales and customer engagement easier. Many businesses are entering the competitive race by developing e-commerce websites to attract more potential customers.

2. Benefits of designing an e-commerce website

Designing an e-commerce website not only facilitates online transactions but also offers numerous advantages for businesses, such as:

  • Increased revenue: With an e-commerce website, your customers are no longer restricted by time or geography. This leads to an increase in customer base and ultimately boosts revenue.
  • Reduced advertising costs: When you build an e-commerce website, you eliminate the need to rent physical space or hire in-store staff. Additionally, costs for printing catalogs, brochures, and other materials can also be reduced.
  • Low-cost global marketing: You can easily promote your brand, products, and services worldwide through online advertising at a relatively low cost. This is something that traditional business models struggle to achieve.
  • Improved customer service: Customers can quickly and accurately access product or service information through online channels. E-commerce websites also make it easier for them to view and purchase products online.
  • Competitive advantage: Designing an e-commerce website allows businesses to showcase creativity and develop new ideas for services or marketing strategies to attract potential customers. If your competitors are already using e-commerce, being a trendsetter could offer significant advantages.

In addition to the benefits mentioned above, e-commerce website design offers other advantages, including:

  • Establishing and strengthening connections with suppliers, partners, agents, and customers.
  • Reducing promotional and event-related costs.
  • Making online ordering more convenient through mobile apps.
  • Ensuring quick, continuous, and timely customer interaction.
  • Centralizing customer information management.
  • Optimizing sales monitoring and demand forecasting.
  • Encouraging loyal customers to become agents to expand sales channels.
  • Offering simple, convenient payment options.
  • Providing delivery staff with tools to track order schedules.
  • Enabling website administrators to manage, update, and coordinate system operations efficiently.

3. Essential features of an e-commerce website

When designing an e-commerce website, businesses should ensure that the design team includes the following essential features:

  • Software solution features for e-commerce platforms
  • Features for buyers (Frontend)
  • Features for sellers (Backend)
  • Features for suppliers (Frontend + Backend)
  • Agent features (Frontend + Backend)
  • Content display for the marketplace (Frontend)
  • Administration tools (Backend)

Among these, Frontend and Backend features are the most important. Each feature must meet the following specific requirements:

3.1 Frontend Features

  • User Accounts:
    • Registration and login for suppliers, customers, and other users.
    • Manage personal information, including name, phone number, address, password, profile picture, and date of birth.
    • Role-based permissions for different account types: supplier, agent, employee, customer support, and customer accounts.
    • Member profiles, including contact information, points, ratings, and products.
    • Commenting and rating for products and profiles.
    • Friend requests, friend lists, and messaging.
    • Group management, including creating, joining, and managing groups, viewing group notifications, and group member lists.
    • Terms of use, privacy policies, and user guides.
  • Buyer Pages:
    • Product listings in grid or column views.
    • Search and filter options by keyword, price, etc.
    • Product details, including images, videos, reviews, and purchase history.
    • Share products with friends via email.
    • Add to cart, shipping options, payment methods, and order tracking.
    • Compare products within the same category.
    • Q&A section for product-related queries.
  • Checkout and Delivery Confirmation:
    • Proceed to checkout after adding items to the cart.
    • Choose payment methods.
    • Confirm order details before finalizing the purchase.
    • Update product availability and delivery coordination.
    • Delivery staff receive the schedule and update order statuses upon successful delivery.
  • Supplier Pages:
    • Suppliers can register accounts to sell on the e-commerce platform.
    • The platform reviews and approves supplier registrations, allowing them to manage their own pages.
    • The platform moderates supplier-uploaded products and news, which can be featured on the main product page.
  • Customer Support Staff Pages:
    • Confirm order feasibility with customers.
    • Manage and coordinate all orders, assigning deliveries.
    • Track order statuses and handle post-delivery feedback or complaints.
  • Delivery Staff Pages:
    • Receive and manage delivery schedules.
    • Confirm successful deliveries.
    • Collect payments and update order statuses.
  • Agent Pages:
    • Build mobile sales points for customers to become agents.
    • Manage agent orders and customer lists.
    • Track agent sales for commission payments at the end of the reconciliation period.
    • Implement tiered agent ranking systems with discount policies for top-performing agents.
  • Wallet and Loyalty Programs:
    • Customers can open accounts, deposit funds, and make payments for purchases.
    • View transaction history and account balance.
    • Earn loyalty points for purchases and redeem them for future transactions.

3.2 Backend Features

    • Homepage Management:
      • Design a dedicated, attractive homepage with a professional layout and well-organized product information.
      • Flexible store layout with easy module placement management. Admins can manage the store directly from the homepage.
    • Content Management:
      • Manage news articles on the website efficiently.
      • Support tools for quick article editing, setup, and publishing.
      • Drag-and-drop tools for flexible content organization.
      • Modern tools for image, video, and embedded content management.
    • Product Management:
      • Fully and accurately declare product information.
      • Detail product packaging specifications.
      • Display each product according to a pre-established structure.
    • Customer Management:
      • Register customer information during account creation.
      • Filter customers by name, phone number, address, email, etc.
    • Order Management:
      • List and categorize current orders.
      • Approve and update order statuses.
      • Track the order lifecycle from creation to successful delivery or cancellation.
    • Customer Support Management:
      • Integrated live chat tools for customer service.
      • Real-time order updates and customer feedback management.
    • Marketing Management:
      • Build marketing programs aligned with business strategies.
      • Offer gifts, promotions, and discounts on specific products.
      • Promote suppliers and product information.
    • Inventory Management:
      • Manage centralized or decentralized inventory models.
      • Provide real-time information on inventory levels.
      • Forecast new supply needs based on demand.
    • Reporting and Analytics:
      • Generate comprehensive, detailed reports.
      • Visual reports through graphs.
    • User Role Management:
      • Assign features to different user roles.
      • Grant permissions based on user roles or features.