The rise of e-commerce has been nothing short of phenomenal. In 2022 alone, global sales hit over $5.7 trillion.
This has spurred businesses to invest heavily in e-commerce solutions to tap into a vast and growing customer base. Fortunately, developing an e-commerce web app is not as difficult as it once was, especially with the right tools like React JS.
React JS is a powerful mobile web development framework that you can use to build your e-commerce solution quickly, with a better user experience, and with less code. And because it can provide speed, high performance, and scalability, it has attracted internet giants — Facebook, Netflix, and Paypal.
Read on to learn why React JS is the perfect front-end development framework for building e-commerce web apps.
Why Use React JS for eCommerce Web App Development?
React JS is a front-end JavaScript library maintained by Meta, previously Facebook. It is a declarative, component-based, and functional programming style used to create online applications and reusable UI components.
This open-source web development framework has all the features you need to build a top-notch online shopping app for your e-commerce business.
Some of the upsides of React JS are:
- Component-based architecture
- Reusable code
- Optimal performance delivery
- UI-focused designs
React is the perfect choice for developers who want to create powerful, efficient apps or complex user interfaces without sacrificing flexibility or scalability.
React is also very popular among developers. At 42.62%, it was the second most used web framework globally as of 2022. It also has an active community, so getting help with any challenges or issues is a breeze.
Building Blocks of E-commerce Web Apps Using React JS
Using React is like building a car out of Legos. To build a fully functional application, you assemble the necessary parts from building blocks and connect them one by one. For e-commerce apps, the building blocks that seamlessly work together to deliver exceptional features for your e-commerce application include.
- User interface design
The user interface (UI) is critical in e-commerce solutions. Customers will get annoyed and abandon their shopping carts if it is not straightforward, intuitive, and aesthetically appealing. React JS makes creating user-friendly interfaces for web apps considerably easier. You can split the user interface into different elements called components and work on them separately before integrating them into a single component, which will be your finished UI.
- Product catalog management
Aside from a well-designed user interface, product catalog management is another essential aspect of e-commerce web apps. React JS provides developers with components and APIs that can be used to create and manage product catalogs. For example, commerce.js SDK is optimized for React.JS and has all the frontend-oriented features you need to set up and run a customer-focused web store.
- Shopping cart functionality
No e-commerce web app design is complete without a shopping cart, and React JS makes it easy to add this key feature to your website. You can create a shopping cart that has a friendly user interface and is secure, using usetheform, a React library for building declarative forms, or via commerce.JS SDK.
- Payment gateway integration
Integrating a payment gateway into a web application is a crucial step for any e-commerce business. React JS allows you to integrate a secure payment gateway with ease, ensuring that customers’ financial data is always secure and protected. Some of the popular compatible platforms are Razorpay, Paytm, PayU, and Paypal. You can also use React Stripe.JS to collect payments online.
Best Practices for Developing an E-commerce Web App Using React JS
The best practices below will help you ensure that your web app is functional, user-friendly, and efficient.
- Use of React components
A key selling point of this framework is its component-based architecture. Break up your e-commerce web app into smaller, reusable React components. This makes it easier to maintain a modular and adaptable design.
- Responsive design
With an increasing number of people accessing the web via mobile devices, it’s vital that your e-commerce web app be flexible and adaptable to different screen sizes. Using Media Queries, you can achieve mobile responsiveness by adding event listeners that respond to the “resize” event and use JS to add/remove styles.
- Optimize metadata
Optimizing metadata such as page names, descriptions, and keywords is critical for increasing the exposure and search engine rating of your e-commerce web app. React Helmet is an excellent tool for accomplishing this. It provides easy access to SEO metadata editing on React e-commerce websites.
Conclusion
If you already have a physical store, investing in web app development is the best way to capitalize on the current e-commerce explosion. However, remember that combining the appropriate framework with relevant best practices is the quickest way to achieve the best results.
With its efficient and component-styled architecture, React JS is the ideal framework for your e-commerce web app project.
Want to learn more about using React for your online store? Get in touch today or explore more resources here on the scimus website
