You’ve got a fantastic idea for your ecommerce website, and you’re eager to start building the technology behind it to make it a reality. Yet, to develop your ecommerce project, you need the list of the essential requirements involved in creating and running an online store. Without the proper list, your project may lack some essential features and work incorrectly.
How to start an ecommerce store following the right functional and non-functional requirements? Here, you will find an ecommerce checklist and clear guidelines.
Project requirements for ecommerce: What are they?
People often confuse ecommerce system requirements with goals and objectives. The difference between these terms is rather simple: goals and objectives describe what you want to achieve, whereas requirements are all about how you intend to reach those goals. In other words, a requirement describes must-have features and tasks to ensure that your goal or objective is achieved and your project is successful.
If there’s no documented process or method behind how something gets done, it makes it harder for someone else to replicate your efforts or identify risks before they become issues. That’s why it’s crucial to acknowledge the main differences between requirements for an ecommerce website and select the most appropriate ones for your business goals and proper ecommerce development.
Functional and non-functional requirements: What’s the difference
These two types of requirements are often confused, yet they represent two different aspects of the system. Understanding how each is defined can lead to a more successful project outcome.
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Functional requirements of an ecommerce website define what visitors see on your website and how your website should respond to their input. In other words, they are specifications of your store features. For example, let’s say you want your customers to receive a confirmation email after purchasing. Ecommerce functional requirements specify this feature at the development stage.
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Non-functional requirements define how your website features work. For example, they could specify the method of sending email confirmations after the purchase. Ecommerce non-functional requirements include usability, performance, website reliability, and more.
The following ecommerce website requirements checklist will help you project your website from scratch or implement lacking features to your existing store.
Functional requirements: Checklist for ecommerce website
| Functional requirements | Features |
|---|---|
| #1 Content management system | Theme, Banner Management, Blog/News Section |
| #2 Mobile-friendliness | Responsive theme, Mobile menu, Touch-friendly elements |
| #3 Product catalog | Product Listing, Product Categories, Product Details |
| #4 Search and filtering | Search Functionality, Filtering, Sorting |
| #5 Shopping cart | Add to Cart, View Cart, Update Cart, Save for Later |
| #6 Checkout process | Guest Checkout, Shipping Options, Payment Processing, Order Review |
| #7 Order management and tracking | Order Tracking, Order History, Order Cancellation and Returns |
| #8 Inventory management | Stock Levels, Low Stock Alerts, Inventory Tracking |
| #9 Product reviews and ratings | Submit Reviews, View Reviews, Review Moderation |
| #10 Promotions and discounts | Coupon Codes, Sales and Discounts, Loyalty Programs |
| #11 User registration and authentification | User Registration, Login/Logout, Password Management |
| #12 User profile management | Profile Information, Saved Addresses, Payment Methods |
| #13 Wishlist | Add to Wishlist, View Wishlist |
| #14 Multilingual and multi-currency support | Language Selection, Currency Conversion |
| #15 Customer support |