Case Study Magento Ecommerce Website for Buying Antique Rugs
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Client
Requirement
The client is a retailer and focused on becoming America’s favorite rug store. The client realizes that buying the “right” rug can be very difficult on the internet. Colors, textures, quality and feel are impossible to judge. The client wanted a Magento based ecommerce website offering customers great customer service, outstanding brands and prices lower than the competition. This ecommerce website provides dynamic functionalities enabling quick, easy and smooth transactions combined with a safe, convenient and secured online shopping experience for the customers. This customized platform includes a database driven shopping cart system with different products, shipping module and payment gateways making the ecommerce website stand out to make sure the client’s products and services sell. A key objective of the new site is to import product data and images into the system from third party vendors through the use of CSV files. The objective was also to enable customers to choose from the various options available for each product and decide on the one that suits them the best from the comfort of their needs. The project addresses the development of an online shopping cart system that allows suppliers to sell their products directly online to the customers. This Magento based ecommerce platform also offers varied discounts to the customers to enhance their shopping experience. Client expected the following functionalities to be added to the system:
Integration of a payment gateway (Authorize.Net)
Free shipping system
Order management system
Inventory management system
Integration with the Microsoft C5 ERP system
User-friendly design
Project
Challenges
Team faced the following challenges while project development:
Developing an active shopping portal capable of handling millions of user requests at the same time without slowing the site down.
Incorporating web usability principles in the website design to ensure easy navigation for all types of users.
ERP integration and data synchronization with the ecommerce shopping cart system for varied products on regular basis.
Ensuring safe and secure transfer of data.
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Technologies Operating System & Server Management
Development Tools & Environments
Used Red Hat Linux OS, Multi-Server Architecture with Staging & Production Environment through Version Controlling releases, Server Optimization, Security & SSL Implementation, Scheduler for Back-ups, Alert Monitoring System Integration, Server Performance Tuning at regular intervals, Software Firewall Configuration & Maintenance PHP5+, Magento, Apache Web Server, AJAX, HTML, CSS etc. MYSQL Database Server, DB Clustering, DB Optimization, Master Slave Replication, Query Optimization, Scheduler for Backups
Database
Manpower Project Leader
1
Developers
2
Designers
2
Quality Assurance Testers
1
Planning A four-tier development approach was adopted keeping in mind the enormous structure of the website and the challenges involved:
The Database layer containing MYSQL Server Database, Tables, Stored Procedures and so on.
The Data Access layer containing the libraries responsible for accessing data from the database.
The Business Logic layer consisting of all the business logic procedures for modules like Shipping, Payment Gateway, Order Management, Check out etc.
The User Interface layer which forms the Graphical User Interface of the website.
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Architecture PHP and MYSQL Server formed the basis of development as the site was rich with user data and featured extensive capabilities for online shopping. Shipping Management, Order Management, Inventory Management etc. were developed in PHP such that they can be executed directly from the UI layer. These PHP files consisted of all the business logics used for respective modules like Save (Add/Update), Delete, Get Single Object, Get Multiple Objects for Listing and were designed to be capable of handling many more logics which were not related to the database. The Data Access layer contained the libraries responsible for accessing data from the database and built a generic query for insert, update, delete and select depending on the business class. All business layer components were coded to use this library for data accessing process from database. Stored procedures were used only for complex retrieval of data from multiple tables and were entirely avoided with conditional syntax to ensure smooth performance of the website. The UI layer was kept free of any business logic with images, applications and data being called from their respective servers.
Development
Highlights
The end result is stunning website with a gamut of online activities successfully handling all the orders, shipping, payments amongst others. Extensive pre-development research was carried out to create a robust application in minimum time while dealing with extensive customizations. Web usability guidelines were strictly followed during development and the interface was made easily navigable through judicious use of AJAX, CSS and HTML controls. The site was developed and fully functional within a span of 6 months.
www.brainvire.com | Š 2013 Brainvire Infotech Pvt. Ltd
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