"I am Saqib Jahangir. A passionate vlogger, software engineer, trainer and avid traveler with a deep love for exploring the hidden gems of our beautiful planet. With a strong foundation in Application Development, Application Architecture & Database Design and Product Management, I bring over a decade of hands-on experience building secure, scalable, and resilient web applications for a diverse range of industries."

What is E-commerce?

 

🔹 What is E-commerce?

E-commerce (Electronic Commerce) is the process of buying and selling products or services online.

Instead of going to a physical store, customers can:

  • Browse products on a website or app
  • Add them to a shopping cart
  • Pay online using credit cards, digital wallets, or other payment methods
  • Receive products at home or access digital services immediately

In short: E-commerce brings traditional shopping to the internet.

🔹 Types of E-commerce

  1. B2C (Business to Consumer) → Amazon,  Noon
  2. B2B (Business to Business) → Alibaba
  3. C2C (Consumer to Consumer) → eBay, OLX
  4. D2C (Direct to Consumer) → Brands selling directly to customers online

🔹 Why Use an E-commerce Platform?

  • Makes selling products online easy without building a store from scratch.
  • Handles product catalog, payments, orders, and shipping.
  • Can scale from small shops to large marketplaces.
  • Some platforms are open-source, meaning you can customize them completely.

🔹 Popular Open-Source E-commerce Platforms

  1. WooCommerce (WordPress plugin)
    • Turns a WordPress website into a full-featured online store.
    • Free core plugin, paid add-ons available.
    • Great for beginners and small businesses.
  2. Magento / Adobe Commerce
    • Powerful, used by medium to large businesses.
    • Offers advanced features for product management, payments, and shipping.
    • Requires more technical knowledge.
  3. PrestaShop
    • Free, open-source e-commerce software.
    • Flexible and customizable.
    • Large community of developers and themes.
  4. OpenCart
    • Lightweight and beginner-friendly.
    • Simple admin panel for managing products and orders.
    • Free core software with extensions available.
  5. Shopware
    • Modern open-source platform popular in Europe.
    • Focuses on flexibility and user experience.

🔹 Key Features of E-commerce Platforms

  • Product catalog & categories
  • Shopping cart & checkout
  • Payment gateway integration
  • Order management
  • Shipping and tax management
  • Customer accounts & support

 

Popular Posts

Operators (Arithmetic, Comparison, Logical)

  Operators in PHP are symbols that perform operations on variables and values. They are essential for performing calculations, comparing values, and making logical decisions in your code. PHP supports several types of operators, including arithmetic, comparison, and logical operators. Arithmetic Operators Arithmetic operators are used to perform basic mathematical operations. Example: <?php $a = 10; $b = 3;   echo $a + $b; // 13 echo $a - $b; // 7 echo $a * $b; // 30 echo $a / $b; // 3.3333 echo $a % $b; // 1 (modulus) echo $a ** $b; // 1000 (exponentiation) ?> Comparison Operators Comparison operators are used to compare two values. They return true or false . Example: <?php $x = 5; $y = 10;   var_dump($x == $y);   // false var_dump($x != $y);   // true var_dump($x === $y); // false (checks value and type) var_dump($x !== $y); // true var_dump($x > $y);    // false var_dum...
Read more

Functions (Built-in & User-defined)

  Functions in PHP are blocks of code designed to perform a specific task. They help make code reusable, organized, and easier to maintain. PHP provides built-in functions for common tasks, and also allows you to create your own user-defined functions . Built-in Functions PHP has hundreds of built-in functions that perform predefined operations such as string manipulation, mathematical calculations, and array handling. Example (Built-in Functions): <?php // String length echo strlen("Hello World"); // Outputs: 11   // Find maximum value in an array echo max(10, 20, 30); // Outputs: 30   // Convert string to uppercase echo strtoupper("php is awesome"); // Outputs: PHP IS AWESOME ?> User-defined Functions You can create your own functions to execute code whenever needed. This helps reduce repetition and makes programs easier to read. Syntax: function functionName($parameter1, $parameter2) {     // Code to...
Read more