How to Create an eCommerce app using ReactJS?

Ever wondered how eCommerce giants like Shopify or Walmart deliver seamless, fast, and user-friendly experiences? The answer is ReactJS – best framework for web app development. 

Reason To Use ReactJS For eCommerce Development

ReactJS is one of the best frontend frameworks, offering plenty of benefits to users. Here are some of the reasons for building eCommerce app using ReactJS. 

Scalability and Flexibility

Scalability with ReactJS is unparalleled in eCommerce stores with growing numbers of users and product catalogs. With React component-based architecture, you can add dynamic features or scale pretty quickly.

Dynamic User Interfaces

ReactJS is specially optimized for developing responsive UI and offers smooth shopping on all devices.

Less Time to Develop using reusable building blocks

ReactJS is easy to develop and eliminates duplication with reusable components, especially beneficial for sites of massive eCommerce sizes.

SEO Optimization

ReactJS with Next.js allows e-commerce sites to improve their SEO that brings them higher ranks in the search engine.

Fast Virtual DOM

React Virtual DOM renders faster. Especially helpful in e-commerce applications which involve changes to the content most often.

Key Features of a ReactJS eCommerce Application

ReactJS is quite a good platform for the economical development of eCommerce applications. Some of the major React JS features include:  

User-Friendly Interface

Navigation: Give that intuitive menu and search bar.  

Mobile Responsiveness: It should be responsive on all devices.  

Interactive Components: Building user interfaces, interactive sliders, and carousels with the very component-based architecture model.  

Product Data Management

Dynamic Listings: Fetch Product data and render retrieved from the backend.

Filtering and Sorting: Provide filters and sorts categorized, by price, or rating for users.

Page for Product details: Write detailed information, photos, reviews, etc.

Shopping Cart and Wishlist

Cart/Wishlist Add-On: Provides one-click adding of items to cart/wishlist

Persistent Cart: Retrieves cart items locally or in the database so that users don’t lose them.

Cart Summary: Display in real-time the total cost, tax, and discount.

Safe Checkout Method

Integration with Payments: Follows safety protocols for payment processing like PayPal, Stripe, or Razorpay

Shipping: Gives you flexibility for multiple options and auto-calculates the same.

Order Confirmation: Redisplay the confirmation page of your order and email when you finally make the purchase

User Account Management

Registration and Sign-up: JWT or OAuth for sign-in.

History of Orders: Show orders/purchase history from the past and track current orders. 

Profile: Enable the user to create accounts or edit his/her profile and preferences. 

Analytics and Reporting

Sales Dashboard: Provide admin with sales, traffic, and stock information. 

Tracking User Behavior: Use tools like Google Analytics to make decisions based on data. 

How to Create an eCommerce App using ReactJS — A Step-By-Step Approach

Building the React e-commerce app from scratch would seem very tedious. Below is the step-by-step guide on how to create an eCommerce app using ReactJS:

Step 1: Install Your Development Environment

Install Node.js and npm: Download and install Node.js and the npm package manager.

Develop a React App: Run npx create-react-app my-ecommerce-app to generate the React app.

Install Dependencies: Install dependency packages like react-router-dom to enable routing or axios for API calls with: 

npm install react-router-dom axios

Step 2: Develop the whole Application Layout

Header and Footer: Reusable header (nav bar) and footer. 

Product Pages: Pages for product details, descriptions, and categories. 

Admin Panel Dashboard: Admin panel dashboard for orders, profiles, and wishlists. 

Step 3: Add State Management

Select a Tool: Redux or Context API manages the global states, such as shopping cart items and user input sessions. 

Configure Store: if you are using React with Redux, set up a store and reducers to take the actions to add, remove, or fetch product data from the shopping cart. 

Step 4: Add Essential Features

User Authentication: Include user login and registration using JWT tokens or OAuth.

Shopping Cart: Allow users to add products to a shopping cart, view products, and checkout pages.

Integration With Payments: Include a secure payment processing system such as Stripe or PayPal.

Step 5: Request and Display Information

Integrate With API: Use axios to fetch product data, user information, and order history from the backend.

Dynamic Rendering: Use React components and hooks to render read data.

Step 6: Optimize for Performance

Lazy Loading: Load images and many components conditionally with React’s Suspense and lazy. 

Code Splitting: Divide the old code into chunks to facilitate faster load times. 

Also Read: React Performance Optimization Tips to Adhere for Enhanced UI Results

Step 7: Test and Debug

Unit Tests: Test the components with the Jest or React Testing library. 

Debugging: Find and debug bugs with the help of React Developer Tools and the browser’s console.

Robust Technologies to Develop An eCommerce App using ReactJS

Some of the leading React technology combinations leveraged to develop eCommerce app using ReactJS include the following: 

Front-End Technologies

ReactJS: The core of the front-end with reusable components and responsive UI.

Redux: For easy management of React app state.

Material-UI or TailwindCSS: For the latest responsive designs.

Axios/Fetch API: For front-end to back-end API calls.

Back-End Technologies

Express and Node.js: Production of robust and scalable server-side logic.

Django or Flask: Alternatives for Back-end Scripts with Python.

PHP and Laravel: Backend development, if you wanna

Database

MongoDB: NoSQL database for dynamism.

MySQL or PostgreSQL: Relational data with high queries.

