Building an Innovative and Sustainable E-commerce Platform

Challenge

The client was an e-commerce company that primarily focuses on the sale and exchange of books. As a sustainability-centered organization, it caters to the Norwegian and Swedish markets, offering a varied experience for users in terms of language, currency, and relevant book selections.

The company offers a diverse product line, primarily centered around books. Users can browse through a wide range of categories, including fiction, non-fiction, literature, textbooks, children’s books, and more. Apart from purchasing books, the organization also facilitates book exchanges.

The challenge was to develop a comprehensive solution for an e-commerce platform to accommodate various reading preferences and options for different age groups, genres, and educational needs. It had to be an online marketplace that connects buyers and sellers, providing a platform for individuals to buy, sell, and trade new and used books.

Tasks:

We aimed to develop an e-commerce platform for the sale and exchange of books that:

• offers a diverse range of book categories, catering to different reading preferences and educational needs.
• facilitates the buying, selling, and trading of books, promoting sustainability and affordability within the reading community.
• incorporates search and filtering options, allowing users to easily navigate through the available book listings. Users can also view book descriptions, prices, and the condition of used books, enabling them to make informed decisions before making a purchase or initiating a trade.

If we are talking about the whole development cycle, there were several stages and tasks. At the first stage, we used AngularJS, Kotlin, Swift, Mongo, and MySql. At the second stage, new platform versions were created on React-native, Vue.js, and Postgresql (the technology code was refactored and improved). At the third stage, a multitenancy solution for Norway and Sweden was developed.

Pre-development stage

The general solution involved creating a versatile platform for global e-commerce. First, we need to develop and upgrade the functionality for the server part, web application, and mobile applications, with subsequent support for the above-mentioned. The next step was a new country. Under Norway, everything was developed from the very beginning, and the project was dependent on a specific country because it used the specific delivery service of that country—Helthjem for Norway and Premo for Sweden.

To add Sweden Initially, all levels of the project were duplicated with minor changes to work with the desired country. After that, a process of creating a multi-tenancy solution for the entire platform began, which allowed the possibility of adding new countries working on this pattern to the platform without problems.

Tech stack

Our software development team leveraged a blend of cutting-edge technologies and frameworks to execute this project.

• PostgreSQL
• Express.js
• Vue.js
• React Native
• TypeScript
• Redux-Saga
• AWS Lambda
• DynamoDB
• Amazon SQS
• ElasticSearch
• Elastic Beanstalk

Implementation and Features

With the tech stack and solution design in place, we began the development process. The team worked in an agile manner, developing and integrating the technologies. The UI/UX team ensured that the virtual design was translated into an intuitive and user-friendly interface. Technologies that have been integrated:

1. Strapi – Headless CMS. This is a way to control content without deployments, database updates, etc. Used for the content management of the homepage web application and mobile application without the involvement of developers. This allowed changing the description of the content on Strapi to instantly change the content in the applications.
2. PoEditor is a translation manager.
3. Branch.io is a tool for creating universal links. used for advertising. A chip is a universal navigation link between different applications, websites where a similar link was used to the desired page of the application, and a website with a set of necessary data that is available together with this link.
4. Stripe – manager of work with banking operations.
5. Vipps – integration of a mobile application to pay for goods.
6. SendGrid – a service for working with mail.
7. Smartlook – a service to monitor user activity with the possibility of screen recording.

Results

We gave the client a technical solution with many parts that met their current business ideas and needs. The developed e-commerce platform included features that enabled users to:

• Wide Book Selection: Created a platform for an online marketplace that provides access to a wide variety of books across different genres, including fiction, non-fiction, literature, textbooks, and children’s books. Users can explore a vast collection of titles and find books that match their interests and reading preferences.
• Book Exchange: Users can list their books on the platform and indicate whether they are open to selling or trading them. This feature promotes sustainability by encouraging the reuse and circulation of books among readers while also providing an opportunity for users to acquire new books without spending additional money.
• User-friendly Interface: The platform is designed to be user-friendly and intuitive, making it easy for users to navigate, search for books, and interact with the platform. The interface allows for seamless browsing and quick access to book descriptions, prices, and condition details.
• Book Descriptions and Condition: The platform provides detailed descriptions for each book listing, including information about the author, publication date, edition, and synopsis. Additionally, for used books, the marketplace allows sellers to specify the condition of the book, giving buyers a clear understanding of its quality before making a purchase or trade.
• Search and Filtering Options: The platform incorporates search and filtering options to help users find specific books or refine their search based on criteria such as genre, author, language, and price range. This feature makes it easier for users to locate desired books among the extensive collection available on the platform.
• Secure Transactions: Bookis ensures secure transactions by providing a safe environment for buyers and sellers. The platform may incorporate secure payment gateways, such as encrypted payment options or third-party services, to protect users' financial information during the purchase process.
• User Ratings and Reviews: Bookis allows users to provide ratings and reviews for books they have purchased or received through exchanges. This feature helps potential buyers make informed decisions based on the feedback and experiences shared by other users.
• Localized Experience: As a country-specific e-commerce platform, Bookis offers a localized experience for users in Norway. This includes using the Norwegian language, displaying prices in the local currency, and providing relevant book recommendations and selections tailored to the Norwegian market.

The developed platform offers a convenient and feature-rich platform for book lovers, with benefits such as a wide book selection, book exchange options, a user-friendly interface, detailed book descriptions, secure transactions, user ratings and reviews, and a localized experience.

The advantages of having an e-commerce presence in different countries (Norway and Sweden) globally include the following:

1. Market Expansion: By expanding to different countries, the developed platform taps into new markets and reaches a larger customer base. This allowed us to cater to the specific needs and preferences of customers in different countries, potentially increasing sales and business growth.
2. Increased Access and Convenience: Created a platform that enabled customers to access a wide range of products and services from anywhere, at any time. By operating in multiple countries, the platform provided local customers with convenient access to their services, allowing them to browse, purchase, and exchange books without geographical limitations.
3. Cultural Relevance: Operating in different countries allowed this platform to better understand and cater to the cultural nuances and preferences of specific markets. By adapting its offerings, language, currency, and recommendations to local markets like Sweden, the client company provided a more tailored and relevant experience for its users.
4. Global Reach and Diversity: The e-commerce platform attracted a diverse customer base, fostering a global community of buyers and sellers. This diversity led to a wider selection of books available on the platform, promoting cross-cultural exchange and allowing users to discover titles from various regions and languages.
5. Competitive Advantage: Expanding internationally provided the platform with a competitive edge by establishing a presence in new markets ahead of competitors. This early entry allowed it to build brand recognition, gain customer loyalty, and establish strong relationships with local sellers and partners.

Summary

In this project, we developed a global e-commerce platform. With an easy-to-use interface, multi-functionality, and a high degree of usefulness, the DBB Software team created innovative healthcare-intelligent textile technology. Explore our case study and see how partnering with DBB Software can propel your business to new heights in digital healthcare solutions.