E-Commerce Platform
Full-stack online store solution with product catalog, shopping cart, secure checkout, payment processing, order management, and inventory tracking for scalable retail operations.
Scope Overview
Comprehensive e-commerce platform covering the complete online shopping experience from browsing to fulfillment.
Must-Have Features
- Product catalog with categories, variants (size, color), and pricing tiers
- Shopping cart with add/remove/update quantity operations
- Secure checkout flow with guest checkout and saved addresses
- Stripe payment integration with card processing and webhooks
- Order management with status tracking (pending, processing, shipped, delivered)
- Inventory tracking with stock levels and low-stock alerts
- Customer accounts with order history and saved payment methods
- Admin dashboard for product, order, and customer management
Nice-to-Have Features
- Product search with filters (category, price range, rating)
- Discount codes and promotional campaigns
- Product reviews and ratings system
- Wishlist and saved items functionality
- Email notifications for order confirmation and shipping updates
- Multi-currency support with exchange rates
- Tax calculation based on shipping location
- Abandoned cart recovery via email
System Architecture
Three-tier Next.js full-stack application with server-side rendering, API routes, and PostgreSQL database.
Frontend Layer
Next.js 15 + React
- •Server components for product catalog pages (SSR for SEO)
- •Client components for cart, checkout, and interactive UI
- •React Context for global cart state management
- •TanStack Query for client-side data caching
- •Optimistic updates for instant cart feedback
- •Responsive design with mobile-first approach
Backend Layer
Next.js API Routes / Node.js
- •REST API endpoints for products, cart, orders, and customers
- •Server actions for mutations (add to cart, place order)
- •Stripe API integration for payment processing
- •Webhook handlers for payment confirmation
- •Authentication with NextAuth.js or custom JWT
- •Middleware for protected routes and admin access
Data Layer
PostgreSQL + Redis
- •PostgreSQL for transactional data (products, orders, customers)
- •Prisma ORM for type-safe database queries
- •Redis for session storage and cart caching
- •Database indexes on product_id, order_id, customer_email
- •Foreign key constraints for data integrity
- •Migrations for schema versioning
Product Catalog Design
Flexible data model supporting products with variants, multiple images, categories, and tags for rich browsing experience.
Product Model
Core product entity with variants and pricing
- •name, slug, description, price, compare_at_price
- •category_id (FK), brand, sku, weight, dimensions
- •is_active, is_featured flags for visibility
- •metadata JSON for custom attributes
- •created_at, updated_at timestamps
Product Variants
Size, color, and style variations
- •product_id (FK), sku, name (e.g., 'Large / Blue')
- •price override if different from base product
- •stock_quantity, low_stock_threshold
- •option1_name, option1_value (size: Large)
- •option2_name, option2_value (color: Blue)
Product Images
Multiple images per product
- •product_id (FK), url, alt_text
- •position for display ordering
- •is_primary flag for main image
- •File storage in S3/Cloudinary with CDN
- •Thumbnail and optimized versions
Categories & Tags
Hierarchical organization
- •Categories with parent_id for nesting
- •Tags for flexible filtering (e.g., 'new', 'sale')
- •Many-to-many product_tags join table
- •SEO-friendly slugs for URLs
- •Category images and descriptions
Database Schema
PostgreSQL schema with 8 core tables covering products, customers, orders, and shopping cart functionality.
products
Core product catalog
product_variants
Product variations (size, color)
customers
Customer accounts
addresses
Shipping and billing addresses
orders
Customer orders
order_items
Line items per order
carts
Shopping cart (session or user)
cart_items
Items in shopping cart
Database Indexes & Constraints
- • Index on products(slug), products(category_id)
- • Index on orders(customer_id, status)
- • Index on customers(email)
- • Index on cart_items(cart_id, product_id)
- • Foreign key constraints for referential integrity
- • Unique constraint on customers(email)
- • Check constraint: order total = subtotal + tax + shipping
- • Trigger to update product_variants.stock_quantity on order
Shopping Cart Logic
Core cart operations with optimistic updates, validation, and persistent storage for both authenticated and guest users.
Add to Cart
Add product with variant and quantity
Update Quantity
Change quantity of existing cart item
Remove from Cart
Delete item from shopping cart
Get Cart
Fetch current cart with all items
Cart State Management
- • React Context for global cart state across components
- • Redis cache for session carts (30-day TTL)
- • PostgreSQL for authenticated user carts (persistent)
- • Merge guest cart into user cart on login
- • Real-time stock validation before checkout
- • Automatic cart cleanup for expired guest carts (cron job)
Checkout Flow
Four-step checkout process optimized for conversion with progress indicator and validation at each step.
Cart Review
Review items, apply discount codes
- Display all cart items with images and quantities
- Show subtotal, estimated shipping, estimated tax
- Input field for discount/promo codes
- Validate code against promotions table
- Apply discount and recalculate total
- Continue to shipping button
Shipping Address
Collect or select shipping address
- Show saved addresses for logged-in users
- Address form: name, address, city, state, zip, country
- Real-time address validation (e.g., Google Places API)
- Calculate shipping cost based on weight and destination
- Save address to customer profile option
- Continue to payment button
Payment Processing
Stripe Elements for secure card input
- Embed Stripe CardElement with custom styling
- Billing address same as shipping checkbox
- Create Stripe Payment Intent on submit
- Handle 3D Secure (SCA) if required
- Show loading state during payment processing
- On success: create order, clear cart, redirect to confirmation
Order Confirmation
Display order summary and next steps
- Thank you message with order number
- Order summary: items, shipping address, total
- Send confirmation email with order details
- Track order button linking to order status page
- Recommended products section
- Download invoice/receipt option
Guest Checkout Support
Allow customers to complete purchase without creating an account for faster conversion:
- • Email address required for order confirmation and tracking
- • Optional account creation after successful order
- • Send magic link to email for order status access
- • Store guest orders with email as identifier
- • Prompt to save address and payment method for next time
Payment Processing
Stripe-powered payment system with webhooks for reliable order creation and PCI-compliant security.
