For an indomitable product performance, opting for a solid technology stack is mandatory. Picking the right technology stack for your eCommerce business can save your time, energy, money, and whatnot?
Jumping to the implementation part without investing your time in technology stack selection can lead to futile results and who wants that?
Entrepreneurs, especially non-techies face the problem of finding out the best-suited technology stack for their businesses. If you are one of them, or even someone belonging to a tech background but confused with the right stack to select, here's a quick guide to lead you the way!
Starting with,
What is a Technology Stack?
A technology stack is a technology infrastructure that comprises a set of rules and tools required in the entire process of developing an application or entire data ecosystem. It constitutes all the technical services that help in creation, analysis, and data integration and implementation.
Tech stacks make it easy for developers to communicate easily about the type of application and how it is built. A tech stack describes the type of codes and frameworks that will be put in for constructing an application or software. If an application is developed on PHP, for example, then the programmer will automatically understand the base code is probably large and difficult to debug.
For an easy understanding, let us look at some famous apps and their tech stacks-
- Facebook- Social networking site Facebook is composed of a combination of HTML, CSS, ReactJS, Javascript, and PHP.
- Uber- Uber is composed of a combination of Python, Node.js, Go, Java, Tornado
- Slack- Slack comprises Java and Kotlin
- Amazon- Slack comprises ofJava, MySQL, AngularJS, and Pearl
These tech stacks totally control the application's functioning and running. Codes and programs chosen by you can either scale-up your application's performance or degrade it.
To be precise, tech stacks are application operators that determine what the application is and what else can it become!
Why Do You Need a Tech Stack for Your eCommerce Startup?
Technologies involved in web development play a huge role in the app's working and how the app will behave in the future. If your server systems are made for high-read operations, then they might suffer in high-write traffic. That is what you should know while transferring your file from local file storage to cloud file storage.
As there are so many combinations involved in a tech stack, it is hard to generalize the application development to anyone. Before you move forward with your project idea, it is important to consider the pros and cons of the tech stack that you've chosen for your product development.
Benefits of Choosing the Right Stack -
The right tech stack can give an "N" number of advantages. Such as-
- The right tech stack can provide a solid base performance for your application.
- You won't be a victim to any additional maintenance costs and technical debts because of the easy maintenance of your codebase.
- Easy fixation of common bugs will save you and your developers a lot of time and energy.
- Faster and efficient responses from developers will be seen on picking the correct tech stack.
6 Latest Tech Trends in Ecommerce Industry-
Before moving ahead with the main key points of selecting a prominent tech stack, let us have a sneak peak at the latest tech solutions that usher in the eCommerce industry-
1. Artificial Intelligence-
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are solid technologies that will only get solidified more in the coming days. These technologies allow an improved customer experience giving the owner better sales numbers. Businesses have a better customer interest understanding with the help of AI which allows them to showcase relevant products at the right time through the right medium.
A study by PWC reveals that by 2030, AI will contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy.
Impressive?
It is, indeed!
MorphL AI, Kit, Signifyd, AdScale are some AI-driven apps that can be compatible with your store’s settings and themes.
2. eWallets-
E-wallets or mobile wallets are considered to be the next "big thing" in the eCommerce market. Mobile wallets are no longer optional, but a mandatory option for eCommerce websites. E-wallets, just like regular wallets, allow users with several benefits that credit cards or cash don't offer, making it effortless for customers to view available funds in microseconds.
Google pay, Apple Pay, and Samsung pay are some globally acclaimed e-wallets that provide seamless service to over 100 million users.
3. Augmented and Virtual Reality-
Augmented reality has proven itself to be a game-changer in the digital era. It allows customers to virtually view the products that they would like to buy which helps them to take a strong purchase decision.
AR is taking the online shopping experience to a whole new level, transforming the shape of the online industry.
According to a study by Gartner, 35% of respondents say that they would shop online more if they could try a product before buying it.
Home Depot, IKEA, Wayfair, and Target are some popular Augmented Reality shopping apps.
4. CRM integration
Online retailers are now implementing integrated eCommerce CRM systems for a better customer experience. CRM allows retailers to view customer shopping interests and related data all in one place making it easier for them to market their products easier to their potential audience. Improved order fulfillment and timely communication make it smooth for businesses to synchronize and automate data.
Some of the most popular Customer Relationship Management Solutions are Salesforce, Zoho, Microsoft Dynamics, and Hubspot.
5. Chatbots
Chatbots are the greatest implementations of AI where retailers can easily and effortlessly communicate with their thousands of customers 24/7, offering them relevant recommendations and personalized contact. Chatbots are considered one of the most important tools in a retailer's toolkit.
Ecommerce statistics study reveals that more than 60% of customers prefer having chapbooks, websites, or apps to answer their questions.
6. Voice search
The world is fond of virtual assistants like Siri, Google Voice Search, Amazon Alexa, Cortana, Viv, and Google Home. These virtual assistants train their users to make a search using just their voices. Voice search is considered to be one of the most significant innovation drivers for e-commerce.
According to Google, more than 20% of mobile queries are based on voice searches.
5 Things you must keep in mind while choosing your eCommerce tech stack
What factors should influence your selection decision?
On what things should your decision be based?
Well, I have gathered a few key points that can help you select the right tech stack for your eCommerce startup-
1. Your Project Features & Requirements
The size and features of the project are directly proportional to the complexity of the technology stack for your startup. If the project size is big, the tech stack used in it will have a good complexity level whereas if the project size is small, the less complex the tech stack will be.
According to Developers, Python, Django, or Node. js-React is considered perfect for a single-page application. React Js developers say that to keep up with the performance and integrity of the applications a large technical stack is required whether its a large or small project. They might require multiple programming languages and frameworks to meet the app's purpose.
2. Time to Market
A lot of planning is drawn from planning a project and delivering it. For entering your product as soon as possible in the global market, it is advised to start with an MVP-based project. Start your project created with a demo-version asap to collect feedback that saves your time and energy while the final product is launched in the market.
The more early your product comes out, the more exposure your product gets!
3. Scalability and security
Future growth must be considered while constructing an application with the best technology stack. The app architecture should be scalable as scalability determines the application's load handling capacities.
For Example- If the number of app users increases, the technologies involved in the app construction should be able to deal with the audience load in real-time.
Javascript offers relying scalability to change the number of users, making it a powerful programming language to include in your tech stack for the startups.
Security is yet another vital factor that should definitely be considered while selecting a tech stack for your business. Every user wants to be sure that his/her data remains safe and secure while making online transactions.
4. Experience & Resources
While forming a tech stack, it is important that you give priority to technologies you have hands-on and a good amount of experience in. Don't select trending technology just for the sake of going with the trend. Select what you are good at and confident about.
One problem with the new framework is that it is hard to find skilled developers for it. The time you invest in learning a new technology can be put into developing some innovative features in the existing app structure. At the same time, try not to select a technology that is totally outdated and outcast.
Try making a resource chart for a better understanding of resource requirements. A solid tech stack needs developers who can successfully and quickly work with the selected technologies.
5. Maintainability
The tech stack you choose is maintainable at all times without additional efforts even when you scale. Two factors affect maintainability and those are-
Your codebase- Your codebase should not be lengthy, and too concise as it can lead to debugging errors.
Your project architecture- Your project architecture should be scalable, reusable, and mobile.
Final Thoughts
Before rushing into just picking the trending technologies, it is important to analyze each and every aspect of the product. The ready solutions already available in the market. That may or may not go in accordance with your product needs. Then, these proven tips will help you to select the best suitable technologies for your eCommerce startup.