Building a successful ecommerce store is no longer just a dream. It is the reality that many entrepreneurs are achieving today. The question is, what sets them apart from the rest? The answer lies in the powerful combination of tools and technology working together.
Whether you want to start a new ecommerce store or want to spread your wings by expanding the reach of the existing one, tech stack is the base that lets the team and business grow confidently.
Wondering what the best tech stack for ecommerce store looks like? The right technology stack will help you manage inventory, process payments, and reach customers effectively.
In this blog, we will explain what an ecommerce tech stack is, why it matters, and how to choose one for your business.
Ecommerce tech stack is the collection of tools, frameworks, and programming languages to develop an ecommerce website or application. The two major parts of the ecommerce technology stack are front-end (client-facing) and back-end (server-facing).
From the moment a customer lands on your website to the instant they complete their purchase, ecommerce tech stack serves as the backbone of your online store, where each component plays a crucial role in ensuring your success.
Here are some of the reasons why choosing the best tech stack is crucial for online businesses (both single and multi-channel business owners):
To make the best decision for your business, one crucial decision awaits: selecting the right eCommerce tech stack. Here are some of the factors to consider:
Before you get into technical factors, it is important to understand your business requirements. You need to ask yourself about your business goals, target audience, expected traffic, and what features are most crucial for your ecommerce store.
Once you have the answer to these questions, you will be able to choose a technology stack that aligns with your business objectives, audience, and anticipated growth.
For example, your conversion rates might be excellent, but your customer reviews analysis shows problems with post-purchase experiences. In this case, you should ensure that the order management solution you opt for has the right features and tools to address these customer issues.
When selecting a tech stack for ecommerce, you need to ensure that it is compatible with your existing systems or technologies. It can be achieved through direct integration or third-party services that connect different tools.
Seamless integration between different parts of your stack is essential for seamless operation and data flow, plus it minimizes the requirement for extensive modifications.
Furthermore, to ensure your tech stack works smoothly, look for APIs that allow different systems to communicate with each other. A well-integrated stack will improve operational efficiency and provide a better experience for your users.
Scalability is important. As your business expands, your tech stack should seamlessly handle increased traffic and transactions. Slow or unresponsive apps can hamper the user experience, which can drive users away, while fast and scalable ones can keep them engaged.
Select platforms that render scalable solutions so you will not have to worry about performance issues during peak time.
Following this approach while building a tech stack for your e-commerce store will also help you ensure that your online store can effectively handle growth while offering a seamless user experience.
User-friendly technology stack that requires limited technical expertise can save more time and resources for you and your team. Imagine setting up your online store with the same ease as creating a social media account.
A user-friendly tech stack for your ecommerce website or application can make a world of difference, allowing you to focus on what matters most: your customers, evaluating their pain points and providing solutions.
Your ecommerce store can’t operate in isolation. Therefore, your chosen tech stack should connect seamlessly with inventory and order management systems, accounting software, CRM platforms, marketing automation tools, shipping and fulfillment services, and marketplace channels (Amazon, Etsy, Shopify).
Every ecommerce business has unique needs that may not be addressed by out-of-the-box solutions. The right balance of structure and flexibility allows you to implement your business model while maintaining your platform’s stability.
You must check if your ecommerce tech stack offers theming and frontend customization options, backend workflow customization capabilities, API access and extensibility, and custom checkout processes if needed.
However, higher customizability often requires more technical expertise and resources, so you must balance your needs with your team's capabilities. Platforms like WooCommerce and Magento offer deep customization but need development skills, whereas Shopify provides easier customization with some limitations on control. The choice is yours!
Do you know mobile e-commerce sales reached $2.2 trillion in 2023, which now makes up 60 percent of all e-commerce sales around the world?
Therefore, your tech stack must follow a mobile-first approach to page speed and offer these elements- Progressive Web App (PWA) support, mobile payment options, and touch-friendly interfaces.
Choosing a technology stack that will support your visibility in search engines can be the primary traffic driver to run successful ecommerce operations.