Stripe Integration
Secure payment processing with Stripe
- •Stripe Elements for PCI-compliant card input
- •Support for credit/debit cards via Payment Intents API
- •3D Secure (SCA) for European customers
- •Payment method saved for future purchases (optional)
- •Refunds and partial refunds via Stripe Dashboard or API
- •Test mode for development with test card numbers
Webhook Handling
Real-time payment event processing
- •payment_intent.succeeded: Create order, send confirmation
- •payment_intent.payment_failed: Show error, notify customer
- •charge.refunded: Update order status to 'refunded'
- •Webhook signature verification for security
- •Idempotent handlers to prevent duplicate processing
- •Retry logic with exponential backoff
Security & Compliance
PCI DSS compliance and fraud prevention
- •Never store raw card numbers (handled by Stripe)
- •HTTPS only for all payment pages
- •Stripe Radar for fraud detection
- •Address Verification System (AVS) checks
- •CVV verification required
- •3D Secure 2 for Strong Customer Authentication (SCA)
Order Creation Flow
Transaction workflow from payment to order
- •1. Create Payment Intent with order amount
- •2. Client confirms payment with Stripe.js
- •3. Webhook receives payment_intent.succeeded
- •4. BEGIN TRANSACTION: Create order record
- •5. Create order_items from cart
- •6. Decrement product_variants.stock_quantity
- •7. Clear customer's cart
- •8. COMMIT TRANSACTION
- •9. Send order confirmation email
- •10. Redirect customer to order success page
Environment Variables
Client-side (Next.js):
- NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY
Server-side (API routes):
- STRIPE_SECRET_KEY
- STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET
REST API Endpoints
12 core API routes built with Next.js API Routes or Server Actions for products, cart, checkout, and orders.
List products with filters and pagination
?category=shoes&minPrice=50&maxPrice=200&page=1&limit=20
Get product details by slug
Returns product with variants, images, and reviews
Get current cart for user or session
Returns cart with items array and calculated totals
Add product to cart
Body: { productId, variantId?, quantity }
Update cart item quantity
Body: { quantity: 3 }
Remove item from cart
Returns updated cart
Calculate shipping and tax
Body: { cartId, shippingAddressId }
Create Stripe Payment Intent
Body: { cartId, shippingAddressId, billingAddressId }
Handle Stripe webhook events
Signature verification with STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET
List customer orders
?status=shipped&page=1&limit=10
Get order details with items
Returns order with tracking info
Create new product (admin only)
Body: { name, price, categoryId, variants[], images[] }
API Design Patterns
- • RESTful conventions with proper HTTP methods
- • JWT authentication for protected routes
- • Pagination with page and limit query params
- • Consistent error responses with status codes
- • Rate limiting on checkout and admin endpoints
- • Response caching for product catalog (ISR)
User Interface Pages
Complete Next.js application with storefront, checkout, customer account, and admin dashboard interfaces.
Storefront Pages
/products
Product listing with filters, search, and pagination
/products/[slug]
Product detail with variant selector and add to cart
/categories/[slug]
Category page with filtered products
/cart
Shopping cart review with item management
/search
Search results with autocomplete suggestions
Checkout Flow
/checkout/cart
Cart review with discount code input
/checkout/shipping
Shipping address form with saved addresses
/checkout/payment
Stripe Elements for card payment
/checkout/confirmation
Order success page with order number
Customer Account
/account/dashboard
Order history and account overview
/account/orders/[id]
Order details with tracking info
/account/addresses
Manage saved shipping addresses
/account/payment-methods
Manage saved cards (Stripe)
/account/settings
Profile settings and email preferences
Admin Dashboard
/admin/products
Product list with edit/delete actions
/admin/products/new
Create product with variants and images
/admin/orders
Order management with status updates
/admin/customers
Customer list and details
/admin/analytics
Sales reports and product performance
UI Components & Libraries
- • shadcn/ui for consistent design system
- • React Hook Form for checkout forms
- • TanStack Table for product/order tables
- • Stripe Elements for payment input
- • Framer Motion for animations
- • Next.js Image for optimized product images
- • Responsive design with Tailwind CSS
- • Dark mode support
Production Ready Benefits
Key Benefits
- Complete online store from product catalog to order fulfillment
- Secure payment processing with Stripe (PCI compliant)
- Guest checkout for faster conversion rates
- Inventory tracking with low-stock alerts
- Mobile-responsive design for shopping on any device
- SEO-optimized product pages with server-side rendering
- Order management dashboard for tracking and fulfillment
- Email notifications for order confirmation and shipping
Definition of Done
- All database tables created with indexes and constraints
- Cart operations (add, update, remove) with optimistic updates
- Four-step checkout flow with Stripe integration
- Webhook handler for payment_intent.succeeded event
- Customer account with order history
- Admin dashboard for product and order management
- Product search with filters (category, price range)
- Responsive UI tested on desktop and mobile
Ready to Launch Your Store?
This e-commerce platform provides everything you need to start selling online, from product management to secure payment processing and order fulfillment.
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