Firebase: BaaS-based real-time update and secure authentication system.

Payment Gateway Integration

Stripe: Common for secure and many different types of payments.

PayPal: For integrated and open access. 

Razorpay: Low-cost payment processing for the Indian market. 

Hosting and Deployment

AWS/Google Cloud: Flexible and safe hosting.

Netlify or Vercel: Publish the ReactJS front-end.

Docker: Containerize and manage your web app stack.

Third-Party Tools

Google Analytics: For analytics and traffic.

Cloudinary: For image & optimization.

JWT (JSON Web Tokens): Secure User Sign-In.

Use Cases of Using React for eCommerce Solutions

ReactJS is the future of developing a responsive, fast, scalable, and user-friendly eCommerce app. Let’s know about some notable examples.

Shopify

Short Description: The eCommerce giant Shopify is utilizing ReactJS for branded storefronts and UX convenience.

React Features Used:

• Visualization of UI components for eCommerce templates.
• Tracking the stock as well as the order in real-time through updating the product data.

Result: Improved productivity with instant access to millions of merchants and consumers.

Flipkart

Description: Flipkart is one of India’s largest Online Retail Stores and it uses ReactJS for its Sales and Big Billion Day traffic.

ReactJS Features Used:

• Virtual DOM for super fast product pages.
• Handheld & Desktop friendly.

Results: Low Page Load Times and Device Independent UX.

Amazon

Overview: Amazon uses ReactJS on the front end to render product recommendations and search results.

ReactJS Features Used:

• Component structure for reusability such as product cards and review pages.
• Dynamic product updates with greater throughput.

Outcome: Faster loading and customization on the go, more user engagement

ReactJS eCommerce Development Problems

There are many merits of developing a React eCommerce website, however, there are many problems that developers face.

Complex State Management

Problem: It is not easy to track the state of an eCommerce app, especially when you have user authentication, carts, and order monitoring enabled.

Solution: Use Redux/React Context API for the state management so the data will be pushed from one React component to the other.

Performance Optimization

Problem: Sites that have too many active elements at the same time tend to be slow.

Solution: Lazy load, code splitting, and server-side rendering for faster load time and better UI.

Scalability Issues

Problem: It is ensured that the web application development can scale up with the traffic and data as the company grows

Solution: Scalable architecture with cloud services and ReactJS like Virtual DOM in case of heavy traffic for faster rendering.

Third-party API Integration

Problem: Third-party tools, such as payment gateways, stock management, analytics, etc., integrated can cause compatibility issues.

Solution: Choose reliable APIs and test mode integration in detail for compatibility and security.

SEO Optimization

Problem: The ReactJS applications have poor SEO performance due to client-side rendering.

Solution: Utilize server-side rendering and optimized metadata with the power of JavaScript frameworks like Next.js.

eSparkBiz Case Study: Building a Scalable eCommerce Website with ReactJS

eSparkBiz is an eCommerce Development Company that has assisted thousands of clients in developing scalable eCommerce platforms. Here, check this out: 

Client Profile

One of the brands needed to scale online and create an extremely fast eCommerce platform. Seamless browsing, real-time stocks, and orders were some of their needs.

Client Challenges

Old Website: The client’s older eCommerce portal was not reloading correctly. In traffic, the earlier portal isn’t working accordingly.

Complex Function: Multi payment gateway, Live Inventory, and User Suggestion were their major requirements

Security: Above all is the security aspect wherein Users and Payment methods are completely secure for them.

Our Solution

As an experienced ReactJS Development Company, we served the client with following solutions:-

ReactJS Front-End Development

Dynamic UI: Made an interactive component-based user interface through ReactJS through which the user will navigate smoothly to the purchases.

Update in Real Time: Provided real-time updates through WebSockets so the customer receives the stock update with precision. 

Also Read: Expert Insights on React Front-End Development for Cutting-Edge Web Solutions

Backend Integration

• Rearranged the high-performance Node.js backend API and MongoDB database for local data processing.
• Allow multis payment gateway integration for flexibility to the users where they can experience multiple options.

Performance Optimization

• Lazy loaded & code split from react so it loads super fast with tons of traffic.
• SEO and UX optimization by server-side rendering (SSR).

Security Implementation

• Added OAuth 2.0 for safe and successful login. 
• Utilized SSL Encryption and PCI Compliance to keep transaction data secure.

Key Results

Performance: Page loads in 40 % less time, hence have a greater retention rate.

Increased Revenue: 10 times more traffic in busier sales events and boosted revenue by 35%. 

Increased Engagement of Users: With recommendations and inventory visibility in real-time, customers were more satisfied by 25%.

Testimonial

“eSparkBiz provided an eCommerce solution with a high-speed product that scales so well. They fit well in our company because of their experience in ReactJS and good communication throughout the project.”

Want to find a partner to create your eCommerce app using ReactJS? 

Choose eSparkBiz for scalable and feature-packed applications for your business. Contact us today!  

Chintan Gor

CTO, eSparkBiz

Enthusiastic for web app development, Chintan Gor has zeal in experimenting with his knowledge of Node, Angular & React in various aspects of development. He keeps on updating his technical know-how thus pinning his name among the topmost CTO's in India. His contribution is penned down by him through various technical blogs on trending tech. He is associated with eSparkBiz from the past 14+ years where one can get premium services.