Here are the capabilities your technology stack must possess- URL structure control page speed optimization, structured data markup, canonical tag management, sitemap generation, metadata customization, and content management flexibility.
Finally, evaluate the pricing of every component in your tech stack. Look for solutions that provide the best value for your investment. Don’t just focus on the upfront costs; consider long-term expenses and potential ROI. A well-priced tech stack can save you money and enhance your bottom line.
It is important to find a balance between the cost and functionality of your tech stack to make sure your online store operates seamlessly without exceeding your budget. Check for these factors when evaluating cost:
Thinking of building one of the top ecommerce businesses in the world? No wonder you can do it. However, for that, you need to use the same tools to achieve the same levels of success as that of big players in the ecommerce industry.
Let’s check out some examples of tech stacks chosen by the leading ecommerce players:
One of the largest ecommerce marketplaces, the Amazon app uses tech stacks including MySQL, React, Java, Ruby on Rails, Redux, Perl, and Amazon SQS for flexibility, performance, and scalability.
This platform handles millions of transactions seamlessly as it is designed using microservices architecture, enabling teams to deploy features independently and enhancing agility.
Etsy stands out with its focus on handmade and vintage items, offering items such as jewelry, bags, clothing, and more. Etsy platform is primarily built on PHP and MySQL, which ensures efficient database management.
Employing a combination of React, Python, JavaScript, Apache HTTP Server, and Amazon S3, this marketplace enhances user interactions with features like real-time notifications and a smooth checkout process. It also leverages Elasticsearch for powerful search capabilities to ensure users can find the items they are looking for easily.
Based in the United States, Walmart is another leading multinational retail corporation. Its retail store is in 10,526 locations, operating under 48 different brand names in 24 different countries.
Its ecommerce platform uses different tech stacks, including Python, Node.js, MySQL, Angular Java, React, and Ruby, among others.
For greater scalability and performance, Walmart platform uses Java and Node.js for back-end development. On the contrary, its dynamic user interface is handled by its front-end development, which leans on React and Angular.
Shopify’s success as a leading ecommerce platform is rooted in its adoption of a robust tech stack. Its persistence layer relies on MySQL for structured data. However, they've built database clusters and implemented sharding strategies to handle the massive data requirements.
To empower users with relevant product search functionality, Shopify leverages Elasticsearch. Its backend architecture provides flexible data using GraphQL for its API layer, Redis for caching and as a job queue, Kafka for event streaming and asynchronous processing, and Kubernetes for orchestrating containerized applications.
For its front end, Shopify has built Liquid (its templating language), Polaris (its design system), and various JavaScript frameworks, including its own Shopify App Bridge. One of its USPs is reflected in its specialized frameworks, such as Shopify CLI and Theme Kit, to improve developer workflows.
Your ecommerce tech stack is what keeps your business running smoothly behind the scenes. Getting it right means less stress, more sales, and happier customers.
With the best ecommerce tech stack in place, you can scale your business with confidence, streamline operations, and provide unparalleled customer service.
Begin by investing in the right ecommerce tech stacks, such as payment processing software, marketing tools (SEO tools, email marketing platforms, social media management tools, etc), multi-channel inventory sync platforms, and customer relationship management tools.
If you do not want to face a nightmare of overselling, stockouts, and frustrated customers, it is essential to keep track of inventory in real-time. With a centralized inventory management system, you can track inventory levels in real time, and all of your online store’s data can be integrated with all of the business’s ecommerce channels.
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With mobile commerce on the rise, not opting for a mobile-first approach can alienate a big portion of your customer base.
The best choice depends on every business specific requirement. However, amongst many, MEAN stack is considered one of the best tech stacks for ecommerce as it is known for its flexibility and scalability, empowering businesses to grow and thrive.
Here is the Amazon Technology Stack – Java, Perl, Angular JS, MySQL, Amazon EC2 container service, DynamoDB, and a host of other Amazon frameworks.